Sustainable poverty reduction in border communes

With more than 80 km of border with Cambodia, the 7 western border communes of Gia Lai province are not only a fence to protect national sovereignty , but also a key area in the socio-economic development strategy. However, the journey to sustainable poverty reduction here has never been easy.

The terrain is vast and fragmented, so transportation in the communes in the border areas is extremely difficult. The majority of the population is ethnic minorities, the level of education is limited, the security and defense situation is always fluctuating... creating great challenges in improving the lives of people in the border areas. In this context, the grassroots cadres in the border villages and hamlets are the ones who play the role of "bridge" between the Party, the State and the people. They not only convey policies and guidelines to each household but also directly mobilize, guide and accompany the people step by step to build their homeland.

One October afternoon in Ia Mo commune, officers and soldiers of Ia Mo Border Guard Station came to the house of Mrs. Ro Lan Ble, a poor single-parent household, to help clean and repair the house, change light bulbs, build a toilet, and provide rice and other necessities. Moved by the care of the officers and soldiers, Mrs. Ro Lan Ble shared: “Thanks to the help of the border guards, my house is brighter. That feeling warms my heart and gives me more confidence to overcome difficulties.”

In Kom Yo village (Ia Chia commune), Ms. Ro Lan H'Líu was very emotional when officers and soldiers of Ia Chia Border Guard Station came to start building a new house for her family. Her makeshift house had almost completely collapsed after the rain at the end of September, leaving three people living in fear and insecurity. She and her husband had no land to produce, had to work for hire, and had unstable income, so life was very difficult. Understanding her family's situation, Ia Chia Border Guard Station proposed that the Provincial Border Guard Command deploy support according to the model of "Helping one poor household in the border area every week". Lieutenant Colonel Dinh O Ring, Deputy Political Commissar of Ia Chia Border Guard Station, said: “After receiving approval from superiors, we coordinated with local authorities to survey and mobilize philanthropists and businesses in the area to join hands to help. After just a few days of launching, 70 million VND was raised and construction of a new house for Ms. H'Líu began, expected to be completed in November 2025.”

As one of the key border communes of Gia Lai province, Ia Dom has a 16.2 km border with Cambodia, with a natural area of 14,562 hectares. Of which, more than 10,800 hectares are planned to develop key crops such as rubber, cashew, coffee and fruit trees, creating a solid agricultural economic foundation for the locality.

“Currently, the average income of the people is about 52 million VND/person/year; there are 103 poor households, accounting for 4.6%. The political security and border security situation in the commune is basically stable. The commune government closely coordinates with the forces stationed in the area to implement programs to support livelihoods, provide vocational training, improve infrastructure and improve the quality of life of the people. Economic development associated with maintaining national defense and security has helped Ia Dom become a bright spot in sustainable poverty reduction in the border area.”
Chairman of the People's Committee of Le Trong Phuc commune said

To promote sustainable poverty reduction, Gia Lai province has organized intensive training courses for 96 officials in charge of poverty reduction in 48 border villages and hamlets; focusing on skills to approach poor households, identify causes and appropriate support needs, and share practical experiences at the grassroots level. Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Thu Huong said: "To effectively reduce poverty, we must start with people. Grassroots officials are the core force, close to the people, understand the people, have the ability to mobilize and create trust so that people change their thinking and boldly do business."

Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee Pham Anh Tuan affirmed that poverty reduction is an important political task, closely linked to maintaining national defense and security. Communes must achieve the poverty reduction target as quickly as possible. According to Plan No. 22/KH-UBND of Gia Lai province, the target by the end of 2025 is to reduce the poverty rate of the whole province to below 2%, and the poverty rate among ethnic minorities to reduce by about 3%. To achieve this goal, the province has determined that it must synchronously deploy solutions to develop livelihoods, improve the quality of education, health care, housing, clean water, vocational training and job creation.

The province directed that localities must have a plan to review poor households weekly and monthly; closely monitor the situation to have timely support measures. Poverty reduction is not only about increasing income but also raising awareness, creating stable livelihoods, helping people feel secure in their land and village. From seedlings, livestock to housing, production land, forces such as border guards, economic-defense groups, and mass organizations have joined hands to support people in border areas with the goal of not leaving them alone on their journey out of poverty.

QUOC THAI

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/giam-ngheo-ben-vung-o-cac-xa-bien-gioi-402618.html