Improving quality of life for the elderly

By participating in the Intergenerational Self-Help Club, the elderly have the opportunity to improve their quality of life thanks to useful loans, while cultural and sports activities help them stay healthy and live happily and healthily.

At 72 years old, Ms. Vu Thi Xe in Tien Thon village (Yen Thai commune, Yen Mo district) is still considered the economic pillar of the family. Ms. Xe said that in her old age, there are no big expenses, but to ensure the quality of life, she must have a stable source of income.

Mrs. Xe is a wickerworker, a long-standing traditional craft in Yen Thai commune. However, the income from wickerwork is not enough for her to cover all her living expenses. When she joined the village’s Intergenerational Self-Help Club, Mrs. Xe received a loan of 5 million VND from the club. Mrs. Xe used this money to buy more raw materials and other useful tools for her craft. This contributed to improving labor productivity and increasing income from this side job.

"Now that I have the initiative in raw materials, my labor productivity has increased. On average, each day's wages are from 100,000 to 150,000 VND, almost double the previous amount. This amount of money is very meaningful to our lives. Economic stability and spiritual life have also improved. On the other hand, creating a stable source of income at the age of over 70, I feel happy and proud of my efforts, and I am also comfortable because I do not have to bother my children and grandchildren" - Mrs. Xe happily said.

And although work is busier than before because Mrs. Xe’s products are also quite popular, every day, Mrs. Xe still spends time in the afternoon and evening to do physical exercises and join the volleyball team with the elderly in the village. Mrs. Xe said that dancing, singing, and exercising… help to improve health, refresh the spirit, and strengthen the bond between the village and the neighbors.

Like Mrs. Xe, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Truc, 70 years old, has improved her health since regularly participating in cultural, artistic and sports activities. "I also mobilized many other elderly and young people to join volleyball, bamboo dancing, and health care teams... on holidays or local events. We participated in performances and received enthusiastic support from local authorities and people," said Mrs. Truc.

Mr. Pham Van Hung, Head of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club of Tien Thon Village, was excited: Although the club has only been established for a few months, the practical content in each meeting helps members feel very happy, life becomes more meaningful. Club members are able to participate in many cultural and artistic activities, practice new songs and exchange arts with clubs in the commune, play volleyball... so their spirit is very excited, their health is more resilient.

By participating in club activities, members also get to hear and share useful information to take care of their own health and that of their families, especially knowledge about common diseases in the elderly. Not only that, when participating in the club, members also have the opportunity to share joys and sorrows in life. When a member is sick, we visit and send members to arrange time to come to the family's home to support them. These activities have strengthened the bond between members and between members and the community.  

In particular, to create a fund to maintain the club's activities and support members with unexpected difficulties, the club members have participated in collecting medicinal herbs for a local medicinal herb production enterprise. Each month, the wages earned by the club members from collecting medicinal herbs is more than 4 million VND. Up to now, the club's total capital has reached more than 100 million VND, of which, the amount of money supported by the Project to Support the Disadvantaged Elderly through the expansion of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Vietnam has supported 80 million VND, in addition, the club members have contributed more to create a revolving fund to support members in economic development. Currently, the club has disbursed loans to dozens of members for economic development, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of the people.

Members of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club of Tien Thon village during a regular meeting.

After attending a meeting of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Tien Thon village and visiting some economic development models of members after receiving loans from the Project, Ms. Cassy Kouris - representative of HAI Organization in Vietnam said: I think the Club is a great model. The model has given the elderly the opportunity to earn extra income by providing knowledge, skills, experience and loans so that they can do another job besides their main job.

Not only that, I also see in them the spiritual values ​​that these jobs bring because when working together, they can talk and interact. Increased income will also help the elderly feel happier and more useful. In the coming time, we will introduce typical cases so that sponsors can better understand the significance of this model for the elderly in Vietnam in general, and in Ninh Binh province in particular. I believe that the models will impress sponsors so that they will pay more attention and sponsor more.

The Project to Support the Disadvantaged Elderly through the Replication of Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs in Vietnam Phase 2 (VE085) is a project that is being cooperated by the Support for the Elderly International (HAI) in Vietnam and calls on the Support for the Elderly Korea (HAK) to mobilize the Korea International Cooperation Agency in Vietnam (KOICA) to continue funding. The project aims to contribute to improving the quality of life of the elderly, especially increasing income and improving health. At the same time, it calls for and mobilizes support resources to continue establishing and replicating the activities of Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs...

Implementing Project VIE085, in 2023-2024, HAI Organization has helped the Ninh Binh Provincial Association of the Elderly establish 18 Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs in localities in the province. This is a model of profound humanity, helping many elderly people in difficult circumstances receive help from the community, ensuring social security, contributing to the good care of the elderly. HAI Organization is committed to continuing to support the establishment of 9 Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs in localities of Ninh Binh province in 2025.

Article and photos: Dao Hang

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/cai-thien-chat-luong-cuoc-song-cho-nguoi-cao-tuoi/d20240819092512224.htm