Awakening the will of 'Brave Poor People' to escape poverty sustainably
(Baonghean.vn) - The reality of poor people wanting to be classified as poor households to enjoy policies from the State still exists. The current approach in localities, shifting the poor from objects to subjects, has been arousing the will to escape poverty of the people themselves.
Subject of poverty alleviation
In Quynh Lam commune (Quynh Luu), Mr. Ho Sy Giap, is raising his children alone and his health is not good. Understanding that situation, based on the propaganda, mobilization, and support of the Fatherland Front of the district and commune with a loan of 30 million VND without interest for 3 years, along with the orientation of choosing a livelihood model, Mr. Giap committed to rising out of poverty. He sold the first batch of 700 ducks at the end of March 2022, earning more than 55 million VND; the second batch is expected to be sold in early June 2022. In order to sustainably reduce poverty, he also shared his wish to have more capital to support loans to raise breeding cows.
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| The duck farming livelihood model in Quynh Lam commune, Quynh Luu district has initially shown results. Photo: Mai Hoa |
Also in Quynh Lam commune, Nguyen Thi Luyen's family is not much better off as her husband and children both enjoy the 202 regime and are sick and hospitalized all year round. The life of a family of four people depends on the "pillar" - she works in the fields and as a bricklayer, sometimes with money, sometimes without. In that situation, although the level 4 house was built decades ago, there are no conditions to rebuild it. Nguyen Thi Luyen confided: The hardest thing in life is building a house. Now that the district and commune Fatherland Front, along with relatives and neighbors, are supporting us; now that we have a house, we try to raise livestock and find extra work during the off-season. Moreover, our second son will also finish high school next year, which means we will have more labor in the family, so the commitment to escape poverty by 2023 is definitely possible.
The families of Ho Sy Giap and Nguyen Thi Luyen are two of more than 500 poor households in Quynh Luu district who have "bravely" registered and committed to escaping poverty on the basis of the companionship and support of the Vietnam Fatherland Front from 2020 to present.
Comrade Pham Thi Hai Yen - Head of the District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee, Chairman of the Quynh Luu District Fatherland Front Committee said: The program "Brave Poor People" was launched by the District Fatherland Front in early February 2020. Based on reviewing poor and near-poor households, classifying the causes of poverty of each household, at the commune level, conferences were organized or each poor household was visited to propagate, mobilize, and enhance the self-esteem of the poor, not relying on the State's mechanisms and policies. At the district level, a conference on "Sustainable Poverty Reduction Solutions" was organized, gathering poor people with well-developed, feasible poverty reduction plans and solutions in many fields and types to discuss and find the most feasible solution in practice.
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| Leaders of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of Quynh Luu district grasp the needs of people in implementing livelihood support. Photo: Mai Hoa |
The above activities have changed the mindset, awareness and created confidence for the poor to be ready to register and commit to escape poverty with the companionship and support of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. Based on the application for production plan, support needs and commitment to escape poverty of the poor households, the district Vietnam Fatherland Front together with the commune provides support. Such as support for vocational training introduction combined with capital support to open production and business establishments after vocational training; support for interest-free loans for livestock raising or trading investment; those lacking production materials are supported with livelihood models for raising cows, deer and ducks; support for building "Great Solidarity" houses...
Through the program "Brave Poor People" has contributed to changing the awareness, thinking and will to escape poverty of the poor themselves.
The reality of poor people wanting to be classified as poor households to enjoy policies from the State has existed for a long time in localities in the province. The way Quynh Luu district has implemented the "Brave Poor" Program in recent times has transformed the poor from objects to subjects of poverty escape; meaning that the poor must really participate, be proactive, and enthusiastically strive to escape poverty, rather than being objects for levels, sectors, and societies to care for with free policies, creating passivity, a mentality of waiting and dependence.
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| Vegetable field in Quynh Luong commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: Document |
Thanh Chuong district also implemented a "Livestock Breeding Bank" to support poor and near-poor households with the conditions and experience in raising livestock, especially those with the will and desire to escape poverty and have a commitment to raise breeding stock at least until 2025 to support breeding stock. Accordingly, each poor and near-poor household is supported to raise 1 breeding cow or 2-5 breeding goats or 2-5 sows; after 2.5 years for households raising cows and 20 months for households raising goats and pigs, they must return 50% of the value of the breed so that the Vietnam Fatherland Front can transfer it to support other households.
Support from organizations and communities is only a guide and the poor and near-poor play a decisive role, a leading role in the story of escaping poverty.
In addition to the “Livestock Seed Bank”, Thanh Chuong district also supports poor and near-poor households to purchase tools and equipment to open grocery stores or motorbike washing, pumping and patching services for motorbikes and bicycles; supports fruit tree seeds for households with home gardens that can grow 20 or more fruit trees; supports irrigation systems for green vegetables and spices; supports fertilizers for annual crops for poor and near-poor households. In addition to material support, Thanh Chuong district also mobilizes the Vietnam Fatherland Front and political organizations to advise and help poor households choose suitable livelihoods and continue to accompany and support them in the process of implementing livelihood models in terms of planting and breeding techniques or business product strategies, etc.
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| Thanh Chuong district increases support for science and technology and economic development for people. Photo: Mai Hoa |
According to comrade Phan Dinh Ha - Head of the District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee, Chairman of the Thanh Chuong District Fatherland Front Committee, all support from the Fatherland Front, organizations and the community is only for guidance and the poor and near-poor play a decisive role, the main role in the story of escaping poverty.
Along with the creative shift in supporting the poor, making the poor the main subjects of poverty reduction in localities, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee has also developed a plan to support the livelihoods of the poor through the "Cow Bank" in the form of supporting the poor and near-poor with the cost of buying breeding animals, an average of 15 million VND per household, combined with the counterpart part at the district and commune levels to provide additional support and the people themselves also have a counterpart by investing in building barns, putting in effort to raise animals to ensure the development of livestock.
After 3 years, the poor and near-poor receiving support are responsible for returning 50% of the value of the support to have a source of support for other households. This method changes the support for the poor from giving to conditional support, thereby gradually overcoming the mindset of waiting and relying on the poor and near-poor or wanting to be considered poor to enjoy the State's policies.
In 2021, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee allocated nearly 10 billion VND from the Fund for the Poor to support 1,000 poor and near-poor households in 19 districts and towns in the province and provided support through the Provincial Farmers' Association to build livelihood models for poor farmer members under the livelihood program.
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| Thanh Chuong district leaders learn about people's production needs. Photo: Mai Hoa |
Integrating poverty reduction resources
Poverty reduction is a major, consistent policy with profound socio-political significance, always receiving attention from the Party and the State. “Leaving no one behind” is the motto of drastic action in poverty reduction work of the Party Committee, the government and the entire political system from the provincial to the grassroots level in recent times.
Currently, the requirements for poverty reduction in the new period require high efficiency and sustainability. In particular, the 13th National Party Congress and the Party Congresses at all levels in the province, together with the implementation of Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW of the Politburo and the entire course's theme on "Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style on the will to be self-reliant, self-reliant and the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country"; continue to pose to the entire political system a concern with a different way of thinking and working in poverty reduction, so that the poor and near-poor do not rely on the regimes and policies of the State or the community and always have a strong desire to rise up and escape poverty.
It is necessary to integrate resources to support the poor and near-poor to rise up, limit falling back into poverty and the emergence of new poverty.
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| Supporting people to develop production, business and create jobs is a sustainable solution to poverty reduction. Photo: Mai Hoa |
In addition to the will of the poor through promoting propaganda, mobilization and persuasion activities of the entire political system, according to Mr. Le Van Ngoc - Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, all levels and sectors also need to join hands to support the poor and near-poor in essential issues, such as effectively supporting vocational training associated with job creation; especially supporting loans, supporting production materials, including land, livestock, seedlings, etc.
To do this, it is necessary to have strong enough resources. In addition to the social mobilization resources through the "For the Poor" Fund, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee is also actively coordinating with the Provincial People's Committee, departments, branches and organizations to integrate resources to support the poor and near-poor to rise up in the most effective way, limit poverty relapse and poverty generation; contribute to completing the goals and targets of the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction in the province for the period 2021 - 2025.