Soldiers support livelihoods for Khmer people

When the sun sets, Mrs. Danh Sau (Rach Dua hamlet, Phu My commune, Giang Thanh district, Kien Giang province) is still sitting diligently weaving sedge. Each simple, rustic sedge strand, through her skillful, meticulous hands, gradually becomes baskets with unique and sophisticated patterns. Around the fish pond, a flock of hundreds of chickens race into the pen. In the neighboring barn, pigs are also jostling for food that has been poured into the trough. In Mrs. Sau's garden, durian, grapefruit, and coconut are just ready to be harvested.

On average, each year, Ms. Danh Sau’s family has a stable income of about 40-50 million VND. This amount of money helps the family buy necessary items, gradually improving the quality of life.

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Phu My commune is spacious, clean and beautiful, many Khmer households have escaped poverty.

Previously, like many households in Rach Dua hamlet, Mrs. Sau’s family’s income mainly depended on rice farming on saline land. Although they worked hard all year round, in harsh natural conditions, the food they got was very unstable; after working for half a lifetime, Mrs. Sau’s family still did not have enough to eat.

Realizing the difficulties of Mrs. Sau's family as well as many Khmer people in Rach Dua hamlet, Phu My Border Guard Station carried out the task of supporting households to develop their economy to escape poverty soon.

Mrs. Sau shared: “After 3 years of developing the VAC model, then joining the sedge weaving cooperative, my family has a relatively stable source of income. All thanks to the help of officers and soldiers of Phu My Border Guard Station. From plant varieties to livestock, all were purchased by soldiers from the fund. They also regularly come to guide us on scientific techniques for caring for livestock, poultry, and gardens to achieve higher productivity.”

In early 2016, when Kien Giang province decided to establish the Phu My Species - Habitat Conservation Area, prioritizing the conservation of the only remaining sedge grassland ecosystem in the Mekong Delta, Ms. Danh Sau's family and other villagers were trained by the commune government and officers and soldiers of Phu My Border Guard Station in grassland management skills, cultivation methods, harvesting, weaving, marketing and trading products.

In 2018, Phu My sedge weaving village was recognized as a traditional craft village of Kien Giang province; Phu My commune households participated in cooperatives, increased income; ensured social security, reduced poverty, and built new rural areas.

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Weaving sedge - a traditional profession that brings sustainable income to Khmer households in Phu My

Help people eliminate hunger and poverty, build strong borders

The area managed by Phu My Border Guard Station is Phu My and Phu Loi communes, in which the Khmer ethnic group accounts for over 40%. Due to many different reasons such as harsh natural conditions, alum soil, salinity, difficulty in growing crops and raising livestock; simple farming customs and habits, the rate of poor and near-poor households is high.

With the motto "The station is home, the border is the homeland, the people of all ethnic groups are blood brothers", Phu My Border Guard Station pays special attention to implementing the program "Joining hands for the poor - leaving no one behind". Accordingly, focusing on building a model to help people develop the economy effectively and sustainably. Based on the needs of families, the unit mobilizes appropriate funding sources to support plants, breeds, or organizes forces to help people build barns. Up to now, many families sponsored by the unit are striving to develop their economy, escape poverty, and become rich.

An effective program for the poor is “Helping children go to school - Adopted children of the border guard station”. Accordingly, scholarships for poor children in border areas (taken from the salaries of officers and soldiers of Phu My Station and the Provincial Border Guard Command), implemented since 2016, have been awarded to many disadvantaged students on both sides of the Vietnam and Cambodia border, each child receiving 500,000 VND/month, until they finish grade 12.

In October 2022, implementing Official Dispatch No. 1383 of the Kien Giang Provincial Border Guard Command on the implementation of the Project "Army officers and soldiers help children go to school", the unit continued to coordinate with localities and organizations to consider and select 24 Khmer students to support. Each child received 1.1 million VND per month, funded by the Ministry of National Defense.

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Phu My Border Guard Station officers mobilize the elderly to join hands to protect the border area.

The model of "Adopted Children of Border Guard Station", the programs "Accompanying women in the border areas", "Military - People Tet" are also of interest to officers and soldiers of Phu My Border Guard Station. In particular, implementing the movement "All people participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation", the unit has advised the People's Committee of Giang Thanh district to issue a decision to recognize 86 households living on the border to participate in self-management of border lines and landmarks. The recognition of 86 households means that the Border Guard Station has 86 more living landmarks, ready to participate and mobilize all people to participate in movements for border sovereignty and security. And it is also these households that have provided the border guard force with many valuable sources of information every month to serve the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and management and protection of national border sovereignty...

In the coming time, Phu My Border Guard Station will continue to identify "Participating in hunger eradication and poverty reduction in border areas" as an important content to focus on regularly implementing along with the task of protecting border security and sovereignty.

Cong Duy