Khanh Hoa: Improving livelihoods and sustainably reducing poverty for "difficult areas"

The National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period has created a new vitality for the mountainous areas with many difficulties in Khanh Hoa. Not only building infrastructure, the Program also arouses the spirit, will, and thinking, helping people to proactively rise up, create sustainable livelihoods and accelerate the process of hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

Settling down, making a living and life-changing stories from the village

Implementing the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development for Ethnic Minority Areas for the 2021-2025 period, Khanh Hoa Province has recently set the goal of solving basic needs as a prerequisite for economic development. A solid roof creates peace of mind, an effective economic model creates sustainable income. The principle of "settling down and making a living" has created huge changes.

The story of Mr. Cao Quoc Kieu's family in Dong Khanh Son commune is a proof. Before 2024, his family was still a poor household, the main income depended on unstable seasonal jobs. The question of when he would get better kept haunting him, until his family received 30 million VND in support from the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. Together with the 20 million VND the family saved, the house was repaired. The house motivated him to focus on business and economic development. He devoted all his efforts to taking care of the durian garden on the hill. Now, the garden has "sweet fruit", bringing in a stable source of income, helping his family not only escape poverty but also have better economic conditions.

Thanks to resources from the Program, Khanh Hoa province has helped people proactively strive to improve their livelihoods and reduce poverty.

Or the case of Ms. Cao Thi Nhiem's ​​family in Bac Khanh Vinh commune, from the capital source of the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority Areas, her family was supported with 2 breeding cows. Family members were also instructed by local veterinary staff on how to care for and breed cows, bringing hope of improving the livelihood of the whole family. Not stopping there, Ms. Nhiem also combined the initial support with a loan of 50 million VND from the policy bank to diversify production, grow more acacia and raise black pigs suitable to local weather conditions. Thanks to a solid economic foundation, by the end of 2024, her family officially escaped poverty.

Or in Phuoc Ha commune, Mr. Ta Yen Pho's family, which owns 2 hectares of fruit orchards, always has limited productivity due to lack of irrigation water. In 2023, with the support of 17 million VND from the Program, combined with savings, he boldly installed a modern irrigation system, helping to unlock the potential of the land, stabilize production and bring in tens of millions of VND in income each year.

The above stories are not natural, they are the result of a focused investment strategy. According to statistics, in 2024 alone, the whole province supported residential land for 36 households, supported housing construction for 1,231 households and supported job conversion for 348 households. This is the foundation for ethnic minorities who still have many difficulties in Khanh Hoa to transition to a safer, more efficient and sustainable economic foundation.

The journey of sustainable "escape from poverty"

The success in the villages stems from the determination in directing and concretizing the Socio-Economic Development Target Program for Ethnic Minority Areas along with other national target programs of Khanh Hoa province. As early as January 2021, the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution No. 09 on the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030, which set out fundamental directions to contribute to changing the face of ethnic minority and mountainous areas. Subsequently, the Provincial People's Council issued over 15 resolutions, the Provincial People's Committee issued 33 decisions and 10 plans for implementation. In particular, Resolution 17/2022/NQ-HDND allowed localities to use special budgets to support difficult areas, helping to reduce the rate of re-poverty.

These are important resources to help Khanh Hoa promote livelihood improvement and create sustainable jobs for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, based on the specific conditions of the locality. Statistics for the period 2021 - 2025 show that the total capital for implementing the program in Khanh Hoa reached more than 790 billion VND, of which 85% came from the central budget. Large resources were invested with focus and key points, in which poverty reduction and livelihood improvement work have created impressive results. By the end of 2024, Khanh Hoa had only 4,348 poor households, accounting for 1.26% (down 2,950 households compared to the beginning of the year). The average income of ethnic minorities in the province reached over 30 million VND/person/year, 2.14 times higher than in 2020.

However, the greatest and most sustainable achievement is the change in thinking. Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Khanh Hoa province, Nguyen Ngoc Son, affirmed: The program has helped people change from the mentality of waiting and relying on the State's investment to being proactive and making efforts to improve their lives. The province's policy has also changed direction, reducing direct support, increasing preferential credit loans and investing in community infrastructure for people to develop themselves. This is the driving force from the grassroots, when the policy plays the role of opening up, and the people are the subjects creating change.

Looking back at 5 years of implementing the Program, despite the achievements, in reality, the issue of improving livelihoods and creating sustainable jobs for ethnic minorities in mountainous areas in difficult areas of Khanh Hoa still faces many difficulties. According to experts, to solve these problems and move towards the period 2026 - 2030, Khanh Hoa province needs to prioritize investment, improve people's education and awareness, in parallel with promoting support for sustainable production development. Because when people are equipped with scientific and technical knowledge, understanding of the market and have the desire to rise up, it will truly create a sustainable strength, helping ethnic minorities and mountainous areas in Khanh Hoa not only escape poverty, but also confidently get rich on their own homeland.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/khanh-hoa-cai-thien-sinh-ke-giam-ngheo-ben-vung-cho-vung-kho-10395748.html