Village elders - the 'soul' of the fight to eradicate poverty in the highlands of Hue

The old A Luoi district ( Hue city) is one of the 74 poor districts nationwide in the period of 2021-2025, and is also one of the 22 poor districts nationwide that are prioritized for investment and support to escape poverty. To achieve these successes, in addition to the timely support policies of the local government and the efforts of the people, prestigious village elders also contributed significantly by quietly supporting and fostering the will to rise up to help people sustainably reduce poverty.

Village elders in the mountainous region of A Luoi (Hue City) are not only the preservers of traditional culture but also the ones who connect and guide people to models and policies to eliminate poverty.

In A Luoi 3 commune (Hue city), there are many prestigious families who have contributed a lot to preserving culture and developing the economy . Village elder and artisan Le Tuan Mo is one of them. For many years, he has continuously passed on Pa Co folk songs and dances to the young generation through art classes and community teaching sessions. Not only that, Mr. Mo also put a lot of effort into passing on the traditional weaving craft, both to preserve a local cultural identity and as a tool to help people improve their economic life.

According to the People's Committee of A Luoi 3 commune, the whole commune currently has more than 30 village elders, all of whom are prestigious people and actively participate in propagating the Party and State's policies and guidelines to ethnic minorities, through village meetings, community activities, festivals, etc. They play the role of a bridge between the government and the villagers in reconciling internal conflicts, resolving disputes, and supporting the maintenance of stable socio-economic development.

Village elder Le Tuan Mo - a great contributor to hunger eradication and poverty reduction for people in A Luoi 3 commune (Hue city)

In economic development, many prestigious people mobilize and guide people to apply sustainable livelihood models of growing economic trees, raising livestock, and protecting forests, thereby contributing to poverty reduction in the locality. Village elders and prestigious people are the core force in mobilizing people to participate in the movement "clans and villages without poor households and without drugs".

In particular, the model of “Village elders mobilizing people to develop household economy” is bringing about clear results in poverty reduction. Many sustainable livelihood models such as economic forest planting, livestock and poultry development, cage fish farming, clean vegetable and fruit tree growing have been effectively implemented.

" In the past, although the land was large, people were used to the old way of doing things, so their income was low and the poverty rate was high. I and other village elders persistently went from house to house to propagate and encourage people to take advantage of the land, diligently cultivate and raise livestock, and protect the forest for sustainable development. Thanks to that, many families boldly changed their ways of doing things, gradually increasing their income, contributing to poverty reduction... ", village elder Quynh Hong (A Luoi 3 commune, Hue city) shared.

Many economic models bring high income, such as Mr. Ho Van Thang's family (Pa Co ethnic group) implementing a garden-cage model with an income of 150-200 million VND/year; Mr. Ho Phuc's family (Ta Oi ethnic group) raising fish in cages also brings in an income of 90-120 million VND/year... These models not only help households escape poverty but also create a spreading effect, arousing the spirit of self-reliance and proactively striving to get rich in the community.

" In the past, people here only knew how to rely on farming and going to the forest... In recent years, thanks to the State's policies and the dedicated guidance of the elders, we have learned about new economic directions, thanks to which our lives have improved significantly, poverty and hunger have been pushed back, " said Mr. Ho Van Thang (A Luoi 3 commune, Hue city).

In A Luoi 1 commune (Hue city), village elder Ho Xuan Tich (66 years old) is always enthusiastic about mobilizing people to participate in effective economic development models, and at the same time, instructing them on how to link up to consume products. Despite his old age, village elder Tich always goes to every place, to every house to propagate and mobilize people to be self-reliant, develop the economy to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty through the implementation of national target programs, especially to eliminate temporary houses.

Many households save money to build solid houses. Only when they have a stable home can they find a job. Once the temporary houses are removed, people can feel secure and strive to produce and develop the economy, thereby escaping poverty.

Similarly, in A Luoi 5 commune (Hue city), village elder Nguyen Hoai Nam has been a prestigious person for many years and has been loved and trusted by the local people, considered a solid spiritual support. Although he is 78 years old this year, old Nam is still quite lucid and is still trying his best to lead the villagers to escape poverty together.

" Although the land is large and the forest area is large, the poverty rate in A Luoi 5 commune is always very high, people always live in poverty, many households do not have enough food and clothing. With the thought of doing something to change the lives of the villagers, I went from house to house to campaign, learn, and encourage people to take advantage of the local advantages to grow more medicinal plants, raise livestock and protect forests associated with sustainable livelihoods.

Thanks to the guidance of village elders, many poor households in A Luoi have implemented farm farming models and achieved high economic efficiency.

Gradually, many families boldly followed suit, had more stable incomes, built solid houses... Seeing many households escape poverty and become rich, I am very happy. I just hope that everyone, especially the young generation, always maintain the spirit of solidarity, work hard and preserve the best things of their village...", Village elder Nguyen Hoai Nam confided.

According to the leader of the People's Committee of A Luoi 1 commune, village elders and prestigious people are the bridge to help people understand and trust the policies of the Party and State, thereby helping people overcome difficulties.

Many households in A Luoi, after being encouraged and guided by village elders and prestigious people, have escaped poverty sustainably. We can mention the livestock model of Mr. Ho Van Luu with 400 commercial chickens, nearly 30 beef cows and pigs, earning 120 million VND/year; Ms. Ho Thi Sa with a model of raising more than 100 breeding cows and planting dozens of hectares of forest, earning more than 1 billion VND/year; or Ms. Hoang Thi Khen making brooms and growing mushrooms, earning over 200 million VND/year.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/cac-gia-lang-linh-hon-cua-cuoc-chien-xoa-ngheo-o-vung-cao-hue-5067087.html