"Support" for people to escape poverty

In Tu Ne commune, in early November, when the red grapefruit garden of Tan Lac is about to enter the harvest season, the yellow color of ripe grapefruits spreads throughout the area, bringing new vitality to the village. In that scene, the grapefruit garden laden with fruit of Mr. Ngo Ngoc Hai's family in hamlet 1 appears as a testament to the determination to overcome difficulties thanks to policy credit capital.

A few years ago, the Covid-19 pandemic left Mr. Hai’s family in a deadlock when the main source of income from the garden was pushed to zero. At the most difficult time, he learned about the policy credit capital from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) and decided to borrow 40 million VND from the job support program. This amount of money helped him have more capital to invest in fertilizer, renovate the garden, and hire 5-10 seasonal workers for large harvests. Step by step, his grapefruit garden “revived”, bringing in a stable income of 300 million VND per year.

The joy of Mr. Ngo Ngoc Hai (Hamlet 1, Tu Ne Commune) before the bumper harvest of his 8,000-hectare red grapefruit garden thanks to policy credit capital. (Photo: Thanh Ha)

For Mr. Hai, credit capital is not only financial support but also a timely support, helping his family overcome difficult times and continue to stick with the grapefruit growing profession. Standing in the middle of a golden grapefruit garden waiting for harvest, Mr. Hai confidently shares about the bumper crops and increasingly prosperous life.

Leaving Tu Ne, we went with the staff of the People's Credit Fund of Tan Lac district to Quyet Chien commune to visit the clean vegetable growing and cow raising model of the family of Mr. Dinh Cong Nhu and Ms. Bui Thi Ngoan (Muong ethnic group) who are gradually rising from policy credit capital.

From afar, when she saw us, Ms. Ngoan held a bunch of chayote she was cutting in one hand and waved with the other. On the hillside, Mr. Nhu was taking care of the healthy herd of cows. He hurried down to welcome the group, his face filled with joy, his eyes shining with joy as if he had met his close companions again.

Talking about his journey out of poverty, Mr. Nhu emotionally said: “Looking back, it feels like a dream! Before, my wife and I only worked as hired laborers all year round, with unstable incomes, and struggling to make ends meet. We managed to save up a little capital and only dared to plant a few rows of chayote to sell, but poverty continued to haunt us. Luckily, in 2007, my family was able to borrow 15 million VND from the poverty support program. We used that money to buy cows for raising and invest in farming, and from then on our lives gradually improved.”

Thanks to hard work, in 2023, Mr. Nhu and his wife officially escaped poverty. He continued to boldly borrow another 100 million VND from the program for newly escaped-poverty households. With the loan, he expanded the area of ​​the chayote garden to 3,000 m², improved the land, invested in seeds and fertilizers. Currently, the chayote garden is large enough for traders from Tam Dao to come and buy, bringing a stable monthly income. In addition, he also invested in 3 more breeding cows, from the initial herd, the family now has a healthy herd of 7 cows. Thanks to that, the total income from growing clean vegetables, raising cows and pigs of the family reaches 150-200 million VND/year, helping life become more and more prosperous and stable.

Mr. Dinh Cong Nhu and his wife (Quyet Chien commune) happily shared with the staff of the district's Social Policy Bank about the results of their chayote garden and herd of cows. Thanks to the credit capital, the family has overcome difficulties and stabilized their lives. (Photo: Thanh Ha)

In Quyet Chien commune, we continued to visit the family of Mr. Dinh Cong Kham. Once a poor household, with a year-round life struggling to make ends meet, in 2015, Mr. Kham borrowed 12 million VND from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to buy breeding cows and start building a livestock model. By 2020, he borrowed an additional 50 million VND to expand the scale. The healthy cows and lush green bamboo shoots gradually became a stable source of income, bringing hope to the whole family. By 2023, his family officially escaped poverty, marking a major turning point in their journey from hardship.

Not stopping there, Mr. Kham decided to borrow another 100 million VND from the program to support newly escaped-poverty households to continue investing and expanding production. He boldly planted more than 2.5 hectares of bamboo shoots, 3,000 square meters of chayote and bought 2 more breeding cows. Up to now, the family's herd of cows has grown to 6, both as capital and as motivation for him to continue investing and building. The crops of lush green bamboo shoots and laden chayote help his family have a steady income, averaging 10 million VND/month.

“Since the poverty alleviation loan policy was introduced, my family's life has improved significantly. We no longer have to wear old clothes, and our meals are no longer as frugal as before,” Mr. Kham emotionally shared.

Not only did his economy improve, Mr. Kham also happily talked about his newly built solid concrete house, ending the worry every time the rainy season came. His joy was multiplied when his daughter also continued to borrow capital from the VBSP to build her own economy, opening up a brighter future for the family.

Guiding credit, helping people access policy capital at the right time, according to their needs

In the journey of bringing the preferential credit policies of the Party and State to the people, the role of the Heads of Savings and Loan Groups (TK&VV), Chairmen of the Farmers' Association, Women's Union, Veterans' Association, etc. is extremely important. They are the pioneers in conveying the spirit of Directive 40-CT/TW on strengthening the Party's leadership over social policy credit, helping poor households and policy beneficiaries access capital in a timely manner. They not only help people understand the policy, but also guide and urge the use of capital for the right purpose and effectively, supporting borrowers to repay debts and interest on time. With their dedication and understanding of each household's circumstances, they have become a solid bridge, creating conditions for people to escape poverty and strive to build a sustainable economy.

Together with credit officers, the Savings and Credit Team always accompanies and supports people in using loans effectively. (Photo: Thanh Ha)

Mr. Tran Quoc Uy, Head of the Savings and Credit Group with 59 members in Hamlet 1, Tu Ne Commune, could not hide his pride when mentioning the achievements his group has achieved thanks to policy credit capital. With a total outstanding debt of 2.1 billion VND, this Group Leader has accompanied many households in the Group to overcome difficulties. The family of Mr. Tran Van Doi, Hamlet 1, is a typical example. From the first loan, Mr. Doi invested in growing grapefruit and raising cows, gradually escaping poverty, and now continues to borrow an additional 40 million VND from the new poverty reduction support program to expand production.

Recalling the journey ten years ago, Mr. Uy shared: “At that time, propagating preferential loans was not easy, many households were still hesitant, not clearly aware of the benefits of support policies from the State. But thanks to Directive No. 40/CT-TW of the Central Party Secretariat, the transfer of policy credit sources received more attention and closer coordination from all levels. People understood more about the policies and were willing to participate to improve their lives.”

Under the dedication and guidance of Mr. Uy, the Savings and Credit Group in Hamlet 1 now has only one poor household, borrowing 15 million VND to develop cattle farming. “Policy credit capital has given strength to households who want to escape poverty,” Mr. Uy said, his eyes full of enthusiasm - “Directive 40 is like a new breath of life, helping us to be more confident when we go to each house to campaign. People now understand better, trust in the policy and work together to escape poverty and develop the economy sustainably.”

Along with Mr. Tran Quoc Uy, Mr. Bui Van Toan - Chairman of the Veterans Association of Quyet Chien Commune is also one of the dedicated cadres in bringing policy credit capital to the right subjects. While Mr. Uy is closely attached to each household in Tu Ne to bring loans to the hands of the group members, Mr. Toan also constantly supports the veterans of Quyet Chien Commune, helping them access capital to develop the economy and escape poverty.

The Quyet Chien Commune Veterans Association currently has 146 members with 5 branches, with a total outstanding loan balance of up to 4.46 billion VND. Thanks to the guidance and support of Mr. Toan, many veteran families who once faced difficulties now have the opportunity to develop. Of the 78 member households that have borrowed capital, 71 have successfully escaped poverty, the poverty rate is now only 7%. Notably, among the households that have escaped poverty, 40 households continue to borrow new capital to expand production and increase income. "The capital is not only financial assistance but also an opportunity for veterans to affirm their mettle, overcome difficulties and become the masters of their family's economy," Mr. Toan shared.

The dedication and commitment of association and union officials like Mr. Toan and Mr. Uy have contributed to changing the socio-economic landscape of the locality, helping people in Tu Ne and Quyet Chien communes to rise up and build their economies. They have enlivened the spirit of Directive No. 40/CT-TW, directed policy credit sources in the right direction, and provided practical support to disadvantaged households on their journey to escape poverty and develop a sustainable economy.

(To be continued…)