Vu A Ly proposed to set up a separate fund for ethnic minority youth to start businesses.

“I myself and other ethnic minority youth do not want to be beneficiaries of state policies forever, but want to be the main force in economic development, preserving cultural identity, and protecting the homeland,” shared Mong young man Vu A Ly.

From nothing to creating stable livelihoods for 20 households

The startup story of Vu A Ly (born in 1993) in Hang Trung village, Van Ho commune, Son La province at the National Conference summarizing the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period, with orientation for the 2026-2030 period, made many people admire the will to escape poverty of an ethnic minority youth.

Living in a mountainous commune, Vu A Ly's family, like many others, has only known how to cultivate agriculture in the traditional way for many years, facing many difficulties. Young people like Ly are struggling to find a direction to start a business and rise up.

In 2021, Ly was fortunate to receive start-up funding from the Ethnic Committee (now the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions) and the World Bank. For the first time, the Mong man learned about the concept of organic agriculture and the need for clean vegetables in large markets like Hanoi.

He was instructed in organic farming techniques and connected to the market, and was supported with preferential loans to build greenhouses and drip irrigation systems from the capital of the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas.

At the National Conference to review the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period, with orientations for the 2026-2030 period, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated Vu A Ly's will to escape poverty: "A family supplying 100 tons of vegetables to the market each year is a great effort."

“From scratch, with about 5,000 square meters of land, I boldly tried growing some plants such as celery, lettuce, and some other vegetables. At first, I also encountered many difficulties due to lack of experience, and the output was not stable. Many times the income did not cover the expenses, there were years when I lost everything, and suffered damage due to hail” - Vu A Ly said.

But then, thanks to the support of local agricultural extension officers, especially the Youth Startup Support Center of Tay Bac University as well as officers of the Ethnic Committee, the 9x Mong boy gradually overcame the difficulties.

“Currently, I have expanded the production area to nearly 30 hectares, established an organic vegetable cooperative in Hang Trung village, with the participation of more than 20 households from Mai Son and Moc Chau communes... The model has created regular jobs for more than 20 local labor households, with an average income of 7-10 million VND/month/person. My family has not only escaped poverty but also risen steadily, supplying about 100 tons of vegetables each year to mini supermarkets and some stores in Hanoi, gradually building an organic vegetable brand in my hometown" - Ly happily boasted.

Vu A Ly shared her startup story at the national conference summarizing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period, with orientations for the 2026-2030 period. Photo: Le Anh Dung

Proposal to establish a separate fund for ethnic minority youth to start businesses

Looking back on the past, Vu A Ly expressed her gratitude to the Party and State for implementing the startup support project to open up a new path, inspire and help ethnic minority youths realize their startup dreams.

“Nowadays, my life and that of my village have changed a lot. Partly thanks to the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas, especially the policies to support start-ups and livelihood development for ethnic minority youth. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to rise up, develop myself, and contribute to the development of my homeland,” Vu A Ly confided.

“The correct and practical policies from the road system, schools, stations, electricity, to education and training support, as well as preferential credit and product consumption support have fundamentally changed the lives of people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. I feel lucky that the Party and State leaders have paid attention and dedicated a National Target Program for ethnic minorities so that we have the opportunity to rise up,” Ly expressed.

From the practice of his model, Vu A Ly recommended that the Party and State continue to maintain and replicate support models from the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, especially policies to support startups; have policies to connect and support output for agricultural products of ethnic minority areas.

The Mong youth also proposed that the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions continue to support ethnic minority youth to start businesses, creating a community playground for everyone to share with each other. In particular, he hopes to have a separate fund for ethnic minority youth to start businesses so that young people dare to think and dare to do more.

When talking about starting a business, many people immediately think of having a very large project that requires a lot of money, but Vu A Ly believes that for ethnic minorities, just being confident, daring to do business, and creating a sustainable livelihood for their family and some neighbors is very meaningful.

“Standing here today, I not only represent Mong youth but also ethnic minority youth. I myself and other young people do not want to be beneficiaries of state policies forever, but want to be the main force to develop the economy, preserve cultural identity, and protect the homeland” - Vu A Ly confided.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/vu-a-ly-de-xuat-lap-quy-rieng-cho-thanh-nien-dan-toc-thieu-so-khoi-nghiep-2432083.html