Realizing the dream of "settling down" for poor households

Bursting with joy when the dream of "settling down" comes true

That was the feeling of Mrs. Le Thi Nho in Saintard Hamlet, Thanh Tan Commune, Long Phu District (Soc Trang) when last year she was able to celebrate Tet in a new, solid house. The house was built with support from the province's Temporary and Dilapidated House Elimination Program.

With many children, Mrs. Nho and her husband moved out to live separately. Her parents only gave her a foundation for the house. They had no stable jobs and an unstable income from working for hire, so her family's life was extremely difficult. The old makeshift house was built with bamboo pillars and thatched walls many years ago. It had been repaired many times, but it was still rickety and dilapidated, a worry for the family of four every time the rainy season came. Mrs. Nho confided: "The previous house became a nightmare for my children. Every time it started to rain, my husband and I were working for hire and not at home. My two children were in school, one of them asked the teacher to run home to gather the mosquito nets and blankets, and use a basin to catch the leaking rainwater so that the sleeping place would not get wet at night."

In December 2024, at the Launching Ceremony and Groundbreaking Ceremony for the construction of houses for meritorious people, poor households, near-poor households and ethnic minorities in the province, Ms. Le Thi Nho's family was considered for support to build a house worth 60 million VND from the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the province. Provincial leaders visited and gave gifts to encourage her family. After 2 weeks of construction, the level 4 house with walls, corrugated iron roof, and tiled floor was completed and handed over to Ms. Nho's family right during the Lunar New Year.

In the house that still smelled of new lime, Mrs. Nho could not hide her joy to the point of tears in her eyes: “This rainy season, my family is no longer afraid of rain and wind. With the support of 60 million VND from the State, along with nearly 15 million VND borrowed from relatives, I was able to build this house. Last year, my 2 children also finished 12th grade, applied to work at a garment company, with a monthly salary of more than 7 million VND, which also helps the family financially, life in the future will be less difficult.”

Ms. Thach Thi Thuong in Phuoc Quoi hamlet, Phu Tan commune, Chau Thanh district (Soc Trang) cleans her new house, which was supported by the State, to prepare for the Chol Chnam Thmay festival. Photo: CHI BAO

As for the family of Mrs. Thach Thi Thuong in Phuoc Quoi hamlet, Phu Tan commune, Chau Thanh district (Soc Trang), having a place to "settle down", a new house is the family's long-standing desire because for many years, Mrs. Thuong's family has always been on the list of poor households in the district, without land or house.

This year, on Chol Chnam Thmay, Mrs. Thuong’s family celebrated Tet in a new house. Mrs. Thuong said: “My family is poor and has many children, so life is very difficult. Before, we lived on a relative’s land, and thanks to the State’s support for land and the construction of a house worth 60 million VND, my family was very happy. Then the youth union members also came here to help with labor, so my family’s house was completed early. So my dream has come true. Now all that remains is to strive to escape poverty!”

Eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses for poor households is a major policy of the Party and State to help poor households escape poverty and stabilize their lives. To implement that policy, Party committees and authorities from the province to the district and grassroots levels have had many good and creative ways to mobilize resources to support poor households, policy families, and ethnic minority households in difficult circumstances to build new and repair houses, helping them have more motivation and confidence to escape poverty. Soc Trang strives to complete the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the province before June 30, 2025, in which it is determined to complete housing support for ethnic minorities before the traditional Chol Chnam Thmay New Year in 2025 and complete housing support for people with meritorious services before April 30, 2025.

Armed forces participate in helping people build and remove temporary and dilapidated houses. Photo: CHI BAO

In the new house filled with happy laughter when for the first time having a decent house to live in, Mr. Duong Dam, a Khmer ethnic in Soc Leo B hamlet, Lich Hoi Thuong town, Tran De district (Soc Trang) shared: “This has been my family’s dream for many years, because the past years have been a series of worrying days for my husband and I when we had to live in an old, dilapidated house. Every time it rains, the house leaks everywhere, at risk of collapsing at any time. Because my family lacks production materials, and I work as a bricklayer, my income is just enough to live on, not enough to build a new house. The funding from the local program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses has helped me have a place to settle down.”

Houses built from "Party's will, people's heart"

As a province with many difficulties, in recent years, along with socio-economic development, Soc Trang has paid special attention to implementing policies to support housing construction for households with meritorious services to the revolution, poor households, near-poor households, and ethnic minorities; prioritizing many resources to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses, identifying this as an important solution in poverty reduction in the province.

Indeed, poor households, near-poor households, and households in difficult circumstances have never been alone on their journey to escape poverty. They always receive the support and sharing of the whole society in many forms and practical actions with the determination to "leave no one behind".

Through review, the whole Soc Trang province has 8,673 households of meritorious people, poor households, near-poor households, and ethnic minority households that do not have solid, safe houses; of which, 6,515 need to be newly built and 2,158 need to be repaired. The total funding requirement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses for all subjects is about 455 billion VND.

Philanthropists, companies, enterprises, corporations, organizations and individuals inside and outside Soc Trang province contribute to the "Fund for the Poor" to support the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the province. Photo: CHI BAO

As of April 1, 2025, Soc Trang has started construction of 6,556 houses, reaching 75.59% of the plan, of which 4,907 houses have been completed (including 3,851 new houses and 1,056 repaired houses). The total cost of implementation is nearly 263 billion VND. The journey of supporting the construction of houses for poor households is a journey of humanity and compassion, to continue the tradition of "loving others as you love yourself", lighting up faith and hope for a better future for those who still have difficulties in life.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Khoi said that over the past time, Soc Trang province has always received the attention and direction of the Government, the support of ministries and central branches and the valuable contributions of benefactors in social security work, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of people in the province. Soc Trang province would like to acknowledge and express its deep gratitude to the leaders, companies, enterprises, economic groups, and benefactors inside and outside the province who have always accompanied and supported the locality. In particular, the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses is a major policy of the Party and State. This is both an important political task and has profound humanitarian significance, demonstrating the practical care and concern of Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations and the whole society for families with housing difficulties. Thereby, encouraging all classes of people, especially those with merit, poor households, near-poor households with difficult circumstances to rise up in life.

Along with the determination, great efforts, the participation of the entire political system, resources mobilized from the business community and people of all walks of life in the whole society to complete the goal of "eliminating 100% of temporary and dilapidated houses" in Soc Trang province and completing it before June 30, 2025, the decisive factor leading to the success of the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the province is the will, determination, and efforts of each family supported to build a house.

CHI BAO

Source: https://baosoctrang.org.vn/xa-hoi/202504/hien-thuc-hoa-giac-mo-an-cu-cho-ho-ngheo-d004007/