Kep Commune: Supporting people in accessing information, creating motivation for sustainable poverty reduction

BAC NINH - Information is one of the 6 basic social services in the multidimensional poverty standard for the period 2021 - 2025. To sustainably reduce poverty, Kep commune has deployed a variety of methods to support people in accessing information associated with digital transformation. Thereby helping people, especially poor and near-poor households, raise awareness, proactively develop the economy, and stabilize their lives.

Developing information infrastructure, spreading digital skills

Identifying the lack of information as one of the basic social service shortages in the multidimensional poverty reduction criteria, in recent times, Kep commune has promoted the propaganda of the Party's guidelines and the State's policies on the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the period 2021 - 2025.

In particular, the Sub-project “Information Poverty Reduction” (under Project 6) identifies increasing access to essential information for the community as an important task. The Sub-project aims to ensure that 100% of communes with particularly difficult socio -economic conditions have public information points to serve people using essential information services, contributing to promoting socio-economic development.

Poverty reduction propaganda posters are hung at the village cultural house.

Kep Commune has synchronously deployed many solutions to help people easily access and grasp the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State as well as learn from economic development experiences. The Party Committee and the People's Committee of the commune have focused on investing in telecommunications infrastructure, expanding the grassroots communication network associated with digital transformation. Up to now, the broadband fiber optic cable system, 3G and 4G mobile networks have covered all villages and hamlets; wifi is installed at the headquarters of agencies and cultural houses in all villages. The rate of households using smartphones has reached more than 80%, creating a favorable foundation for accessing information, online public services and convenient applications serving life.

To promote and guide digital skills for people, Kep commune established 49 community digital technology teams with more than 500 members who regularly "go to every alley, knock on every door, check every person". Through training sessions, team members directly support people in installing electronic identification applications, electronic health books, cashless payments, online transactions with banks or performing online public services. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy, Head of the Community Digital Technology Team of Ca village, said: "By joining the digital technology team, we are trained and guided in many digital skills. From there, it is easy to help people around us operate in the electronic environment".

In addition, the youth force also volunteered to be on duty, guiding people to transact administrative procedures on the Public Service Portal, pay tuition, electricity and water fees via phone apps. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Secretary of the Commune Youth Union shared: "The Commune Youth Union established a youth volunteer group, regularly assigning members to be on duty at the Commune Administrative Service Center to help people submit documents. At the same time, coordinate with organizations to launch mobile propaganda at village conferences and people's markets in a hand-holding direction so that people can easily absorb and operate."

Youth Union members of Kep commune guide people to use online payment skills.

Recently, Kep commune hung nearly 100 billboards and posters promoting poverty reduction at village cultural houses and central roads. In addition, the system of 39 loudspeakers of Bac Ninh Newspaper, Radio and Television operates regularly, promptly providing information on poverty reduction policies, effective economic models, good people and good deeds, contributing to spreading the will to rise up in the community.

Thanks to timely access to information, many households have changed their awareness and applied digital technology in their lives. Mr. Hoang Van Quan in Kep village said: "Previously, when I went to the hospital, I had to bring a lot of documents and cash. Now I have been instructed to pay hospital fees without using cash, all procedures are very easy and quick."

Access to information, opening a sustainable way out of poverty

According to the leader of Kep Commune People's Committee, when having full access to information, people are more proactive in learning, applying new models, boldly borrowing capital, and developing production. Thanks to that, the poverty rate of the commune has decreased sharply over the years and exceeded the target set by the Resolution of the Commune Party Congress.

Propaganda and dissemination of law to people of Kep commune.

Thanks to knowing how to exploit information on the Internet, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan in Kep 11 village has gradually changed his trading methods and become a well-off household in the area. Previously, he only grew pineapples and sold them to local traders, with unstable prices.

After being trained in digital skills, he learned how to sell agricultural products online through e-commerce platforms, post product advertisements on social networks, and attract customers inside and outside the province. Mr. Tuan excitedly said: “Thanks to the Internet, I have found a stable outlet for pineapple products. Currently, I also combine pineapple hill experience tourism, both promoting the brand and increasing income.”

Similarly, Ms. Tang Thi Hien's family in Kep 11 village is also a typical example of applying information and science and technology to get rich. Her family has been attached to pineapple trees for decades, but only when participating in agricultural extension training courses, updating knowledge online, applying production according to VietGAP standards and learning models through online channels, did pineapple trees really bring high economic efficiency. Currently, Ms. Hien grows more than 20,000 pineapple trees on an area of ​​2 hectares, yielding about 50 tons of fruit each year, excluding expenses, earning a profit of several hundred million VND. Notably, she also knows how to process fruit out of season and participates in the Huong Son pineapple hill eco-tourism program - a new "check-in" spot for tourists when coming to Bac Ninh.

Not only creating sustainable livelihoods for people, access to information also helps people access capital sources more conveniently. If people were previously afraid of loan procedures, now many people know how to look up information, install applications to pay interest, and deposit savings online very conveniently. Along with livelihood support programs, Kep commune also actively mobilizes social resources to help the poor stabilize their housing.

In the coming time, Kep commune will focus on supporting people, especially poor households, to use telecommunications and internet services, and apply information technology to be more proactive in accessing policies and seeking economic development opportunities. At the same time, improve the capacity of grassroots communication staff, ensuring that no one is left behind in the journey of sustainable poverty reduction.

Article and photos: Khoi Nguyen

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/xa-kep-ho-tro-nguoi-dan-tiep-can-thong-tin-tao-dong-luc-giam-ngheo-ben-vung-postid430507.bbg