Farmers harvest rice in Bạc Liêu Province’s Phước Long Commune. The province has implemented various poverty alleviation models in recent years to help poor households escape poverty. – VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Sử

BẠC LIÊU – Bạc Liêu Province has reduced its poverty rate significantly by taking a number of effective measures, according to its Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has enabled more than 28,000 households to escape poverty since 2016, thus reducing the poverty rate from 15.5 per cent to 1.24 per cent now.

It now has only 2,776 poor households.

The poverty rate is expected to reduce further to 0.5 per cent by the end of this year.

In the last five years the province has invested more than VNĐ2.1 trillion (US$91.2 million) in poverty elimination efforts, and effectively implemented various policies, programmes and models to support poor households.

One of the models, which involves Party members and government workers helping poor households, has enabled many of them to escape poverty.

They provide them with inputs for production and teach them production techniques, and introduce jobs.

The province has built nearly 5,000 houses for poor families since 2016.

It has also focused on teaching poor people vocational skills and providing them with jobs, and carrying out advocacy activities to motivate them to escape poverty.

Nguyễn Thị Mộng Nghi of Phước Long District’s Phước Thọ Commune, who used to be poor, was given a soft loan worth VNĐ30 million ($1,300) to learn tailoring and open a tailor’s shop in her house.

She now earns around VNĐ6 million (US$260) a month, which is well above the poverty threshold.

“To escape poverty, poor people have to be determined to do so and work hard. It is important to create their own jobs and have stable incomes, and use loans effectively.”  

Trần Thanh Tuấn of Bạc Liêu City’s Hiệp Thành Commune was supported by Lương Văn Đấu, a Party member and tax official in the city, with money to buy seedlings to plant in his family’s 3,000sq.m field and instructed his family farming techniques for growing the crop.

Đấu also helped Tuấn find a job.

“Thanks to the support, my family has escaped poverty,” Tuấn said.

Speaking at a seminar held last Thursday, deputy chairman of the province People’s Committee, Vương Phương Nam, said to implement the task of reducing poverty more effectively in future, poverty reduction programmes should be implemented more actively and responsibly by province officials.

The Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in co-operation with other relevant agencies should identify detailed targets, measures and resources to implement the task of alleviating poverty, he added. – VNS