A journey alongside impoverished households.

As a reporter covering poverty reduction since 2009, my journey accompanying impoverished households has involved trips to remote mountain villages and disadvantaged areas, reaching out to the poor to listen, understand, and convey their aspirations.

Policies regarding employment and overseas work are disseminated directly to the homes of people in mountainous areas so that they are aware of the policies and can participate. Photo: LE DIEM

From being one of the poorest provinces in the country, with a poverty rate exceeding 50%, and some mountainous districts having poverty rates of over 80% - 90%, Quang Nam has made a breakthrough by the end of 2024, reducing the multidimensional poverty rate to 4.56%.

In Quang Nam's journey towards sustainable poverty reduction since the province's re-establishment in 1997, I have been a part of it for over 15 years. When I was first assigned to cover poverty reduction by the editorial office, I couldn't imagine the reality of poverty among people in mountainous areas and ethnic minority regions.

When I first visited the impoverished areas of the province in districts that were benefiting from Resolution 30a at that time, such as Nam Tra My, Tay Giang, Phuoc Son..., the miserable and impoverished lives of the people made me disbelieve my eyes, even though it was a clear reality.

They live in dilapidated, makeshift houses, their meals consisting of rice mixed with potatoes and cassava, eaten with a little fish sauce and salt – that's all the children in the mountains have. A meal with soup and fish is a luxury for the children and people in the mountains. Trade with the outside world has not been opened up because the roads are too difficult; they have the labor but lack jobs, and they have land but don't know how to do with it to escape poverty.

Children in mountainous districts receive investment in healthcare and education to help them develop better. Photo: LE DIEM

Then, a series of policies on healthcare , education, employment, infrastructure investment, trade and service development, and livelihood support for poor households... directly impacted people's lives, helping them to improve their living standards.

I came to know Ms. Dinh Thi Dien (Hamlet 1, Tra Van Commune, Nam Tra My District) through a broom-making vocational training course organized by the Nam Tra My District Women's Union. Ms. Dien shared: "Every time the broom-making season came around, I and other women in the commune only knew how to go to the forest to pick brooms and dry them to sell to buyers; we didn't know how to make any other products. After learning the trade, the brooms we make sell for much higher prices than selling brooms by the kilogram. The Women's Union also helped us find outlets to sell to grocery stores, so our income is more stable."

The Quang Nam Newspaper has conveyed poverty reduction policies from the central and provincial governments, local approaches, and successful models in poverty reduction through its articles, news reports, and feature stories. Such information also contributes to the call for the collective efforts of the entire community in the movement "Joining hands for the poor, leaving no one behind."

Community collaboration, supportive policies, and the self-improvement efforts of each poor and near-poor household in the province have contributed to the breakthrough poverty reduction achievements of Quang Nam today.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/hanh-trinh-di-cung-ho-ngheo-3157082.html