Awakening Vinh O

A meeting of the Community Communications Team in Vinh O commune, Vinh Linh district - Photo: TAM

Belonging to the ethnic minority and mountainous area (DTTS&MN) of Vinh Linh district, Vinh O commune has up to 97% of the population being Van Kieu people living in many difficulties and deprivations. Previously, this place was isolated, with dirt roads, bamboo bridges, the rate of poor households was high, children dropped out of school, women gave birth early, people were not familiar with policies and projects. But through each persistent step, with the determination not to retreat, Vinh O has written an inspiring story about the determination to change "thinking, ways of doing", contributing to eliminating bad customs, taking good care of people's lives, especially women and children.

Since 2022, Project 8 has been implemented in Vinh O commune with 7/7 villages benefiting. After 3 years, all levels of the association have determined to implement many contents and criteria to ensure the set plan. With the close direction of the District Women's Union and the participation of the local government, the close coordination between the District Women's Union and the People's Committee, the Women's Union of Vinh O commune, the cadres, women's members and related components participating in the implementation of Project 8 have made efforts to seriously implement the project contents such as: selecting a community communication team model, a trusted address for the community.

As a result, the association has established 7 community communication team models in 7 villages; launched 7 community trust addresses and supported equipment for the models to operate effectively. At the same time, to improve the management capacity of members, the association has organized training to improve the capacity of members participating in the community trust address model.

Members of the models also actively participated in capacity building training conferences organized by the association at all levels. In addition, the association also coordinated with Vinh O Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities to launch the “Leaders of Change” club model. This is one of the places to nurture the “seeds” for local propaganda work.

To listen to the opinions of members and women, the Commune Women's Union organized a policy dialogue conference between the heads of the Party Committee, the commune government and cadres and women members. Through the conference, many opinions and views of the people on existing problems in the locality such as: child marriage, domestic violence... were recorded and received.

Talking about the effectiveness of Project 8 implementation in Vinh O commune, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of the commune Ho Thi Thu expressed: "Since Project 8 was implemented in Vinh O commune, the Women's Union of the commune has received attention and close direction from the Women's Union at higher levels, as well as local Party committees and authorities to establish and put into operation the models of "Trusted Address" and "Community Communication Team".

Through communication work, grasping the situation, and mobilizing the locality, people's awareness has gradually changed positively. Bad customs have been gradually prevented and pushed back, many women have proactively risen up and built their family economy . By the end of 2023, according to a survey, the average income of women's union members in Vinh O commune reached 37 million VND/person/year. The number of women union members who are poor household heads has decreased to 10 households.

At the same time, with the efforts of the people in pushing back backward customs and practices, the spiritual and material life of the people is increasingly improved. People here have started to talk about gender equality, about not forcing girls to get married early, about women also knowing how to do business, knowing how to speak up for themselves. Not only stopping at changing awareness, Vinh O people have started to turn what they have "heard" into what they can "do".

From training courses on livestock farming, crop cultivation, reproductive health care, and child rearing, the knowledge has been practiced by people to create models of clean vegetable growing, processing native bamboo shoots, raising chickens, goats, and producing sticky rice... Traditional production methods have gradually been innovated by people, applying science and technology to production, responding to changes in the modern market.

That is the result of the journey to change the mindset and way of doing things in an ethnic minority commune in the border area. A journey full of hardships but full of hope and motivation, on June 22, 2024, Vinh O officially received the title of a commune meeting new rural standards in the joy of the Party Committee, government and people of the commune.

Becoming a new rural commune also means that 4/7 villages and hamlets of Vinh O commune are no longer eligible for support from Project 8. However, the results that Project 8 brings will be the motivation and leverage for people in the villages in Vinh O to continue to strive on the journey to build their homeland to be more prosperous, happy, civilized and progressive.

Tran Anh Minh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/danh-thuc-vinh-o-193625.htm