The journey of "changing lives" from the goal to the practice of poverty reduction - Part 1: When the poor no longer "wait" but proactively "ask to escape poverty"

In the villages of Yen Bai, there was a time when poverty was imprinted on every house, deeply engraved in the eyes of the people in the mountainous region. The idea of ​​waiting and relying on an old tree has taken root through many generations, causing many people to accept poverty to enjoy support policies. However, now, a meaningful and touching image is the thousands of "poverty escape" applications. People no longer sit idly by, they are writing their own stories of changing their lives, with self-respect and a strong desire to rise up, supported by "leverage" policies that are "tailored" to fit. This is considered a transformation, a revolution from the way of thinking and doing of the people.

Stories from the will

We went to Trung Tam village, Xuan Lai commune, Yen Binh district, where the story of Nguyen Van Toan's family is still mentioned with admiration by the villagers. Memories of the old days are still deeply engraved in his mind. Five people used to live in a temporary house, their future depended on 4 sao of rice fields and the days of working for hire, the couple's income was unstable. Poverty persisted, the dream of a solid roof or a good education for their children was still far away.

However, in that person, the fire of will to change his life has never been extinguished. With support policies, Mr. Toan boldly invested in raising breeding buffaloes and planting forests. Thanks to his diligence and willingness to learn production experience, life has improved like a young shoot after the rain. Up to now, his family owns over 5 hectares of acacia and cinnamon hills, of which 4 hectares of acacia have been thinned, and at one point the herd of buffaloes has increased to 7. In 2022, an important milestone, he and his wife saved enough to build a solid and spacious house. As soon as the new house still smelled of lime and mortar, Mr. Toan did something that surprised many people, an act filled with pride: he wrote a request to be removed from the list of poor households. It was not just a piece of paper, it was an affirmation of pride and independence.

He confided simply, his voice full of determination: "The government has taken care of me, now that I can stand firm, I have to walk on my own, leaving that buoy to others is more difficult than me. Now that I have a house to protect me from the rain and sun, my children can study with peace of mind, I only care about making money ." Mr. Toan is just one of thousands of examples showing that when thinking changes, people will find extraordinary inner strength.

According to data from Yen Bai province, from 2021 to now, the whole province has had 1,342 poor households proactively registering to escape poverty. This number is not just a statistic, but a strong message about the will of the people of Yen Bai. In Giap Cang village, Khai Trung commune, Luc Yen district, the story of Mr. Hoang Van Nghi is also a typical example of initiative and determination.

Giap Cang village is home to the Dao community, accounting for 55% and the Tay community, accounting for 42%, whose lives have been mainly based on agriculture for generations. Mr. Nghi's family, like many others, used to be very difficult, but when the province's poverty reduction support policies were popularized, Mr. Nghi realized that this was his opportunity. He did not wait for allocation, but proactively learned and calculated.

In 2022, with the determination to get rich legitimately, he borrowed 50 million VND from the poor household program to buy 2 cows. Realizing that raising cows was a suitable direction for the village's conditions, at the end of 2023, he took the initiative to borrow another 50 million VND to expand the herd. Up to now, the herd of 6 to 8 cows has become a "business", bringing a stable source of income, helping his family not only escape poverty but also improve the quality of life. Mr. Toan's actions or Mr. Nghi's initiative are the sweet fruits that have been cultivated by a great policy, a consistent vision of the province.

Multi-resource power and compass

The above stories clearly reflect the effectiveness of Resolution No. 61-NQ/TU dated October 20, 2021 of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee on continuing to effectively lead the work of sustainable poverty reduction in the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030. This is not only an administrative document, but is identified as a top priority task in the province's socio-economic development, mobilizing the synchronous participation of the entire political system, businesses and people. Immediately after the Resolution was issued, the participation of the entire political system from the province to the grassroots level took place synchronously and drastically.

Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations have organized the dissemination, implementation and implementation of the Resolution's contents into every corner of life. This Resolution not only sets out numerical targets, but is also considered a guideline for the work of "enlightening the mind", changing the mindset, arousing the self-esteem and self-reliance of the people. The Resolution does not remain on paper. It follows cadres into every house, resounds in the village's loudspeakers, and becomes a buzzing story in nearly 4,677 news articles and reports on sustainable poverty reduction on the mass media. The goal is nothing more than to convey the message of changing the mindset of waiting and relying on others, encouraging poor and near-poor households to change their awareness and mindset, and strive to escape poverty sustainably.

Along with the "opening of the mind", Resolution 61 also creates an effective multi-resource coordination mechanism, combining the state budget, preferential credit, national target programs and community strength. We went to the mountainous district of Tram Tau, one of the areas with many difficulties, to see more clearly this combined strength.

Talking to us, Mr. Vang A Giang, Chairman of Tram Tau Commune People's Committee, firmly affirmed: "Resolution 61 is really a boost. The core is to both enlighten people's thinking to understand the value of self-reliance and connect them with specific resources. In our commune, this is most clearly demonstrated through the elimination of dilapidated houses, or policies to support production according to Resolution 69 and Resolution 05 of the People's Council. Then the residential roads are concreted, making it more convenient for people to travel and trade. Thanks to that combined strength, the commune has achieved 16/19 new rural criteria. When people have changed their thinking, the support policies will truly be most effective."

This sharing shows that Resolution 61 and the province's action programs have really come into life, creating sustainable changes. These changes have created impressive numbers in Yen Bai's poverty reduction efforts. In the 2022-2024 period, the province's poverty rate decreased by an average of 4.13% per year according to the multidimensional poverty standard for the 2021-2025 period. In the two mountainous districts, which are considered the "core of poverty", the changes are even more dramatic: Tram Tau district decreased by 6.89% per year, Mu Cang Chai district decreased by 9.46% per year. By the end of 2024, the multidimensional poverty rate of the whole province will be 8.67%, of which the poverty rate will be 5.68%, and the near-poor household rate will be 2.99%.

Notably, Yen Bai's multidimensional poverty rate has risen to 15th out of 63 provinces and cities, an improvement of 5 ranks compared to the beginning of the term and the 4th lowest out of 14 provinces in the Northern Midlands and Mountains, after Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang and Phu Tho. It is estimated that by the end of 2025, the poverty rate of the whole province will decrease to 4.18%, the average poverty reduction rate per year will be 3.47%, exceeding the target by 0.17%. From bold policies, large resources mobilized with nearly 21,097 billion VND in 5 years (2021-2025) along with the synchronous participation of the entire political system and especially the extraordinary self-reliance of each person, Yen Bai has created a miracle.

Stories like Mr. Toan and Mr. Nghi, along with the telling numbers, are just slices of the colorful picture of poverty reduction in Yen Bai. So, what specific policies have "given wings" to those wills, turning them into concrete achievements, helping people change their lives right on their homeland? The answer will be in Part 2: "Policy levers" and exemplary models.

Van Thong

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/215/352159/Hanh-trinh-doi-doi-tu-muc-tieu-den-thuc-tien-giam-ngheo---Ky-1-Khi-nguoi-ngheo-no-ngong-can-cho-ma-cu-dong-xin-thoat-ngheo.aspx