Activities responding to Peak Month for the Poor have become a cultural trait of the community to share difficulties with poor and near-poor households. This year, in response to this peak month, localities and individuals made changes in caring for the poor. Since then, more and more disadvantaged people are being helped in stabilizing their lives.
Direct supports
One month after the launching of this peak month, according to Steering Committee for provincial poverty reduction program, many localities in the province had many good ways to help households eradicate poverty. Many creative ways in social mobilization, together with supportive policies of the State, helped the poor to stabilize their lives. This year, socio-political organizations and mass organizations learnt carefully about lives and employment situation of members and families in residential areas, and helped poor and near-poor households through practical ways.
Youth Union of provincial Enterprises’ bloc start the construction of houses for disadvantaged young members.
This year, benefactors switched their way to direct support. The donors contacted each commune, ward, town, and proposed to give gifts directly to poor people. Visiting, giving presents directly was an opportunity for donors to see specific situations, feel the happiness of poor people when receiving gifts. This would be a motivation for more contributions. On the side of poor households, besides gifts, they also received encouraging words to strive more for a better life. Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, from charity group of Chanh Nghia ward (TDM City) said that this year the group had visited, given gifts directly to the poor, disabled children. Meeting difficult circumstances really touched their heart and were stimulated to do more charity work.
Benefactors also found difficult circumstances, then asked local authorities to confirm these situations and build houses for them. For example, Le Thi Kim Vien living in quarter 9, Phu Loi ward, TDM City, has a new house with an area of 32m2, total construction cost of VND95 million presented by Smart Sys Company and Thanh Nien newspaper. "I was very happy, when witnessing my house was built beautifully", said Ms. Vien.
To grasp thoughts and aspirations of the poor
In order to find solutions to help the poor, during the peak month for the poor, provincial DOLISA cooperated and organized meetings and talks about poverty reduction policy at district and commune levels. Poor and near-poor households gave their ideas and expressed their desires related to loan borrowing, tuition fee exemption, medical expense support, vocational training…
Ha Minh Trung, Deputy Director of DOLISA, said that the talks aimed at finding concrete solutions to bottlenecks at the grassroots level during the implementation of national target program on sustainable poverty reduction to improve the effectiveness of poverty reduction, contributing to increased transparency and accountability in the implementation of poverty reduction resources. These dialogues were to grasp thoughts, aspirations, needs, conditions, specific circumstances of each poor and near-poor households, then to propose practical solutions, expansion of effective models of sustainable poverty reduction.
With the role of organizing and connecting community strengths in poverty reduction, in the peak month, provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee called for donations and supports for Fund for the Poor at all levels. The mobilized amount will be disbursed for housing support for the poor; essential furniture for policy families; supporting tuition fee, presenting scholarships, bicycles to students; giving gifts, supporting livelihoods, supporting poor patients with heart surgery ...
In order for the movement for the Poor to increasingly widespread, according to Nguyen Thanh Liem - Member of Provincial Party Standing Committee, Chairman of Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee - tasks set for Party committees, government, Fatherland Front and unions, all levels, sectors, business community and people must be continuously innovated. Besides, it is necessary to strengthen propagation and communication to raise the poor’s awareness and spirit of poverty eradication. Besides, socialization should be further promoted; agencies, units, enterprises and the community shall join hands for the task of poverty reduction and ensuring social security. From now to the end of 2018, the care for poor and disadvantaged people needs to be enhanced, especially in the upcoming Lunar New Year 2019.
Reported by To Tam – Translated by Ngoc Huynh
