To practically help the blind to rise up

In order to help the blind in the province to benefit from loan program of the National Employment Settlement Fund, Provincial Blind Association and its affiliates have instructed members to carry out loan receiving procedures and build hundreds of projects, submit to relevant agencies for appraisal to get loans for home-based business development. Thanks to this program, many blind people in the province have boldly started doing business and have more stable lives.

Provincial Association of the Blind commends excelllent individuals and collectives in realizing loan prgram of National Employment Settlement Fund in 1992-2022 period.

A meaningful program

The National Employment Settlement Fund’s loan program is a program that has very practical implications for the blind. This program has been implemented for 30 years (1992-2022), supported the job creation of thousands of members, blind people in the province and their relatives. Tran Van Em, Chairman of the Provincial Association of the Blind, said their policy and goal is to offer loans to many blind people to solve, create jobs, develop the family economy; and the loan procedure must be in the name of the blind themselves and directly used together with family members to achieve the ultimate goal that the blind are entitled to beneficial results brought about by the loan.

From the above objectives, the support for the blind to borrow loans off the National Employment Settlement Fund has been very effective in the province, making an important contribution to the creation of jobs for the blind and their family members. Since then, capital is preserved and the efficiency of using loan capital is constantly improving over time. Up to now, the total capital entrusted by the Vietnam Association of the Blind and the Provincial People's Committee to the Bank for Social Policy, assigned to the Blind Associations is more than 1 billion 620 million VND.

From the above capital, over the past 30 years, the Provincial Association of the Blind established 303 projects with a total capital turnover of more than 13 billion VND 436 million, settled procedures for 2,348 members and blind people to borrow loans, attracted 4,694 employees. Currently, the lowest level of supported loans is 15 million VND, the highest level is 100 million VND. In particular, in the past 30 years, there were only 13 projects applying for debt extension with a capital of VND 673 million, because crops and livestock did not reached the harvest time; these projects were appraised and approved for extension by the Social Policy Bank.

To improve efficiency

Loan program of the National Employment Settlement Fund has brought jobs to many blind people, helped them increase their income and improve their lives, thereby also making significant changes. Thanks to borrowed loan capital, many people developed home-based business, like: making brooms, opening small shops, raising livestock and poultry, investing in rubber trees, fruit trees, selling lottery tickets or selling fast food…

Talking about this meaningful support, Tran Thi Ai in An Lap commune, Dau Tieng district, said that in the past, her family’s circumstance had been very difficult, had a small land but no money to do business. In 2002, she joined the association and learned about the loan program of the National Employment Settlement Fund. "At first I got a loan of 2 million VND and invested in planting 350 rubber trees, raising some chickens and hens. Two years later I paid off both loan capital and interest. After that, I was re-loaned 5 million VND by the Association, then 10 million VND, 20 million VND. I continued to invest in new rubber trees, raising pigs to improve family life," Ai said.

Ai said that her family's average annual income is about 80 million VND. Over the years, she accumulated savings and build a new house with an area of 150m2, buy necessary household appliances for her family, and paid for her two children’s schooling. Năm 2020, gia đình chị Ái còn sắm được ô tô trị giá khoảng 400 triệu đồng để làm phương tiện đi lại. Ai said: "To have a stable today, Provincial and District Associations of the Blind have provided care for and helped me get loans to do business."

Like Ai, Trinh Thi Sau, a member of Phu Giao District Association of the Blind, was aided by the association to take out loans and started a business effectively, has brought a stable life to her family. In 2005, she joined the District Association of the Blind, learned Braille and broom making. In particular, she lent the association a loan to develop a small business at home and planted rubber trees. "With my own efforts and the help of my family, 10 years after the borrowing, I had a rubber tree plantation with more than 600 trees. In recent years, the plantation has grown well, I harvest latex rubber, therefore my family has alleviated poverty, and our lives become more stable."

Tran Van Em added that over 30 years of lending out loans to blind people, because the Blind Association and its affiliates have done well the survey and propagation works to help and instruct blind people to do business, educated members to be aware of their responsibilities and rights, blind people in the province always keep their words to the State, i.e. 100% blind people borrowing loans have used their loan capital for the right purposes and effectively. The rate of debts paid off reached 100%, there are no overdue debts, no outstanding capital at the Social Security Bank, which is highly appreciated by the Central Association and the authorities.

Reported by Hong Thuan - Translated by Ngoc Huynh