Leveraging to improve the quality of life for the people.

According to data from the Provincial Social Policy Bank, the total outstanding loan balance for the Sanitation and Environmental Protection Program has reached over 4,700 billion VND, with 158,191 households still having outstanding loans, helping to build, renovate, and repair a total of 316,382 sanitation and environmental protection facilities. In 2025 alone, the loan volume is expected to exceed 2,000 billion VND, with 43,035 households borrowing to build and renovate 80,370 sanitation and environmental protection facilities throughout the province.

In Cao Duong commune, the program has brought about positive changes. Ms. Bach Thi Luan's family in Quyen Chuong village said: "Previously, our whole family had to use well water, which was often contaminated with alum, especially during the dry season. In 2025, my family received a 50 million VND loan from the Social Policy Bank to drill a well, install a water filtration system, and build a septic toilet. Since having clean water, daily life has become more convenient, our children get sick less often, and medical expenses have decreased significantly."

Thanks to preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank, people in Cao Duong commune have invested in building sanitation and environmental protection facilities to improve their quality of life.

Besides improving living conditions, the program also contributes to raising people's awareness of environmental hygiene. Ms. Bui Thi Mau, another loan recipient in Doi 2 hamlet, Kim Boi commune, shared: "With the loan and the awareness campaigns from community organizations, people understand more clearly the benefits of hygienic toilets and clean livestock pens. The whole hamlet no longer has the indiscriminate dumping of waste as before."

The implementation of the clean water and sanitation credit program has involved close coordination with local authorities and various associations and organizations, actively reaching out to households in need of loans for clean water use and the construction of standard sanitation facilities. The coordination between the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) and relevant departments and socio-political organizations has been relatively smooth, from credit planning to loan disbursement, facilitating people's access to the program's funds.

The program has helped people leverage their internal resources in addressing water supply and sanitation issues. Borrowers decide on the model of clean water supply and sanitation facilities that suit their financial capabilities, and organize and manage the projects themselves. As a result, most borrowers use the capital effectively and for the intended purpose. The quality of lending and the collection of principal and interest are well-executed by the bank.

Thanks to this preferential credit source, the percentage of rural households in the province with access to clean water has reached over 95%; and the percentage of households with hygienic toilets has reached over 92%. These are important figures that have contributed to many localities fulfilling the environmental criteria in the construction of new rural areas.

Leveraging to improve the quality of life for the people.

Locals inquire about credit programs at the transaction point in Muong Thang commune.

Comrade Vu Hoai Nam - Deputy Director of the Social Policy Bank of the province affirmed: “The clean water and sanitation credit program is not just a simple financial support but also carries profound social welfare significance. Currently, this program has the second highest outstanding loan balance among the 21 credit programs being implemented. The program is implemented through entrusted socio-political organizations such as the Women's Union, the Farmers' Association, and the Youth Union, ensuring that loans reach the right recipients and are used for the right purposes. The current loan amount is up to 50 million VND/household for two projects including water and sanitation, with preferential interest rates and flexible loan terms, suitable to the repayment capacity of rural people. The overdue loan rate of the program is currently only 0.03%, showing that people use the capital effectively and have a good repayment awareness.”

It is clear that the program has fully and sustainably met the people's need for clean water and supported the improvement of household and public sanitation facilities; raised people's understanding and awareness of clean water and sanitation use, and changed hygiene behaviors to improve health.

Currently, the program is a crucial resource providing a stable supply of clean, green, and beautiful environmental elements to serve the lives and activities of rural people. In the future, continued timely allocation of funds, intensified communication, and linking the program to sustainable development goals will be key factors in ensuring the program's effectiveness spreads even more widely.

Dinh Thang

Source: https://baophutho.vn/don-bay-nang-cao-chat-luong-song-cho-nguoi-dan-244777.htm