Information and communication - "soft power" for sustainable poverty reduction

Information and communication are considered a “soft power” in sustainable poverty reduction. The province considers information as a pioneering step, helping people understand policies, understand how to do things and proactively escape poverty. In the period of 2021-2025, Project 6 “Communication and information poverty reduction” was effectively implemented, narrowing the gap in information access and creating a clear change in multidimensional poverty reduction in the locality.

Bringing knowledge and poverty reduction policies to every home

As a poor household, lacking capital and limited production knowledge, Ms. Huynh Thi Thom (residing in Hamlet 10, Luong Hoa Commune) struggled to find a livelihood. After being advised by commune officials on the seedless lemon growing model under the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the period 2021-2025, she boldly applied the new technique.

Thanks to a clear understanding of the policy and specific instructions, the lemon garden has produced good yields, helping her family stabilize their income. In early 2025, her family officially escaped poverty. “Thanks to the clear explanation of the policy and instructions on how to do it, I boldly applied it to improve my life,” Ms. Thom shared.

Poor households in Luong Hoa commune are supported with breeding cows to improve their lives.

Mrs. Thom’s story is a testament to the effectiveness of promoting information, bringing policies and production knowledge to households that Luong Hoa commune has persistently implemented. Not only organizing communication sessions in hamlets, the commune also maintains the form of direct consultation, helping poor and near-poor households to promptly access information.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung - an officer in charge of poverty reduction in Luong Hoa commune, said: "Previously, many households were hesitant because they did not understand the support policy. When we went to each house to explain and guide the procedures, people were more courageous, proactively registered to learn a trade, and participated in the livelihood model, thereby bringing about clear results."

Not stopping at direct propaganda, Luong Hoa commune also built a multi-channel information network, synchronously connecting from grassroots radio, radio news, television reports to practical training classes. The content focuses on practical needs such as livelihood models, preferential loans, health insurance participation, OCOP opportunities, and product consumption linkage.

Thanks to the widespread information system, many households have timely access to policies. Mr. Nguyen Van Tai (a household that escaped poverty in Hamlet 6) said: “I learned about the preferential loan policy with low interest rates through the news broadcast on the commune loudspeaker. After hearing it many times, I understood and then went to the commune People's Committee to submit a loan application of 100 million VND. After the loan was disbursed, I invested in livestock farming, and my income has now increased by 40-50% compared to before.”

Vice Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Luong Hoa Commune, Nguyen Thi Thu Kieu, said: "With investment from the province, the commune operates 17 radio stations, covering the entire area. More than 1,500 households regularly have access to information on loans, health insurance, vocational training and production techniques. Thanks to that, the number of poor and near-poor households in the commune has decreased sharply, from 57 households to 20 households in the period 2021-2025."

In the 2021-2025 period, the province organized 43 training courses with nearly 3,500 participants; produced 26 skits, 330 radio news bulletins, 262 television reports and more than 180 articles in print and electronic newspapers. These figures show the province's efforts in expanding the information network, bringing poverty reduction policies to every home and every person.

Poor and near-poor households not only “hear” the policies but also “understand correctly and do them”, proactively register to participate in support programs, boldly change their livelihoods and increase their income. The deeper the propaganda, the more proactive the people are and the more effective the poverty reduction program is.

Ensuring a sustainable information and communication platform

In order for the information network on radio, television, the Internet and the grassroots broadcasting system to truly be effective, the province is interested in a sustainable communication infrastructure platform, acting as a "conduit" to bring policies to each household.

In the 2021-2025 period, the province will invest in 681 grassroots radio stations applying information technology, covering hamlets and villages - places where the Internet is not yet the main channel. This is a "deep penetration" solution, ensuring that poverty reduction information is transmitted continuously, stably and easily received.

Thanh Hoa commune officials check the operation of the loudspeaker system, ensuring people have access to poverty reduction information.

In addition to grassroots radio, people in the province have more and more channels to access information, from cable TV, digital TV, IPTV, satellite to digital terrestrial TV. In particular, fiber optic broadband network has covered 100% of agencies, schools, hospitals and all communes.

The rate of people accessing information technology is gradually increasing. Currently, 87% of households in the province use fiber optic internet, of which more than 85% use network data and nearly 90% use smartphones. For disadvantaged groups, 90% of poor and near-poor households have the need and ability to access telecommunications services, thereby opening up opportunities for people to access information on poverty reduction, employment, entrepreneurship and social security.

Ms. La Ngoc Han (residing in San Bay hamlet, Thanh Hoa commune) shared: "Thanks to loudspeakers and the Internet, I have a better understanding of poverty reduction policies. Information is conveyed in an easy-to-understand way, helping my family know how to register for support, borrow capital and participate in appropriate programs to stabilize their lives."

Many poor and near-poor households in Thanh Hoa commune participate in vocational training classes for rural workers.

Along with infrastructure, the province pays special attention to improving the capacity of the communication team at the grassroots level, considering this a decisive factor in the quality of policy transmission. In the 2021-2025 period, the province organized 13 training courses with nearly 900 officials and people participating, helping to standardize professional skills and update propaganda content.

Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Commune People's Committee Ma Thanh Dien said: "Through the training courses, the quality of communication on poverty reduction in the commune has improved significantly. Documents, methods, and practical situations are all close to the needs of the grassroots, helping us guide people more effectively."

Thanks to a sustainable infrastructure foundation and a well-trained communication team, the province has achieved impressive poverty reduction results. From 8,371 poor households, it has reduced to 2,613 households in the period 2021-2025, achieving the target set out in the Resolution. People's lives have gradually improved both materially and spiritually.

The province's investment in Project 6 "Communication and information poverty reduction" associated with livelihood support programs, vocational training, and social security has turned "news" into "work", "knowing" into "doing". The project is not only a communication campaign but also a long-term human development strategy, contributing to creating a solid foundation for sustainable poverty reduction in the province./.

Ngoc Huyen

Source: https://baolongan.vn/thong-tin-truyen-thong-suc-manh-mem-de-giam-ngheo-ben-vung-a208010.html