Thu Dau Mot City does many activities to care for poor households

 Every year, Thu Dau Mot City carries out a review of poor and near-poor households to develop sustainable poverty reduction solutions. According to the conditions of each locality, wards have creative and thoughtful ways to helping poor households escaping poverty. For households that have sick people, or ones lost the ability to work, or have disabilities, the wards propose a monthly care program to help the poor have a more stable life.

 Pham Van Tuong's household in Quarter 9 of Phu Hoa Ward receive local support to repair his house.

 Many good activities

Phu Hoa Ward is the locality with the highest population density in Thu Dau Mot City but the poverty rate is quite low, only 85 households. The ward's method is to focus on stabilizing the lives of poor households by building and donating houses, creating jobs, and helping households access preferential loans for economic development and small businesses. Phan Cong Khanh, Party Secretary of Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City said: “Up to now, the ward has completed construction of housing for poor households. The ward's mobilization resources are very large, but there are no poor households to build houses, so we mainly repair some degraded houses."

On average each year, the ward mobilizes about VND3 billion from socialization sources. This amount of money is used by local departments and branches to take care of poor and disadvantaged households such as giving gifts and money on holidays and New Year; take care of resident workers living in difficult circumstances. “At the Ward People's Committee, there are always several tons of rice, hundreds of boxes of instant noodles and other necessities. The ward regularly informs poor, disadvantaged households and anyone, who are in difficult situations, can come to the ward to receive necessities, but there are almost none. If there are any, it's mainly some workers who have unexpected difficulties or some people in other localities who ask for support," Phan Cong Khanh said.

Besides providing material things, the ward pays special attention to creating jobs for poor households. For young people of working age, the ward’s authority will contact businesses to apply for jobs. For disadvantaged households who need capital to start small businesses, the ward helps them take out loans from Bank for Social Policies, Phu Hoa Credit Fund, and other self-help capital sources in the ward, such as fund from Cau Giay “Intergenerational” club. With loans granted by Bank for Social Policies alone, by August 2023, the ward facilitated loan settlement for 804 households with a total loan amount of over VND45 billion. Thanks to this source of capital, many households create their own jobs and have stable income. In addition, the Ward People's Committee also assigns tasks to agencies to monitor poor and disadvantaged households in each neighborhood to promptly provide assistance as needed.

In Phu Loi ward, there are about 170 poor households and 54 near-poor households. To help households effectively reduce poverty, Phu Loi Ward People's Committee conducts a review of each household, groups them, and compiles tracking records. In addition to flexibly applying forms such as mobilizing house construction and facilitating production loans, for households who are unable to escape poverty due to old age, weak health, illness etc., the ward set up "charity records", then mobilized benefactors to support them monthly, creating conditions for these households to improve their living standards compared to the general level. On average, benevolent businesses and individuals have supported households, who applied for a monthly allowance from 500,000 VND to 1 million VND, lasting from 1-3 years. After this time, the ward will continue to appeal for donations...

Bui Viet Hung, a local poor household shared: "Being given a house by local authority, receiving a monthly support of 1 million VND from the "charity record", plus several other allowances, my husband and I have a more stable life. This program of helping poor households is highly humane and very effective."

To propose many solutions

Vi Thi Tam Lai, Head of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Office of Thu Dau Mot City said: “To enhance poverty reduction, every year, the city organizes meetings and dialogues with poor and near-poor households to grasp their thoughts and aspirations; gives support to education, vocational training, job introduction for 6,500-7,000 people of working age to work at businesses in the area, reaching over 100% of the set target. Over the past 20 years, the city has supported credit policies and preferential loans with low interest rates (creating jobs, students, clean water and environmental sanitation) for more than 44,985 poor households borrowing loans, with total amount of VND1,400 billion.

The city also well implements social security policies, takes care of vulnerable groups. On average, the city pays regular monthly subsidies to more than 6,000 beneficiaries, with a subsidy amount of over 3 billion VND; issues health insurance cards to 100% of poor and near-poor households; provides tuition exemption for 100% of children of poor and near-poor households. In addition, socio-political organizations and People's Committees of wards regularly mobilize socialization sources and organize many meaningful support activities, such as zero-dong markets, love sharing trips, zero-dong kitchens, sponsor, care for the poor and disadvantaged groups. These activities promptly encourage and positively impact these people, encourage poor households to overcome difficulties and improve their lives.

Vi Thi Tam Lai added that Thu Dau Mot City determines poverty reduction to be the most important task, therefore the locality gather all resources to accelerate sustainable poverty reduction and limit relapse into poverty; enhance access to production services and social services for the poor and near-poor; pay attention and care for vulnerable groups, help them overcome difficulties and stabilize their lives. To help households reduce poverty sustainably, the city continues to propose solutions such as supporting business production development and increasing income; improve the ability to access and enjoy basic services in health, education, and housing; information technology support; socialization of poverty reduction work...

 Through survey until early 2023, Thu Dau Mot City had 1,100 poor households, accounting for 0.84%; and 369 near-poor households, accounting for 0.28%. The city strives to reduce 109 poor households by the end of the year according to the set target. During the 2001-2022 period, the city mobilized and built 1,119 great solidarity houses by Fund for the Poor, with total expenditure of nearly VND21 billion.

 Reported by Quang Tam - Translated by Ngoc Huynh