The skillful mobilization of border soldiers in remote villages

Connect information technology to the

Visiting the border commune of Bac Ly (Ky Son) on a scorching July day, the scorching heat made everyone's faces red even though the forest wind was still blowing.

Along the way, groups of children of all ages sat playing by the roadside, their faces and hair dirty. The young preschoolers were barefoot and bareheaded, fighting the summer sun.

The older children, if not following their parents to the fields, would gather and play in front of their houses, hardly knowing where to go or what to do during the summer days when schools were closed for a break.

Passing through Huoi Cang village, we were really surprised to see next to the charity house "Whoever needs, come take, whoever has, share" built by My Ly Border Guard Station, a small room with a blue and yellow signboard with the words "connecting information technology to the village".

Answering our question, the Chief of My Ly Border Guard Station, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Sy Duc said: "That is a new model that the Station has just deployed, serving the needs of information lookup and internet use of students and village and hamlet officials.

With the help of benefactors, the room is equipped with 10 computers connected to wifi and is open on Saturdays and Sundays so that people, especially students on summer vacation, can come to search for information, research, study, or for the team of Party cell secretaries and village chiefs to come and ask for guidance in drafting documents... In addition, the station has developed a plan to open a class to teach simple applied IT for students in need, team of village chiefs, Party cell secretaries, Youth Union, and part-time cadres...

Officers of My Ly Border Guard Station guide students to find study materials online. Photo: Khanh Ly - Hoai Thu

Having said that, Station Chief Nguyen Sy Duc himself quickly led us to visit the Information Technology Connection room, where 4-5 students were engrossed in looking up documents under the guidance of soldiers in green uniforms.

Lin Thi Tham, a Khmu ethnic, living in Huoi Cang 1 village, an 11th grade student at the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 in Nghi An commune, Vinh city, on summer vacation, said: “The soldiers opened a room called “Connecting information technology in remote villages” which is very practical, because my family does not have a computer. On weekends, we can come to look for relevant information to review during the summer because the wifi signal here is very strong, so the summer is less boring.”

Cut Tien Hung (born 2006), a student at Ky Son High School, happily said: "Since the computer room was opened, I often come here to look up and update the knowledge I'm interested in, and I can also ask the teachers for more guidance on practical skills in text editing because I'm not very proficient yet...".

For younger students or people in need, officers and soldiers of My Ly Border Guard Station will enthusiastically guide them from computer typing operations to searching for knowledge to serve their studies, work or production...

Officers and soldiers of My Ly Border Guard Station are continuing to paint and decorate the IT connection room to the village and the friendly barber shop to make it more spacious. Photo: Khanh Ly

According to Mr. Cut Van Long - Chairman of Bac Ly Commune People's Committee: "The lives of local people are still very difficult, so children and students here also suffer many disadvantages. Especially during summer holidays, there is no place to play.

Therefore, the establishment of the Border Guard's Information Technology Connection Room not only facilitates students in accessing IT but also creates conditions for people to learn and apply knowledge to life."

Friendly barber shop

Next to the IT Connection room is a small room with a sign that says “Friendly Barber Shop.”

There, Senior Lieutenant Lau Ba Re - an armed officer of My Ly Border Guard Station was attentively cutting hair for Mr. Luong Van Xi in Huoi Cang village, Bac Ly commune. While cutting and chatting happily, after about 20 - 30 minutes, Mr. Xi stood up and looked at his neatly trimmed head in front of the mirror with satisfaction.

Mr. Xi said: “When there was no friendly barber shop of My Ly Border Guard Station, I had to go to Huoi Tu commune to get a haircut. Now it is convenient, I can get a free “beauty treatment” without having to go far, thank you Border Guard for always helping the villagers.”

Senior Lieutenant Lau Ba Re, an armed officer - one of the "hard" barbers of My Ly Border Guard Station, said that he and some other teammates learned to cut hair by themselves, at first cutting for the brothers in the unit, especially during the Covid-19 outbreak. Over time, "practice makes perfect" and he has a talent for cutting hair, so he cuts hair quite well.

Currently, every weekend, Lieutenant Re is mobilized with some of his brothers in the unit to coordinate with the local Youth Union to go to a friendly barber shop to provide free services to the people.

“To get a nice haircut, you must first observe the face, body shape, and age to choose the appropriate style. For the elderly, it is simple, for children it can be a little more fancy, and sometimes people request to have their hair cut in this or that style, so I can advise them further. The happiest thing is that after having their hair cut by me, people seem satisfied…”, said Senior Lieutenant Re.

My Ly Border Guard Station officers give free haircuts to people at the "friendly barber shop" Photo: KL

Due to the characteristics of being stationed in remote areas, where traveling is difficult, there are usually a few "scissors" in the station who invest in clippers, scissors, hair clippers... to cut each other's hair. Now they are mobilized to participate in free haircuts for local people on Saturdays and Sundays, and the brothers are very excited.

"It's a little busier, but what we receive in return is the trust and love of the people," Captain Pham Duc Tam - Deputy Political Commissar of My Ly Border Guard Station shared more.

Help people eliminate hunger and reduce poverty

My Ly Border Guard Station manages a 48.468 km long border section.,Including 02 communes: My Ly with 12 villages with a population of 1,223 households/5,587 people; Bac Ly commune has 13 villages with a population of 944 households/4,925 people with Kinh, Thai, Kho Mu and Mong ethnic groups living together.

Understanding and sharing the difficulties of ethnic people in the border areas, in recent times, officers and soldiers of My Ly Border Guard Station have always carried out "3 sticking, 4 together", accompanying the Party Committee, government and people through practical programs and activities to contribute to hunger eradication, poverty reduction and new rural construction.

Most obvious is in "hand-holding and showing" people how to change the structure of crops and livestock to bring about high productivity.

For example, building a model of growing high-yield cassava combined with growing acacia for timber on 10 hectares in Huoi Bac and Huoi Cang 1 villages, Bac Ly commune. According to Captain Pham Duc Tam - Deputy Political Commissar: Based on the fact that the land fund in the two communes of My Ly and Bac Ly is still available, but ethnic minorities are still struggling to know what to plant and what to raise to create a livelihood and develop the household economy, My Ly Border Guard Station coordinated with local authorities to guide people to implement a model of growing high-yield cassava combined with growing acacia for timber in the two villages of Huoi Bac and Huoi Cang.

The unit has contacted businesses in Quy Hop district to support seeds, fertilizers and product consumption for people to implement the model. Initially, the high-yield cassava growing model has developed well and is expected to be harvested at the end of this year.

My Ly Border Guard Station officers help people with production. Photo: Hoai Thu

Leading us to visit more than 3 hectares of high-yield cassava covered in a lush green color, Mr. Cut Van Thinh in Huoi Cang village excitedly said: "My family is very happy to be guided by the Border Guard to grow cassava so well. In the near future, I will tell other households in the village to do the same."

Talking to us, Mr. Denh Ba Cho - Vice Chairman of Bac Ly Commune People's Committee said: Bac Ly Commune has 712 poor households, accounting for 75%, people's lives are still very difficult. The high-yield cassava planting model is one of many models that My Ly Border Guard Station has deployed to support people in villages and hamlets.Previously, people mainly planted local cassava varieties for livestock, and now they have just begun to plant them for sale as goods.

Therefore, in the upcoming harvest season, the commune will coordinate with the Station to invite village chiefs and Party cell secretaries of the villages to visit and evaluate the effectiveness of the model to replicate it throughout the commune, thereby both increasing income and creating jobs for the people.

The eye-catching green color of high-yield cassava hectares of Bac Ly commune (Ky Son). Photo: Khanh Ly

Along with hand-holding and guidance in labor and production, many other social security activities are also effectively maintained by officers and soldiers of My Ly Border Guard Station.

Notably, the construction and operation of the first charity house model "Whoever needs it, come and take it, whoever has it, share it" in the Nghe An Border Guard force, becoming a charity address to support clothes, books, materials... for free for the people and students in the area. Or the construction and renovation of the Military and Civilian Medical Station in Huoi Bac village, Bac Ly commune to serve the health care of the people; sponsoring 09 poor students who overcome difficulties to study well (support 500,000 VND/month/student).

The Military and Civilian Medical Station in Huoi Bac village (My Ly commune) is a trusted medical examination and treatment address for the people. Photo: Hai Thuong

In the first 6 months of 2022 alone, My Ly Border Guard Station organized meetings and presented 50 gifts worth nearly 12 million VND to village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people in the area.

Thereby, to promote the role of the "big trees" of villages and hamlets in propaganda work, mobilizing people to comply with and implement the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, local regulations and village conventions.

Coordinated medical examination and treatment and provided free medicine for 152 people, worth 20 million VND; gave 20 gifts to policy families and poor households in the area worth over 19 million VND...

In addition, Border Guard Party members assigned to be in charge of 128 households/671 people in border areas, commune-strengthened cadres and Party members temporarily participating in Party activities at 04 Party cells (Keo Nam and Huoi Bac villages, Bac Ly commune; Pieng Vai and Huoi Pun, My Ly commune) have effectively advised local Party committees and authorities in various fields.

Through mass mobilization work and close contact with the area, officers and soldiers of My Ly Border Guard Station not only gain the trust and respect of the people but also effectively promote the role of "eyes and ears" of the people in the fight against crime, protecting border markers, and keeping the border peaceful.

Officers and soldiers of My Ly Border Guard Station patrol to protect the border. Photo: KL

Talking about the role of the green-uniformed soldier, Mr. Cut Van Long - Chairman of Bac Ly Commune People's Committee sincerely expressed: "The local Party Committee and government are very grateful for the practical work of My Ly Border Guard Station.You not only protect the border but also help the locality strengthen the political system, develop the socio-economy, help people eliminate hunger and reduce poverty; take care of children's education... You have truly become the "support" of the village"!

Khanh Ly - Hoai Thu