The "guides" of the A Luoi highlands

Old Pi Hoi Cu Lai practices the guitar

Speak to the people, the people believe

Although he is nearly 80 years old, old man Pi Hoi Cu Lai, resident of A Luoi 5 commune, still maintains his lucidity. Deeply attached to the indigenous culture, not only interested in the economy , he is also the leader in guiding people to practice traditional rituals of the Co Tu and Pa Co people.

During each major festival, elder Pi Hoi Cu Lai gathers the village youth to teach each dance, gong and drum piece. He believes that these melodies must be passed down in the correct rhythm and manner so that the younger generation can feel proud and understand their roots. “I hope that my children and grandchildren will know how to dance in the right rhythm and sing the words of the ancients. If we can preserve that spirit, the village will last,” he confided.

Not stopping at culture, old Pi Hoi Cu Lai is also a person who persistently encourages people to change their way of doing business. Seeing that many households are still hesitant, he goes to their houses to talk, suggesting that people plant more medicinal plants, raise chickens and ducks, and expand their fields to plant trees suitable for the land. For households that are not familiar with it, he shows them step by step, instructing them on how to choose seeds and how to care for them. "We can do it all, just worry less, study harder to do it properly," old Cu Lai shared.

In A Luoi 1 commune, elder Ho Xuan Tich (66 years old) is sought out by the villagers whenever they need to discuss production. He often visits each house to see the fields and barns, gives advice on how to raise cattle, expand the chicken flock and find suitable consumption directions. He patiently sits down and talks with any family that is still hesitant, advising them to save up to build a solid house, and then gradually expand the model.

Many families in A Luoi, after receiving encouragement and guidance from village elders and prestigious people, have boldly developed suitable livelihood models, creating a stable source of income and growing sustainably. A typical example is the commercial chicken farming model of Mr. Ho Van Luu with about 400 chickens, nearly 30 beef cows and a herd of pigs, earning about 120 million VND per year. Ms. Ho Thi Sa's family maintains more than 100 breeding cows, combined with afforestation on dozens of hectares, earning more than 1 billion VND per year. For Ms. Hoang Thi Ken, the job of making brooms and growing mushrooms helps her earn over 200 million VND per year, and her family's life is increasingly prosperous.

Ms. Ho Thi Sa, A Luoi 4 commune, said that her family had encountered many difficulties when expanding the herd of cows. She shared: “At that time, I was worried that I would not have enough time to take care of them, and I was also afraid that selling them would not be easy. Luckily, the village elder took the time to come to the grazing area, check the situation, and then advised me to try to maintain the herd. He also instructed me on how to divide the barns and collect food during the dry season, and protect the cattle from the cold during the cold season... Now, seeing the herd of cows growing well, I feel much more secure. With someone who has gone before to guide us, we are much more confident.”

Accompanying authorities

Currently, 5 A Luoi communes have more than 60 village elders and prestigious people. A Luoi 1 commune alone has 19 village elders, most of whom are 75 years old or older. They are close people, know each household well and are regularly present in village and hamlet activities. From mobilizing people to develop buffalo and cow breeding models, supporting poor households to plant economic forests, to reminding people to avoid backward and costly practices, the role of each village elder is very clear in people's lives.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of A Luoi 1 Commune, affirmed: "Village elders and prestigious people are an important bridge to help people understand and trust the policies of the Party and the State. Their dedication is the driving force for people to confidently do business and build the village. It is the simple conversations of the village elders that have the strongest persuasion power with the people in the highlands. Whatever they say comes from life experience, from understanding each family, so people trust and listen to them."

Along with the role of village elders and prestigious people, local authorities also implement many ways to accompany and support this force. From creating conditions for village elders to participate in village meetings, disseminating new policies, to supporting travel expenses or organizing meetings to provide necessary information, all to help them convey policies more clearly and closely. Many socio-economic development programs in the highlands are effective when there is participation, comments and advocacy of village elders and prestigious people in the community.

Thanks to this coordination, A Luoi 1 commune has reduced the number of poor households from 1,577 (55.95%) to 603 (17.96%). This number reflects the efforts of the people, and at the same time shows the close cooperation between the government and those who play key roles in the village.

Comment (0)