The joy of parishioners on the red land

A corner of Con Ca parish, Nghia Loc commune (Nghia Dan). Photo: Minh Thai

Previously, Mr. Ho Sy Thien's family, a parishioner in Hamlet 4, Nghia Trung Commune, always lived in difficult and deprived circumstances. The whole family of 5 people lived in a makeshift, dilapidated house. Mr. Thien had to do many jobs but still could not make enough to live, not to mention shopping and construction. In 2013, through the Farmers' Association, Mr. Thien was supported with 20 million VND in loans to develop the economy.

From this capital, his family built a barn and bought breeding goats to develop livestock farming. Thanks to hard work and knowledge of livestock farming, goat farming gradually became more effective, life improved, and they gradually had food and savings. With the accumulated capital, Mr. Thien invested in buying more goats, expanding livestock farming, increasing his average income to about 60 - 70 million VND/year.

With the money saved from raising goats, and the help of his brothers and friends, Mr. Ho Sy Thien built a spacious and comfortable house worth 370 million VND, ensuring food and accommodation for his family members. Up to now, his family has escaped poverty and become a well-off household in Nghia Trung commune.

Thanks to her diligence and hard work, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tri - a parishioner of Con Ca parish, has a source of income from developing cattle farming. Photo: Minh Thai

Mr. Thien said: “My family used to be poor. After borrowing money to develop goat farming, the first year we earned 60 million VND to build the foundation of the house. In the second year, we continued to earn 60 million VND to buy materials, then continued to raise goats to save money and borrow more, and finally completed a new, spacious house. Everyone in the family was very excited.”

Like Mr. Ho Sy Thien's family, in Con Ca parish, Nghia Loc commune, there is Ms. Nguyen Thi Tri's family in very difficult circumstances. Both husband and wife are blind, have young children, and lack land for production, so for many years they have had to live in poverty. In 2014, through the Fund for the Poor, the Fatherland Front of Nghia Loc commune supported her family with a calf for breeding.

Thanks to diligence, hard work and thrift, Ms. Tri's family has now built a new house. She shared: "In the past years, my family was very poor, both my husband and I were blind, the government supported us with a calf, which has now given birth to 3 calves, 2 of which have been sold (each for 6 million VND), and we borrowed more to build a house to protect us from the sun and rain."

In 2018, from patriotic emulation movements, campaigns launched by the Fatherland Front at all levels, organizations and unions, and 10 emulation contents of "7 good lives, 3 good religions", Catholics in Nghia Dan district strictly followed the Party's policies and the State's laws, took care of economic development, and improved family life. Thanks to that, life has been increasingly improved, many households have escaped poverty and become rich legitimately.

Mr. Vo Quang Hoa - Chairman of the Fatherland Front of Nghia Dan district said: "To have solutions to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty for Nghia Dan people in general and people in the Catholic region in particular, the Fatherland Front of the district has used the Fund for the Poor to support poor households in production as well as eliminate temporary houses, helping them have conditions to rise up. At the same time, promote propaganda on family planning and create jobs for Catholics. Up to now, the poverty rate has decreased from 7.5% to 5%".

Minh Thai