Female village chief devoted to the poor in the highlands

Ky Lac is a mountainous commune with many difficulties. The mountainous terrain is complex, the land for production is small, the people's lives mainly depend on forestry and self-employment. The poverty rate is high, the average income is low, many households still live in temporary houses.

Born and raised in this land, Ms. Ho Thi Thu (born in 1979) always worried about the difficult and struggling life of the people. After finishing grade 12, she did not take the university entrance exam but participated in local movement activities.

Ms. Ho Thi Thu encouraged Ms. Nguyen Thi Uyen - a person in difficult circumstances, poor health, and her husband had a stroke.

Having held many positions in mass organizations, and then becoming a village chief (in 2023), she sees this as an opportunity to do something to change the lives of people, especially poor women and single women.

“As a grassroots cadre, seeing people still lacking food and clothing, I cannot rest assured. Even though I may not be able to do anything great, I must try my best to help them rise up. Only when people have a good life can all local movements develop,” Ms. Thu shared.

Accompanying Ms. Ho Thi Thu in implementing poverty reduction work, in recent years, the State's sustainable poverty reduction program has been widely and practically implemented, with high levels of support, along with the strong development of the socialization movement of poverty reduction work.

Ms. Ho Thi Thu and officials of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ky Lac commune talked with Ms. Nguyen Thi Uyen in the house that had just received support to build.

To make the local poverty reduction work more practical, on the basis of maximizing the support of the sustainable poverty reduction program, Village Chief Ho Thi Thu and the village executive committee have worked hard to review and grasp the circumstances of each household, while connecting with programs and projects to build and renovate houses and create sustainable livelihoods for the poor.

In addition to connecting and supporting poverty reduction, Ms. Thu also always focuses on propaganda work to raise awareness, encouraging people to promote their internal strength and not rely on others. Thanks to that, the lives of many households in the village have gradually improved, the number of households escaping poverty is increasing, contributing to maintaining security and developing the local economy and society.

One of the special marks of Village Chief Ho Thi Thu is the movement to support housing for poor households and policy families. With the coordination of organizations in the village and the support of the Party Committee and government, Ms. Thu has mobilized hundreds of working days, connecting many organizations and individuals to donate funds to build houses for the poor.

Village head Ho Thi Thu talked with reporters about the village's efforts in poverty reduction.

In the process of taking advantage of housing support policies for poor households, Village Chief Ho Thi Thu also encountered many obstacles. Many households were so difficult that they hesitated to receive support money, worried that they would not be able to complete their houses. In such situations, in addition to persistently propagating and explaining to make people understand and feel secure, Ms. Thu also proactively advanced the cost of purchasing materials, and at the same time committed to the construction unit to complete the houses for the households early. After that, she continued to mobilize more social resources to compensate and support the people. Thanks to that dedication and responsibility, many poor families have had new homes and are confident in stabilizing their lives.

Such is the case of Mr. Dang Duc Son, a blind man who raises two small children alone. Although he is eligible for housing support, Mr. Son still firmly refused because he was afraid of not being able to afford the additional costs. By persistently campaigning and taking care of all the transactions for purchasing materials, hiring workers, and mobilizing additional social support sources, Ms. Thu was able to convince him. Finally, a new, spacious house worth 150 million VND was completed.

Ms. Ho Thi Thu came to check on the family that was given 50 chickens to help create a livelihood.

Mr. Son emotionally said: “I was supported to build a house but I had to refuse because I was worried that I would not be able to pay and would bother everyone. But thanks to the Village Chief's encouragement and taking care of everything, I dared to accept. When the house was completed, I was so happy that I couldn't sleep. Now my father and I have a decent and safe place to live. I don't know what else to say to thank her and can only try to work within my means to rise up.”

Not only stopping at building new roofs, when poor households have stable housing, Village Chief Ho Thi Thu continues to accompany them to truly rise out of poverty. She proactively supports people in accessing livelihood sources such as providing cows and chickens, guiding them in building hill garden economic models, planting fruit trees, etc. Thanks to these practical directions, many households have gradually created sustainable income, confidently stabilizing their lives in the long term.

Up to now, poor and near-poor households in Kim Ha village have been supported to build and repair houses and support their livelihoods. From 2023 to now, the village has taken advantage of the policy to build 13 new houses and repair many other houses; 9 households have been supported with livelihood models such as cows, chickens, etc. All livelihood models have been effective.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Ms. Thu and the village cadres, the sustainable poverty reduction work in Kim Ha village has had practical results; the poverty rate has decreased significantly over the years. If in 2021, the village had 12% poor households and 15% near-poor households, by 2025, there will be less than 5% poor households and 7.5% near-poor households.

Ms. Ho Thi Thu often visits families in difficult circumstances in the area to encourage, support, and help develop the economy.

The story of the village chief Ho Thi Thu is not only an example of the dedication of grassroots cadres but also a vivid demonstration of the effectiveness of the connection between policy and people's hearts. Thanks to people like her who silently contribute, the work of sustainable poverty reduction in the highlands is not only about numbers gradually decreasing over the years, but also about truly changed lives.

Ms. Ho Thi Thu is a village cadre who is very responsible and close to the people. In particular, in poverty reduction work, she always stays close to the locality, understands the situation of each household and proactively proposes many effective solutions. Thanks to her dedication, the movement to support housing and livelihoods in Kim Ha village has achieved remarkable results. The commune government always appreciates Ms. Thu's spirit of daring to think, daring to do and her persistent dedication.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Ngoc - Chairman of Ky Lac Commune People's Committee

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nu-truong-thon-het-long-vi-nguoi-ngheo-vung-thuong-post300343.html