Providing sustainable livelihoods
Coming to Gia Vien district, we met and listened to many people share their stories of overcoming difficulties and improving their family life with policy credit capital, such as the case of Ms. Le Thi Lien in Hamlet 4, Gia Vuong. In 2019, Ms. Lien's husband suddenly passed away in an accident, leaving behind 3 young children and an unfinished business. The pain of losing her life partner was so great that it seemed to want to knock down that small woman, but looking at her young children growing up every day, Ms. Lien told herself to be strong and try to take care of her children instead of her husband. Since then, she has stayed up late and woken up early, from farming, working for hire, doing whatever was hired to earn money to make ends meet.
Faced with her difficult circumstances, the commune's associations and unions guided her to borrow capital for near-poor households from the Social Policy Bank (CSXH) with an amount of 100 million VND. With the capital, she invested in buying bran and seeds to continue her dream of developing large-scale aquaculture that she and her husband had before. Encouraged by the Women's Union, she also arranged time to attend training courses on livestock and crop farming techniques to produce effectively. Currently, each year, Ms. Lien sells 20 tons of fish to the market, in addition to the income from ducks and fruit trees, about 40 million VND, the family economy is gradually stabilizing.
Talking to us, Ms. Lien happily shared: "When my husband passed away, I had to raise 3 children alone. I didn't know when I would be able to escape poverty. Thanks to God's grace and timely care and help from the Women's Union, Farmers' Union and local authorities, I have achieved what I have today."
The story of Mr. Vu Hong Nhat and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy is different. Having worked for many years in gardens in Lam Dong - the capital of high-tech agriculture, this couple always had the ambition to bring the most advanced scientific and technical advances in cultivation to exploit and develop agriculture in the difficult countryside of Da Han village, Gia Hoa commune.
The capital to support startups, production and business development from the Bank for Social Policies with long loan terms and preferential interest rates is the motivation for Mr. Nhat and Ms. Thuy to boldly invest in building a 4,000 m2 greenhouse system with the most modern equipment for growing flowers, along with building a standard barn to raise more than 200 goats. Thanks to the methodical investment and mastery of techniques, the model now generates an average annual income of about 500 million VND and creates regular jobs for nearly 10 local workers. Mr. Nhat shared: "The preferential loan capital from the Bank for Social Policies has motivated my wife and I to feel secure in getting rich right in our hometown, with a stable income, inspiring and providing experience for other young people to strive to get rich together."
Capital is constantly growing
Directive No. 40-CT/TW dated November 22, 2014 of the Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership over social policy credit demonstrates the Party's special concern for the poor and policy beneficiaries who are vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society.
As a locality with many difficulties, out of a total of 21 communes and towns, Gia Vien has 8 mountainous communes in region II, 3 communes in flood discharge areas, which are among the province's difficult areas, and often have to bear the consequences of natural disasters. Therefore, the Party Committee and authorities at all levels of Gia Vien district are increasingly aware of and clearly identify the important position and role of policy credit in implementing the goals of poverty reduction, job creation, and socio-economic development in the locality.
Immediately after Directive 40 was issued, with the high determination in leadership and direction of local Party committees and authorities; the synchronous and timely participation of the entire political system and the active implementation of the District Social Policy Bank Transaction Office, social policy credit work in the district has achieved many important results.
Policy credit capital in Gia Vien district has been constantly growing, increasingly meeting the borrowing needs of the poor and other policy beneficiaries in the area. The structure of capital growth has shifted from central capital to local capital, especially the significant increase in district budget capital entrusted through the Bank for Social Policies, demonstrating the attention and drastic participation of the District Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee in implementing social policy credit programs. By the end of April 2024, the total capital reached over 465 billion VND, an increase of 227% compared to the end of 2014 (before Directive 40). Of which, the capital entrusted locally reached 48,170 million VND, an increase of 3,127% compared to the end of 2014.
The capital source has been increased, at the same time, annually, implementing the direction of the District People's Committee, the People's Committees of communes and towns have done a good job of investigating, reviewing, accurately identifying, promptly and fully announcing the subjects eligible for loans from the policy credit program, so up to now, 100% of eligible subjects who need to borrow capital for economic development have had their loan needs met. Not only that, borrowers are also trained in techniques, vocational training and technology transfer, thereby helping to promote and effectively use capital sources for economic development.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Hai, Director of the District Social Policy Bank Transaction Office, said: Since the issuance of Directive No. 40-CT/TW, with the attention of Party committees at all levels, local authorities, and the harmonious coordination of entrusted political and social organizations, policy credit capital has become closer to the people, and credit quality has been increasingly improved. After 22 years of operation of the Social Policy Bank and after 10 years of implementing Directive No. 40, social policy credit capital has contributed to helping over 20,000 households in the district overcome the poverty line; attracting and creating jobs for over 10,000 workers (over 300 workers working abroad for a limited period); nearly 12,000 students in difficult circumstances have received loans for their studies; building over 50,000 clean water and rural environmental sanitation works; Over 200 houses for poor households... In the period 2011-2015, the poverty rate in the district decreased from 16.46% to 4.62%; in the period 2016-2020, the poverty rate decreased from 11.71% to 2.8%; by the end of 2023, the poverty rate in the district will be 1.91%.
The above results have affirmed the role of social policy credit in the socio-economic development of the district, as a fundamental and long-term tool and solution for the district to successfully implement its goals and plans on poverty reduction, job creation, new rural construction, ensuring social security, economic recovery and development, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession.
Although remarkable results have been achieved, like other localities, currently, the resources to implement a number of policy credit programs in the district are still limited compared to the demand for loans; especially a number of credit programs with high demand such as: loan programs for job creation; low-income people with average living standards do not have a lending mechanism. In fact, in the district, there are still over 17 thousand agricultural, forestry and fishery households with average living standards who are still facing difficulties but have not yet received policy credit to create livelihoods.
In the coming time, to further promote the role and effectiveness of social policy credit in the area, Gia Vien district continues to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement Directive 40 and considers this an important task in the local socio-economic development program and plan. Deploy and expand the campaign of saving together for the poor to supplement capital for the Bank for Social Policies to implement social policy credit programs. Proactively advise and propose preferential credit policies for the poor and other policy subjects, in line with the new period.
Article and photos: Nguyen Luu
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