New life of the Brau and Ro Mam people

06/15/2023 06:03

Kon Tum has 2 out of 5 ethnic minorities with very few people in the community of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, namely Brau and Ro Mam. In recent years, the Party Committee, government and political system in the province have had many policies and solutions to support, develop and improve the material and spiritual life of the 2 ethnic groups, helping them integrate into the community.

The Brau ethnic group currently has 161 households and 513 people living in Dak Me village, Po Y commune, Ngoc Hoi district. The Ro Mam ethnic group currently has 128 households and 470 people living in Le village, Mo Rai commune, Sa Thay district.

Implementing Decision No. 2086/QD-TTg, dated October 30, 2016 of the Prime Minister on "Approval of the Project to support socio -economic development of ethnic minorities with very few people in the period of 2016 - 2025", the Provincial People's Committee organizes socio-economic development, creates all conditions for the Ro Mam and Brau ethnic groups to rise up and integrate into community life; maintain, develop, and enhance the position of the two ethnic groups, gradually reduce the gap in development with other ethnic groups in the region; focus on building essential infrastructure in Dak Me village and Le village - where the two ethnic groups live together.

According to the Provincial Ethnic Committee, the total budget for implementing the projects is 159.259 billion VND; of which, the budget for implementing the project to support the development of the Brau ethnic group is 68.376 billion VND; the Ro Mam ethnic group is 90.883 billion VND. Along with that, the Provincial Ethnic Committee has focused on supporting the Brau and Ro Mam ethnic groups to build infrastructure for villages and hamlets such as building traffic works, irrigation works, repairing communal houses; supporting production development; improving production capacity and level; preserving and promoting the unique traditional cultural values of ethnic groups; promotingeducation , health care, and culture with a total implementation capital of over 32 billion VND.

Soldiers from Border Guard Station 707 help the Ro Mam people repair their houses in Le village. Photo: NND

Up to now, the life of the Brau and Ro Mam people has changed positively; people have learned to grow two wet rice crops, grow long-term industrial crops such as rubber, coffee, and boi loi, raise livestock, and gradually approach and apply scientific and technological advances in production, increasing the productivity of crops and livestock. In particular, the houses of all Brau and Ro Mam ethnic households have been solidly built, ending the practice of shifting cultivation, nomadic living, and deforestation for slash-and-burn farming as before.

The most obvious mark in improving people's lives is the focus on building infrastructure. Up to now, 10.5 km of internal roads and roads to production areas have been paved; 3 schools have been built; 2 cultural communal houses; 2 traditional houses following the original housing models of the Brau and Ro Mam ethnic groups. Land has been reclaimed and expanded to 378 hectares of production land for the people; of which, the annual crop land area of the Ro Mam people is 132 hectares; over 2,000 hectares of forest have been enclosed and contracted for protection, an average of 28 hectares/household. The agricultural land of the Brau ethnic group is 246 hectares, an increase of 171 hectares, bringing the average agricultural land area to 0.58 hectares/person, basically solving the problem of land for production. Organize demonstration models, support plants, animals, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, hand plows, motorized rice threshers, pesticide pumps, rice milling machines and assign agricultural and forestry extension officers to directly guide people.

Along with the construction of synchronous infrastructure, we have focused on building and repairing 184 houses and 134 wells for daily use; installing electricity for 129 households; providing financial support for 99 Brau ethnic households to build toilets at a rate of 2 million VND/household and building 3.5 km of residential area electricity system. Currently, over 95% of households have electricity; 100% of households have clean water for daily use. We have sent 2 local village and hamlet health workers for training, then returned to work in 2 villages to provide better primary health care for the people; the rate of malnutrition in children has decreased significantly.

Thanks to good propaganda and mobilization work and having funds to invest in facilities, teaching equipment and support for students at all levels such as supporting each preschool and primary school student in the villages with 70,000 VND/month, studying at the central boarding school with 420,000 VND/month; the Brau ethnic group alone opened 2 literacy classes for 93 people aged 28-52 to read and write fluently; supported the opening of traditional brocade weaving training classes for 22 students. The number of school-age children mobilized to attend classes is quite high, there is no longer the situation of children dropping out of school to work on the fields as before.

Implementing the radio and television coverage program, we have invested in 2 television receiving and broadcasting stations in Mo Rai and Po Y communes with the goal of covering Le village and Dak Me village, where the Ro Mam and Brau people live. Providing free audio-visual equipment to the people, including 2 sets of DTH receivers, 29-inch TVs, amplifiers, and speakers. Providing funding to organize propaganda, buy traditional costumes, gongs, and restore and organize some traditional festivals, meeting the cultural enjoyment needs of the people of the two ethnic groups.

We believe that with the special attention and investment support of the Party and State, the Brau and Ro Mam ethnic people will rise up to build a new life.

Nguyen Ngoc Diem

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