Sustainable livelihoods help Son Tay people escape poverty

(Baohatinh.vn) - Thanks to the effective implementation of suitable livelihood models, Son Tay commune (Ha Tinh) has helped many poor and near-poor households have additional sources of income, gradually stabilizing their lives, aiming towards the goal of sustainable poverty reduction.

In recent times, the livelihood support program for poor and near-poor households in Son Tay commune has been implemented synchronously, bringing practical results. From cows, goats or chickens... have become "supports" to help many people here have more motivation to improve their lives.

For Ha Hoc Thanh's family, the cow is now the most valuable asset in the house.

The family of Mr. Ha Hoc Thanh (born in 1979) and Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha (born in 1980) residing in Nam Nhe village is one of the near-poor households that benefited from the program. In 2024, his family received support from the locality for a breeding cow worth nearly 15 million VND. In mid-2025, the cow gave birth to a calf, which the family sold for 6.5 million VND to cover living expenses.

Mr. Thanh shared: “Since I became blind, I have almost lost my ability to work. All the burden has fallen on my wife. Thanks to the livelihood support program, my family has an additional source of income, reducing some of the difficulties. The cow is now the most valuable asset in the house.”

Mr. Ha Hoc Thanh (left) hopes his family's life will be better thanks to the livelihood model.

It is known that Mr. Thanh has been blind for 5 years now. Although he has been treated in many places, he still cannot see again. All of his activities revolve around the small house, trying to help his wife with the things he can. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha - Mr. Thanh's wife - works as a garment worker with a small salary and takes care of her husband and two children who are in grade 12 and grade 8. "Without the support program, my family probably wouldn't know where to rely on. The supported cow is an asset so that we can breed and develop more herds in the future. Hopefully, other disadvantaged households will have the same opportunity as us," said Ms. Ha.

Also in Nam Nhe village, Mr. Hoang Van Suu (born in 1972) is another special case. For many years, he has lived alone in a small, dilapidated house. His wife and children have been gone for more than 10 years. He has many illnesses and is in poor health, so he cannot work for hire. At the end of 2024, he received support from the local authorities for a livelihood model consisting of 3 breeding goats.

Mr. Suu has a more stable source of income from raising goats for breeding.

After only a few months of care, Mr. Suu's goats reproduced and developed well, now there are 6 goats. He sold 2 goats, earning more than 5 million VND. The money is very meaningful to this single man in the mountains.

Mr. Suu said: “I never thought I could raise a herd of goats like this. Thanks to the commune’s support model, I have a job every day, more joy, money to buy medicine and monthly expenses. Goats are easy to raise, require little effort, and are suitable for people with poor health like me.”

As for the family of Mr. Le The Lu (born in 1958, residing in Tan Thuy village), the livelihood support program has helped his family escape poverty sustainably. Since the beginning of 2024, he has been supported with 3 breeding goats. Thanks to careful care and compliance with technical instructions, the herd has grown well and quickly multiplied. To date, Mr. Lu has sold a litter of 4 goats, earning nearly 10 million VND. Currently, there are still 6 healthy goats in the barn, ready to breed.

From the 3 goats initially supported, up to now, Mr. Lu's family has had a fairly stable source of income.

Mr. Lu excitedly shared: “In the past, my family was poor, relying on a few acres of rice fields all year round. Since receiving support for raising goats, my income has improved, allowing me to repair my house and invest in livestock. Goats are adaptable animals, rarely get sick, and have a stable output, so I believe this model will help many other households escape poverty like my family.”

Not only supporting breeding animals, Son Tay commune authorities also focus on providing guidance on livestock breeding techniques, training in veterinary knowledge, etc. for livestock raising households. Each household receiving support is periodically monitored by commune agricultural officers, instructed on disease prevention and recorded on the development progress of livestock.

Depending on the circumstances and conditions of each household, the locality has chosen a suitable livelihood model. Some households receive cows, some raise goats, and some are supported with chickens or plants. The goal is to help people generate their own income and be proactive in production. To date, many households have had a stable source of income, and some have risen above poverty sustainably.

Thanks to livelihood models, more than 70% of supported households have had increased income, many households have gradually escaped poverty.

According to statistics, in 2024-2025, Son Tay commune has implemented livelihood support for 74 poor and near-poor households with a total budget of nearly 500 million VND, mainly from national target programs on sustainable poverty reduction. Of which, more than 70% of supported households have increased income, many households have gradually escaped poverty.

Thanks to its synchronous and effective implementation, the program not only brings economic benefits but also arouses the proactive spirit and will to rise up of the people. Small but practical models such as raising goats, raising cows, etc. have become "fishing rods" to help many households in Son Tay stabilize their lives, creating a foundation for long-term family economic development.

Supporting people's livelihoods is one of the local key solutions in sustainable poverty reduction. In the coming time, the commune will continue to survey and select models suitable to the actual conditions of each village and household, while strengthening propaganda and mobilization so that people can promote self-reliance and actively take care of production development. At the same time, the local government will also mobilize more social resources, coordinate with organizations, businesses and philanthropists to expand the scale of livelihood models, helping people not only escape poverty but also gradually get rich on their own homeland.

Mr. Ho Xuan Dung - Vice Chairman of Son Tay Commune People's Committee

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/sinh-ke-ben-vung-giup-nguoi-dan-son-tay-vuon-len-thoat-ngheo-post299383.html