Poverty reduction support

( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - In recent years, from the local budget, Son Ha district has prioritized entrusting loans to the District Social Policy Bank (CSXH) Transaction Office to solve employment and export labor. At the same time, many other programs have been integrated to create conditions for poor households and disadvantaged households in ethnic minority areas to have the opportunity to find jobs, develop production and business, increase income, and escape poverty sustainably.

Preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank have helped Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hue's family in Xa Nay village, Son Nham commune (Son Ha) buy an excavator to create jobs and increase family income.

Giving fishing rods to escape poverty

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hue, in Xa Nay village, Son Nham commune (Son Ha) used to work as a worker in VSIP Quang Ngai Industrial Park, but due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, her income decreased and her life became difficult. In 2021, Ms. Hue decided to quit her job as a worker and borrowed 80 million VND from the job creation loan fund of the Social Policy Bank to invest in business. From the money she saved, combined with the bank loan, Ms. Hue and her husband bought an excavator to serve construction projects in the district.

Chairman of Son Ha District People's Committee Dinh Thi Tra said that recently, the district has coordinated with vocational training and job placement centers in and outside the province to organize conferences to discuss solutions to send workers to work abroad. The district assigned the commune authorities to coordinate with schools to collect data on students who have graduated from high school but did not go to university, are still in the locality, or are doing freelance jobs to promote and mobilize them to work abroad. By the end of 2023, with resources from the target program to support overseas labor training, Son Ha district will achieve and exceed the set targets.

Ms. Hue shared, “My husband often works on construction projects, so he realized that buying an excavator would be an opportunity to make a living. However, due to lack of capital, we did not know how to handle it. Thanks to the guidance of the Commune Women's Union, my husband and I were able to access preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank to buy a means of livelihood. With the favorable business, my husband and I were able to buy another truck worth 120 million VND to transport glue and noodles to people in the commune.”

Similarly, Mr. Dinh Van The, in Go Chu village, Son Thanh commune (Son Ha) also used to work for hire in many places, but due to the seasonal nature of the job and unstable income, in early 2020, Mr. The quit his job and borrowed 35 million VND from the job creation program of the Social Policy Bank to develop the economy and improve his family's life. With this amount of money, Mr. The invested in planting more than 7,500 acacia trees on an area of 1.5 hectares. Up to now, the acacia garden has been planted for more than 3 years, with an estimated revenue of more than 100 million VND when harvested. In addition to planting acacia, Mr. The's family also raises 2 breeding cows and 25 egg-laying hens to generate additional income.

Director of the Transaction Office of the Social Policy Bank of Son Ha District, Le Thanh Tung, said that in 2023, the District People's Committee has prioritized a capital of 1 billion VND entrusted to the transaction office to provide loans to solve employment problems for poor and near-poor households. As of August 31, 2023, the district's entrusted capital has increased to more than 7 billion VND, creating conditions for 203 workers to access preferential credit capital. Thereby, creating jobs, maintaining and expanding jobs, increasing income for local people, contributing to the implementation of the district's annual goals of rapid and sustainable poverty reduction.

Changing lives thanks to labor export

Nuoc Bao village, Son Bao commune (Son Ha) has more than 130 households, with more than 400 people. Currently, 10 people in the village are working in Korea and Japan. Some young people are completing procedures to go to work abroad. Mr. Dinh Van Hiep, in Nuoc Bao village, is waiting for the day to return to Korea to continue working. This is also Mr. Hiep's second time working abroad in Korea. Previously, in 2014, with the determination to go to work abroad to develop his family's economy, Mr. Hiep went to Korea to work under a contract. After nearly 5 years, Mr. Hiep has saved nearly 2 billion VND. Thanks to that, he has built a spacious house, bought household items and invested in agricultural production. Realizing the effectiveness of working abroad, in 2023 he continued to register to work in Korea.

Staff of the Transaction Office of the Social Policy Bank of Son Ha district propagate and guide people about the labor export loan policy.

Mr. Hiep shared, working in Korea, I found the work quite easy, and the salary is much higher than working in my home country. Although working abroad means being away from family for many years, in return, I will save a large amount of money to build a house and send my children to school. According to my research, if I go this time, the basic salary will increase to 40 - 50 million VND/month (previously it was less than 30 million VND/month). Now I am young, I have to try to work hard to earn some capital so that when I return home, I can invest in production and business.

In the same village as Mr. Hiep, Mr. Dinh Van Dem has been working as a carpenter in Korea for nearly 9 years under a labor contract. Previously, Mr. Dem and his wife always had a shortage of money, and life was difficult. In 2014, Mr. Dem was supported to study and work for a limited period in Korea. With a salary of 30 million VND per month, his family in the countryside now has a more comfortable and prosperous life.

Ms. Dinh Thi Gai (Mr. Dem's wife) expressed that because the couple got together when they were young, life became even more difficult when their first child was born. Therefore, my husband and I discussed and agreed that the husband would go to work abroad, while the wife would stay home to raise the children and take care of her mother. Since the husband went to work abroad, the family's life has improved day by day. Currently, the family has paid off the 100 million VND borrowed from the CSXH Bank to go to work abroad. In addition, my husband and I have also bought a piece of land in the center of Son Bao commune to build a house.

Not only the above two cases, but from 2013 to 2014, many young people in Son Bao commune have boldly gone to work abroad and have succeeded. Many young people have sent money back to buy houses, buy land, and buy amenities for their families. This success has motivated people of working age in the commune to continue to boldly register to go to work abroad. Those with experience go first to support those who come after. The Son Bao commune government has also set up a separate Facebook page to send people to work abroad to promote the message "Son Bao youth aim to work abroad under contracts to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty sustainably". Vice Chairman of Son Bao commune People's Committee Dinh Van Sen informed that up to now, the whole Son Bao commune has had more than 30 young people go to work abroad. Currently, there are more than 30 young people studying at training centers to go to work abroad.

In recent years, Son Ha district has become a bright spot in sending people to work abroad under contracts. Son Ha district is focusing on supporting vocational training and foreign language for poor workers to work abroad under contracts. Many priority policies are given to help ethnic minority workers, poor and near-poor workers have the opportunity to work abroad. In particular, lending capital for labor export with preferential interest rates from the Bank for Social Policies is being promoted to help workers cover initial costs when leaving the country.

Up to now, Son Ha district has 123 workers working in Korea, Japan, and Malaysia. In 2021 - 2022 alone, Son Ha has 17 workers going abroad to work in Korea and Japan. This success is thanks to the efforts and creativity in the mobilization work of Son Ha district. Currently, the demand for labor in Korea and Japan is large, the requirements are not too strict. Therefore, Son Ha district identifies this as an opportunity for young people in the district to increase their income, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction in remote, isolated, and extremely difficult areas.

Article and photos: HONG HOA

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