Christmas joy at La Nham Parish

Giving up land for big projects

La Nham Parish includes Hamlet 1 and Hamlet 2, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc), with 560 households and about 2,700 people. These days, along with promoting business and production, parishioners are busy preparing to welcome Christmas and New Year 2023. The first impression when returning here is the spacious houses, fully equipped and not inferior to modern neighborhoods.

Mr. Ho Sy Luu - Chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council said: "The residential area of ​​Hamlet 2 is subject to resettlement and relocation to build a waste treatment plant. At first, no one wanted to relocate. It took many attempts to persuade people to agree to resettle here. Unexpectedly, life has completely changed in a positive direction."

La Nham Parish Church, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: Cong Kien

Mr. Ho Sy Luu remembers clearly about 15 years ago, when the lives of most people in the area were still difficult and arduous. At that time, Nghi Yen countryside mainly relied on wet rice production, the fields along the Cam River were affected by salinity, so productivity and output were low, and income was very unstable. Local officials mobilized people to build embankments to prevent salinity intrusion, change the structure of rice varieties and focus on care, so productivity gradually increased, and people's lives gradually improved.

Then, in Nghi Yen commune, 2 projects were deployed.big projectare the Domestic Waste Treatment Area Project and the D4 Road Project to the Cement Grinding Station and Vissai Seaport, Nghi Thiet Commune. If successfully implemented, these two projects will have great significance in development planning, creating a breakthrough in the local socio-economic situation.

But in the immediate future, these two projects will affect hundreds of households in Nghi Yen commune, most of whom are Catholics. The initial implementation encountered many difficulties, because the people refused to accept compensation to move to the resettlement area. Because they have lived and attached to the garden and house for generations, accustomed to their daily life, no one wants to change and disrupt their lives.

Peaceful life in La Nham Parish, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: Cong Kien

At that time, Mr. Ho Sy Luu was the village chief, he always accompanied the authorities at all levels and organizations in mobilizing and persuading people to accept relocation. Because of relocation to the resettlement area, with compensation money, people had the conditions to build spacious houses, buy amenities to serve their lives. The remaining money would be saved for livelihood and raising children to study, ensuring a stable future.

At first, only a few households, then dozens of households, and finally all households agreed to relocate and receive compensation. To date,resettlement areahas become really spacious, the roads are neat and straight. Besides agricultural production, many households also do business and develop additional jobs, so their income is increasingly high, their lives are always stable and developing.

Accompanying the government

The La Nham Parish Pastoral Council has actively coordinated with the Party Committee, government, Fatherland Front Committee and departments, branches and organizations to propagate and mobilize the parishioners to respond to emulation movements in labor, production, economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

Many households have boldly borrowed capital for production, exported labor, and invested in purchasing machinery for agricultural production. Some households have taken advantage of being close to National Highway 1A and Road D4 to expand their business, diversify their industries, contributing to increasing family income and enriching their hometown.

People of La Nham Parish, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc) prepare to celebrate Christmas. Photo: Cong Kien

Many households in the parish have been honored as good producers and traders with an income of around 200 million VND/year. The number of well-off and rich households has increased rapidly, the number of poor households is now only about 20 households (according to new criteria), the rate of cultural families is over 80%.

Families regularly take care of activities to encourage learning and talent. Children of school age are able to go to school, especially the situation of dropping out of school has completely ended. People actively contribute to the education encouragement fund, organize gifts for children with good academic performance, passing the entrance exams to universities and poor students who overcome difficulties.

In particular, with the spirit of mutual love and support, the parish priest and the Pastoral Council of La Nham Parish always participate in charitable work, contributing and sharing with the poor and the lonely and unfortunate elderly with meaningful gifts.

La Nham Parish, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc) has many spacious, clean and beautiful residential areas. Photo: Cong Kien

Responding to the movement "All people unite to build new countryside and civilized urban areas", living "Good life, good religion”, the people of La Nham Parish contributed labor and money to build thousands of meters of concrete roads and intra-field canals. The Pastoral Council, together with departments, branches and organizations at the commune level, mobilized parishioners to hand over 50 hectares of agricultural land to carry out works and projects in the area.

At the same time, promote awareness among people about environmental protection, climate change response, law compliance, civic duty and ensuring security, order and social safety. Promote the movement of solidarity in building ethics and lifestyles of “Exemplary grandparents, filial children and grandchildren”, loving everyone in the community.