No more temporary roofs in Dong Thap: The journey from hardship to settlement

(Chinhphu.vn) - From the rickety, shabby, dilapidated thatched roofs before each flood season in the West, today thousands of poor households and policy families in Dong Thap have been living in solid, warm and affectionate houses. This is an outstanding result of the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses that the province has persistently implemented over the past time, with the motto "no one is left behind".

Dong Thap Provincial Party Secretary Le Quoc Phong (middle) and local government representatives started building houses for poor households at the launching ceremony to eliminate temporary houses in Dong Thap province - Photo: VGP/LS

Solid house, changed life

In a new, spacious house in Nhi Quy ward, Mr. Vo Van Ngoi (61 years old), a near-poor household in the locality, emotionally shared: "Previously, my family of 5 had to live in a rickety corrugated iron house. When it rained, we had to use buckets to catch water, and when the wind was strong, we couldn't sleep all night for fear of it collapsing. Thanks to financial support from the government, I boldly borrowed more from relatives to build this new house of more than 70 square meters. Now, my wife and I can sleep soundly, no longer worrying about our children getting wet and cold."

Sharing the joy and gratitude for the local government's attention, Mr. Au Thanh Cuong (45 years old) - who has just received support to build a house of more than 70 m², emotionally said: "Without the help of the government and the people around, my three children and I do not know when we would have a house like this. The dream of many years has now come true in just a few months. Now I just try to work hard to take care of my two daughters' education, and at the same time save money to redecorate the house."

The story of Mr. Ngoi and Mr. Cuong is not a rare case. After just over a year of implementing the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in response to the Prime Minister 's call, Dong Thap province has supported the elimination of thousands of temporary and dilapidated houses for poor and near-poor households and policy families. The funding source comes not only from the provincial and central budgets, but also from the joint efforts of businesses, social organizations and kind-hearted people inside and outside the province.

Sharing with the Government Electronic Newspaper , Ms. Vo Thi Bup, Secretary of the Nhi Quy Ward Party Committee, said: We identify supporting the construction of temporary and dilapidated houses for local people as a particularly important political task, not only in terms of social security but also in terms of politics and economic development. This is not only a task assigned by the Party and Government, but it also demonstrates the concern of the local Party Committee and government for the poor and people in difficult circumstances, ensuring social security, and making a practical contribution to the local sustainable poverty reduction work.

"From the time of surveying and preparing the support documents, or when handing over the new houses, we could not help but be moved when witnessing the joy shining in the eyes of the people - the dream of a solid house has now come true. There were households who were speechless when receiving their houses, only able to express their gratitude to the Party, the Government and the local authorities," Ms. Vo Thi Bup emotionally shared.

It can be seen that the policy of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses has created a strong influence in the community. During the construction process, the surrounding people, the Fatherland Front and local organizations all joined hands to support working days and contribute gifts - showing the strong neighborly affection. Not only poor and near-poor households are supported by the State, the ward also actively mobilizes businesses, organizations and individuals to contribute to help disadvantaged households whose houses do not meet the "3 hard" standards (hard foundation, hard frame - walls, hard roof).

Currently, Nhi Quy ward has completed the program of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses for 100% of poor and near-poor households. In the coming time, the ward will continue to launch a campaign to support households with housing difficulties that have not met the "3 hard" standards, so that there will be no families in the area whose houses have not met the "3 hard" standards.

The solid house of more than 70 m2 of Mr. Au Thanh Cuong was constructed with guaranteed progress and quality in Nhi Quy ward, Dong Thap province - Photo: VGP/LS

From heart to life

Implementing the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses according to the Government's policy, Dong Thap province has turned the social security goal into a widespread movement in the community.

Speaking to the Government Electronic Newspaper, Dong Thap Provincial Party Secretary Le Quoc Phong, Head of the Program Steering Committee, affirmed: “The proactiveness and flexibility of all levels and sectors, along with the cooperation of the community, helped Dong Thap complete the plan ahead of schedule. This is also an opportunity to affirm the image of Dong Thap people as affectionate, dynamic and creative.”

Up to now, the whole Dong Thap province has completed 100% of the target of supporting the construction and repair of houses for 2,767 households of people with revolutionary contributions, relatives of martyrs, poor and near-poor households (including 1,713 newly built houses and 1,054 repaired houses).

Specifically, Dong Thap province (old): 2,159/2,159 units (1,343 newly built, 816 repaired), reaching 100%. Tien Giang province: 608/608 units (370 newly built, 238 repaired), reaching 100%.

The total cost of implementation in Dong Thap province (new) is 237,790 million VND (support for people with revolutionary contributions and martyrs' relatives is 55,670 million VND; support for poor and near-poor households is 182,120 million VND).

According to Provincial Party Secretary Le Quoc Phong, the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in Dong Thap does not stop at financial support, but the important thing is how the locality implements it, carefully reviews, prioritizes the right subjects, and mobilizes people to participate in the construction so that they appreciate and preserve the houses.

This is a clearly superior policy because it not only solves housing problems but also motivates people to escape poverty. The government has set a goal of no more poor households living in temporary housing and Dong Thap is one of the localities that has implemented this goal early and effectively.

Handing over the house to Mr. Duong Van Sang, Bac Hamlet, Tan Thanh Commune, Dong Thap Province - Photo: VGP/LS

Mobilizing people, arousing solidarity

More than 100 km from Nhi Quy ward, Tan Thanh commune is one of the localities with many great achievements in this work. Mr. Tran Van Kha, Secretary of the commune Party Committee, told the Government Electronic Newspaper: After reviewing, the whole commune has 34 households living in temporary, dilapidated houses. The locality has established a Steering Committee to eliminate temporary houses, assigned specific tasks to each member and mobilized resources from organizations and individuals to implement the construction.

As a result, in just over 4 months, 34 houses were completed and put into use. People in the commune expressed their joy, emotion and deep gratitude to the Party, State and local authorities for caring about the lives of the people, especially the disadvantaged. Not only stopping at building houses, the commune is also implementing solutions to create livelihoods to help people stabilize their lives in the long term.

The days of construction have become a festival of the hamlet - where the spirit of "the rich help the poor" is strongly spread. People contribute bricks, people donate corrugated iron, people support workers... all contribute to complete each house quickly and full of humanity. With that spirit, building houses for poor households is not only material support but also an occasion to gather affection. People contribute money, people contribute labor, materials. Thanks to that, each house is not only sturdy but also warm with the affection of fellow countrymen.

“Each completed house means one more family has a home, and the whole community is more united,” Mr. Tran Van Kha shared.

Mr. Nguyen Van Van (71 years old, Trung hamlet, Tan Thanh commune), a near-poor household, emotionally said: “In my whole life, I never thought I would have such a solid house. Now the old couple can rest assured, the rain and wind are no longer a worry. The children working far away are also less worried.”

Not only is there a source of capital, the temporary housing elimination program is also a place where people gather their strength. A report from Dong Thap province shows that the whole province has established 62 charity housing construction teams with 934 members, contributing more than 6,670 working days. From skilled masons to ordinary people, everyone contributes to build solid, warm houses.

Provincial Party Secretary Le Quoc Phong emphasized that the temporary housing elimination program is just the beginning, as the province will hand over the list of supported households to new communes and wards to continue helping them earn a living, striving to have no more poor households. At the same time, housing support will be expanded to other vulnerable groups, so that no one is left behind.

Removing temporary and dilapidated houses not only improves living conditions but also creates a foundation for people to boldly invest in production, send their children to school, and take care of their health. Many households, after receiving new houses, have borrowed capital from credit institutions to support farmers to grow lotus and raise fish, initially having a stable income.

Spreading human values

Up to now, although this very meaningful and humane program has been completed, the leaders of Dong Thap province wish to continue to spread the effective models and good practices from this movement. Because each house built is not only a material achievement, but also a symbol of the spirit of solidarity, mutual love and deep concern of the entire political system, philanthropists and the community for the disadvantaged people.

From Dong Thap, the Government's policy of eliminating temporary housing has proven its superiority in linking social security closely with economic development, so that the country's innovation process does not leave anyone behind. Because eliminating temporary housing is not only about improving housing, but also the foundation for people to settle down, work, study with peace of mind, and escape poverty sustainably. This is also a way to concretize the spirit of the Party and State that development must go hand in hand with ensuring social security, leaving no one behind.

In fact, after receiving housing support, many households have boldly borrowed capital, expanded production, or sent their children to vocational training. The rate of re-poverty has decreased, and the cultural and spiritual life in residential areas has also improved.

The results of removing temporary and dilapidated houses in Dong Thap are recorded in specific numbers, but the greatest value lies in the trust and happiness of the people. From new roofs, many generations will grow up with better living conditions, with opportunities to study and develop.

The image of new houses among rice fields and villages is not only a testament to the change of a locality, but also reflects the profound humanistic spirit in the development path of the country and locality.

Le Son - Huu Chung

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/khong-con-mai-nha-tam-o-dong-thap-hanh-trinh-tu-gian-kho-den-an-cu-102250814141655742.htm