The fulcrum of the village

In recent years, the lives of the Thai people in Tan Hop village, Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong) have improved a lot, many roads have been paved with asphalt and concrete, and there are more solid houses.

The lush green tea and acacia hills provide the people with a stable source of income, allowing families to work and produce with peace of mind. This improvement is the result of many factors, including the important contribution of village elder Kha Duong Tuyen (born in 1965), a prestigious person and former Chairman of the Commune Fatherland Front Committee.

From 2006 to 2009, families in Tan Hop village moved from the Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir area (Tuong Duong) to the resettlement area of ​​Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong). At first, life was full of difficulties, lacking food, jobs, almost no source of income, many people had to return to their hometown to find a living.

To help people stabilize their lives, the district and commune have advocated the development of raw tea and acacia trees. As Chairman of the Commune Fatherland Front Committee and a prestigious person in the village, Mr. Kha Duong Tuyen has actively encouraged people to stay on the land and hills to plant and care for these raw materials.

“At first, most people were not interested in tea and acacia trees because they required a lot of care and the waiting time for harvest was too long, while in their old hometowns, farming was a quick way to harvest. I persistently went to each house to persuade them, using reasoning to convince them, and finally they realized the long-term benefits and were determined to convert,” said Mr. Tuyen.

After a while, the gardens and hills in Tan Hop were covered with green tea and acacia. To date, the area of ​​tea trees has increased to more than 55 hectares and acacia trees to more than 92 hectares. Thanks to that, more than 210 households in the village have a stable source of income, and all school-age children can go to school. Currently, the village has 17 children in junior high school, 16 in high school and 4 in university.

Mr. Lo Bua Kham - Head of Tan Hop village said: "With his prestige, Mr. Kha Duong Tuyen not only participates in mobilizing people to care for economic development and stabilize their lives, but also propagates to push back social evils, especially drug abuse. Thereby, building a peaceful, clean and increasingly civilized village".

From Tan Hop, we went to Tan Lam village to meet Mr. Lo Thien Phuc (born in 1954), a prestigious person in the village. He used to be the Chairman of the People's Committee of Luan Mai commune (old) in Tuong Duong district and had many years as the Secretary of the Tan Hop village Party cell, so Mr. Phuc clearly understood the life, thinking and business style of each family.

Like Mr. Tuyen, Mr. Phuc is recognized for mobilizing people to develop tea and acacia plantations, gradually stabilizing economic life, bringing the average income to more than 40 million VND/person/year.

In addition, Mr. Phuc also has achievements in mobilizing people to implement the Population - Family Planning policy well. For 10 consecutive years (from 2011 - 2020), the village has no one giving birth to a third child or more. When couples have few children, they will have the conditions to focus on developing the family economy, creating conditions for their children to study properly.

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The whole commune currently has 6 people elected as prestigious people in the community. The team of prestigious people is the mainstay of each village, effectively supporting the Village Management Board as well as the commune leaders in mobilizing people to develop the economy, stabilize society and well implement the policies, laws of the Party and the State.

Mr. Vi Van Tuyen - Secretary of Ngoc Lam Commune Party Committee

Take care of the "big trees"

Currently, the province has 983 prestigious people, who are considered symbols of the will and strength of the villages. With their prestige and influence, the team of village elders and prestigious people are truly important factors contributing to building, consolidating and promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc.

Responding to the Campaign “All people unite to build a cultural life in residential areas”, the village elders and prestigious people have actively encouraged the villagers to effectively implement policies and strategies, contributing to hunger eradication, poverty reduction and raising awareness of responsibility for each person towards the community. Typical examples include Mr. Lo Minh Tien in Phuc Son commune (Anh Son), Mr. Vu Xia Va in Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong), Mr. Loc Vinh Thuong in Lang Khe commune (Con Cuong)…

In addition, village elders and prestigious people also directly guide and mobilize people to eliminate backward customs and superstitious evils; set an example in implementing the Population - Family Planning policy; participate in building and implementing village and hamlet conventions, implementing democracy at the grassroots level; actively participate in resolving complicated cases arising from the grassroots level, reconciling conflicts among the people; participate in and mobilize the masses to carry out the movements: "All people protect national security", "Maintain security and order in residential areas"...

Many prestigious people, despite their advanced age, are still enthusiastically participating in grassroots work, holding positions such as Party cell secretary, village chief, head of the Front and mass organizations; participating as team leaders of mediation and security teams; and being exemplary members of social organizations. Prestigious people also actively encourage their children, relatives and all people to participate in mass organizations.

Understanding the role of village elders and prestigious people in ethnic minority communities, Party committees, authorities and mass organizations have actively built, consolidated and honored them. Properly implementing policies and regulations; regularly visiting and understanding the aspirations of village elders and prestigious people in villages.

The Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions has organized the dissemination and provision of information to prestigious people; Providing Nghe An newspaper, Ethnic and Development newspaper to each person. Every year, the province and districts have organized conferences to meet and honor village elders, village chiefs, and exemplary prestigious people; visiting and giving gifts on the occasion of Lunar New Year and Tet of ethnic minorities; providing material support when sick. Organizing tours, studying, and exchanging experiences on socio-economic development, building new rural areas, and preserving cultural identity for village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people...

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Prestigious people are the core force, having great influence among ethnic minorities in all fields of economy, politics, culture, society, security, national defense, and are considered the "big trees" of the village. In recent years, the province has built a team of prestigious people among ethnic minorities, who are the core nucleus to bring the Party's policies and the State's laws to villages, hamlets, and each household.

Mr. Vi Van Son - Director of Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions