Providing livelihoods and motivation for the mountainous people of Nghe An

Creating sustainable livelihoods for young people

In the chilly weather of the last days of the year, going to Bac Son commune, Quy Hop district, walking on the new roads into the village, one can clearly feel the joy and the obvious changes in the lives of the people in the highlands. The changes come from the effectiveness of the ethnic policies of the Party, the State and from the people's own internal strength.

We arrived at Manh village, and before our eyes were hillsides of fruit trees and acacia forests. The lives of the people have changed a lot compared to a decade ago. This is the result of the efforts of the Thai people living along the Pu Sung mountain range here.

Ms. Vi Thi May Xung and her husband, Mr. Lo Van Dan, welcomed us in a spacious, clean stilt house in the middle of the green of tangerines and hybrid acacia. Ms. Xung said: In 2016, the family borrowed 30 million VND from poor households to buy breeding cows. The livestock farming developed, and the bank debt was paid off. In 2019, the couple escaped poverty and borrowed another 50 million VND from the near-poor household program to raise breeding cows. Next, the family borrowed 20 million VND from a computer program for their two children to go to school. The industrious people do not let the land rest, so in 2023, the couple continued to borrow another 30 million VND from the near-poor household program to plant acacia.

Ms. Xung shared: If we want to have enough food and move up, we can only look to forest land and develop livestock farming. After a period of focusing on livestock farming, the herd of cows has grown, the family has sold some of the cows to pay off some of the bank debt, and currently has 14 cows left. In addition, the family currently has 18 hectares of raw acacia trees that are about to be harvested, and are also growing very well.

Thanks to loans from the Social Policy Bank, many households in Bac Son commune have escaped poverty and become well-off. Preferential loans have opened up valuable opportunities for young people, especially those in difficult circumstances, helping them start businesses and develop sustainable livelihoods.

In Muong Long commune, Ky Son highland district, many people know the family of Vu Y No, born in 1994, currently living in Muong Long 1 village, who has successfully started a business from the model of "raising black chickens combined with business and tourism development". Ms. No not only changed her family's life but also inspired the community, especially the 9X youth generation.

In 2020, Ms. No borrowed 100 million VND from the Social Policy Bank from the credit source for production and business in ethnic minority areas. With this capital, her family raised native black chickens, equipped them with incubators and generators to build a biosafety black chicken farming model; and opened a grocery store to serve the consumption needs of people in the village.

Not stopping there, realizing the potential for local tourism development, in 2021, Ms. Y No and her husband renovated the house and opened a homestay service for tourists. Her house became a destination attracting visitors to experience the culture, customs of the Mong people and unique culinary products from black chicken.

With her efforts and dynamism, Ms. Y No used the loan capital for the right purpose; By the end of 2024, she had paid off all her bank debt, escaped from near-poor household status and become a well-off household.

Continued breakthrough from credit capital

In the days before Tet, the atmosphere is bustling and busy preparing to welcome the new year throughout the countryside. Back in Tan Ky district, the upper and lower villages are busy with planting acacia seedlings to serve the first planting of the year, with batches of sweet molasses... The joy of a good harvest, the bright smiles clearly visible on the faces of each person signal the return of a warm, happy spring.

In Chau Nam hamlet, Tan Huong commune, Nguyen Duy Duc's family is busy with molasses batches. He said that at the end of 2020, he borrowed 40 million VND from the near-poor household program to produce molasses. The loan capital was effectively used for the traditional profession. At the end of the year, the furnace was blazing, producing batches of smooth molasses to serve the needs of markets near and far.

Also in Tan Huong commune, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Kien's family in Tan Minh hamlet borrowed 9 million VND from the program for newly escaped poor households, starting from August 2021, to produce acacia seedlings. Thanks to his experience in farming, his family's economy is increasingly prosperous.

Tan Ky is one of 11 mountainous districts located in the West of Nghe An province, 90 km from Vinh city, with a new rural appearance, with changes thanks to the road system being expanded, concreted, paved smooth, convenient for traffic; a series of houses of the people were built spaciously; the material life of ethnic people was raised, the number of well-off and rich households is increasing day by day....

Why did the mountainous region develop so quickly? There are many reasons for the change, but we cannot ignore social policy credit. This is the driving force that awakens the aspiration and will to escape poverty of many people in the difficult areas of Western Nghe An.

In Tan Ky district alone, policy credit capital has created favorable conditions to support 35,280 poor households and policy beneficiaries to get preferential loans, contributing to helping 3,252 households overcome the poverty line; attracting and creating jobs for 2,250 workers, helping 8,649 students get loans for studying; supporting the construction and renovation of 9,393 clean water works and standard toilets; repairing and building solid houses for many poor households and ethnic minority families.

The results achieved by localities, in addition to the drastic participation of Party committees, authorities, and organizations at all levels and the active response of ethnic people, also have an important and effective contribution from the Social Policy Bank in the locality; which has focused on mobilizing large financial resources and effectively organizing the State's policy credit programs.

Director of the Provincial Social Policy Bank, Mr. Tran Khac Hung said: The highlight of the past time is the consensus and active participation of Party committees, authorities, departments, branches, and organizations from district to village and commune levels, along with the focus on mobilizing all resources and capital sources assigned to the Social Policy Bank to lend to poor households and policy beneficiaries. In addition to being provided with preferential loans, people are also consulted, participate in technical support services, vocational training, and encouraged to apply science and technology in production. The integration of social policy credit with national target programs, socio-economic development projects and social security has created favorable conditions, helping people improve production efficiency and living standards.