Positive improvement of the lives of the poor and those who have contributed to the nation

In 2023, in order to achieve the targets for socio-economic development assigned by the provincial People's Committee, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA) has made efforts to implement various measures and successfully meet the set plans. Among them, the implementation of policies to reduce poverty and take care of families with meritorious services has always been given special attention.

Measures synchronously implemented

As of the end of 2023, the entire province still has 5,072 poor households, accounting for a rate of 1.28%; and 1,600 near-poor households, accounting for a rate of 0.4%. The poverty reduction efforts based on the province's criteria have exceeded the targets. The multidimensional poverty standard in the province currently stipulates an income of 2.1 million VND per person per month in rural areas, which is 1.4 times higher than the national standard; and 2.6 million VND per person per month in urban areas, which is 1.3 times higher than the national standard.

To implement a sustainable and comprehensive poverty reduction program, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs continues to adopt a multidimensional approach. This means that poor households are not only assessed based on their income, but also have access to social services such as healthcare, education, housing, clean water and sanitation, and employment opportunities. Trinh Duc Tai, Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, believes that in order to effectively reduce poverty, the process of reviewing and reaching out to impoverished households must be carried out well before implementing policy support, loans, job creation, and income improvement. By understanding each individual's circumstances, we can determine what they need and what is lacking in order to provide appropriate assistance. Therefore, in just 2023, the department has coordinated the organization of over 18 training classes to guide the poverty reduction policy, enhance the capacity of poverty reduction work, review poor households, near-poor households with over 5,000 participants.

The Red Cross of Tan Binh ward in Di An city, presented Tet gifts and visited families facing difficult circumstances during the Lunar New Year of 2024.

In the past year, the department has continued to coordinate with relevant committees, sectors, and localities to take care of housing for poor households. As a result, the province has constructed and repaired 107 solidarity houses with a budget of 8.38 billion VND (mobilized funds), providing favorable conditions for poor and near-poor households to borrow 43.1 billion VND in preferential capital for production development. Vocational training and job creation for poor and near-poor households have been maintained.. Thanks to the synchronized efforts, many poor households in the province have found employment, increased their income, and gradually reduced poverty sustainably. One notable example is the case of Ms. Do Thi Ha's household in Hiep An ward, Thu Dau Mot city, which faced significant difficulties in the past. Due to unstable employment and the need to support her young children, Ms. Ha struggled to escape poverty. Recently, with the local government providing favorable loan conditions of 10 million VND, she was able to purchase materials for selling tofu, resulting in a stable income to support her children's education and successfully lift her family out of poverty.

According to Mr. Trinh Duc Tai, along with taking care of the poor, the policy of taking care of those who have contributed to the revolution is always a matter of concern and well-implemented by the provincial leadership. For policy families, Binh Duong always adheres to the principle of gratitude, so these families are well taken care of and their living standards are increasingly improving. As of now, the entire province has 99.89% of people with contributions who have a standard of living equal to or higher than that of the residential area where they reside; 100% of communes, wards, and towns maintain the title of doing well in the work of veterans and people with contributions.

Comprehensive care for Tet

Every Lunar New Year, the provincial People's Committee, departments, agencies, and local authorities pay special attention to providing both material and spiritual support for poor households and policy beneficiary families. The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs advises the provincial People's Committee on the level of assistance for different target groups. This year, the highest amount of assistance for policy families is 10 million dong (for Tet gifts for the Heroic Vietnamese Mother); the assistance for poor households is 1.5 million VND per household; the lowest amount of assistance for other groups is 500,000 VND per person. The province organizes delegations to give gifts, visit, and encourage households during the Tet holiday.

Along with that, the departments, sectors, and localities are implementing campaigns to mobilize social resources to support these two target groups on a large scale. This includes organizing "zero-dong" market programs in many communes, wards, and towns to assist poor households and those in difficult circumstances. Most of the poor households and policy beneficiary families are visited and given Tet gifts by the communes, wards, and towns. Accompanying this, the units and localities also provide health insurance books, savings books, ensuring that every family has a warm and cozy Lunar New Year.

In typical fashion, in Phu Hoa ward, Thu Dau Mot city, alongside the efforts of the landlord reducing rent for students and workers during the Tet holiday by hundreds of millions of VND, the local authorities are planning to distribute 455 gifts to impoverished and disadvantaged households, with a total amount of 140 million VND sourced from socialization. Along with that, the ward also gave out 40 gifts to lottery ticket sellers, 150 gifts to families in difficult circumstances, 100 gifts to poor households, 50 gifts to young workers who are far from home and facing difficulties, and 15 gifts to policy beneficiary families and individuals who have made contributions.

On these days, Ms. Ha Thi Muoi in Binh Duong 2 neighborhood, An Binh ward, Di An city, is filled with joy. As the Lunar New Year approaches, the gift that the local authorities bring to her family is not just cakes and valuable household items, but also a spacious and well-built house with an area of 50m2, including a bedroom, a living room, and a fully equipped kitchen.

“Getting a fully furnished house like this has been a long-standing dream for our family. Now that we have a new home, my children and I no longer have to worry about housing and we will strive to save and do business. As a poor household, we are taken care of from health insurance cards to housing, electricity, and water bills, so we have faith that we will escape poverty sustainably," said Ms. Muoi.

Reported by Quang Tam – Translated by Vi Bao