Mr. Thoi… no more poverty

More than a year ago, mentioning the family of Mr. Tran Van Thoi (Thang Tien 3 village, Hoa An commune, Krong Pac district) would elicit a disheartened shake of the head from many. Their charity house, built decades ago, had fallen into disrepair, and no one bothered to repair it. Their overgrown garden, with its withered plants, remained neglected. His wife and three children were consumed by grief and despair, while Mr. Thoi was consumed by alcohol…

Mr. Thoi's family owns 4 sao (approximately 0.4 hectares) of farmland. They used to dig ponds for fish farming and grow pepper, coffee, and fruit trees, but farming was ineffective, leaving the family trapped in poverty. Perhaps because of this, Mr. Thoi became discouraged and turned to alcohol. His two older children had to drop out of school to work as factory workers in Binh Duong , and only his youngest child, currently in 9th grade, is at risk of having to leave school early. The family's most valuable asset is a breeding cow purchased with a loan from the Social Policy Bank.

Officials and Party members of Hoa An commune participated in planting coffee for Mr. Thoi's family at the launching ceremony of the poverty reduction model in April 2024.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Vice Chairman of the Hoa An Commune People's Committee, vividly remembers the beginning of 2024 when she joined a delegation to distribute Tet gifts to impoverished households in the area. It was just after 9 a.m., and Mr. Thoi was already staggering, intoxicated. Walking around his family's garden, Ms. Huong thought to herself, with land and irrigation water like this, his family couldn't possibly remain poor forever.

On the one hand, she proposed to the Party Committee, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hoa An commune the idea of ​​mobilizing the entire political system to help Mr. Thoi's family implement a model of transforming their unproductive garden into a new coffee variety. On the other hand, she invited Mr. Thoi to the committee to understand his thoughts and aspirations, using his family's circumstances to persuade him. Mr. Thoi, initially hesitant, voluntarily wrote a commitment to quit drinking alcohol and strive to effectively implement the supported model.

In April 2024, the entire political system of Hoa An commune launched a poverty reduction model for Mr. Thoi's family. Specifically, Ms. Huong directly contributed 500 grafted coffee seedlings; the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the commune provided 5 million VND to rent an excavator to remove old crops, level the ground, and dig holes for planting coffee; and the Red Cross Society of the commune provided 5 million VND to cover the cost of fertilizer.

Mr. Thoi's family coffee garden is thriving after more than a year since planting.

After more than a year of implementing the model, Mr. Thoi's family life has undergone a remarkable transformation as his 500 grafted coffee trees are thriving and beginning to bear fruit. He spends most of his day caring for his coffee garden, from watering and composting cow manure to pest control. From being heavily intoxicated, Mr. Thoi has completely stopped drinking alcohol and wholeheartedly shares his experience with local people on everything from selecting coffee varieties to tips on controlling stem borers and mealybugs.

Mrs. Lai Thi Hoa, Mr. Thoi's wife, excitedly shared that during the recent Lunar New Year, their two eldest sons sent money to their parents to repaint and renovate their house, and their youngest son finished 10th grade with good grades. At the end of this year, they will harvest their first coffee crop and will certainly apply to be removed from the poverty list, fulfilling their promise to those who have wholeheartedly helped their family.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Vice Chairman of the Hoa An Commune People's Committee, visited Mr. Thoi's family's model of renovating a neglected garden.

Mr. Thoi's family's joy is also the shared joy of the officials and Party members of Hoa An commune, as it proves to the people that no one can be "persistently poor" if they are determined to implement changes and boldly alter their mindset and methods.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Vice Chairman of the Hoa An Commune People's Committee, shared that to ensure "no one is left behind," what is needed is not only immediate support but also continuous companionship, encouragement, supervision, hands-on guidance, and the awakening of the self-reliance of the poor households themselves. This is the effective approach that the Hoa An commune political system has gradually replicated over time, helping many poor and disadvantaged households truly change all aspects of their lives.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202506/ong-thoi-thoi-ngheo-0f61447/