Poor and disadvantaged people receive support amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Chanh Da/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic having a heavy impact on the poor, with many workers losing their jobs and having no money to live on, policies in support of poverty reduction have changed to better suit the actual circumstances.
The “For the poor” month from October 17 to November 18 is aimed at benefitting poor and near-poor people affected by disease and natural disasters.
Initiated by the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the campaign embodies the Vietnamese tradition of “the haves helping the have-nots”, in a spirit of “no one left behind”. Activities include raising donations from the community, together with State budget funds, to help the poor survive the difficulties and escape from poverty.
Local branches of the Vietnam Fatherland Front will provide needy people with food, seedlings, breeding animals, home repair materials, online learning equipment, and warm clothing.
The action month for the poor this year takes place as Covid-19 lingers around the country, so support policies have changed to better help the poor overcome the pandemic.
Localities aim to support poor people by generating jobs so they can stabilise their lives soon and sustainably escape from poverty.
Having been heavily affected by the fourth wave of COVID-19, Ho Chi Minh City is now implementing policies to help people escape from poverty sustainably.
The President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Ho Chi Minh City Chapter, To Thi Bich Chau, said that sustainable poverty reduction is a key undertaking within Vietnam’s “Doi Moi” (renewal) process and the country’s construction and development.
The National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the 2021-2025 Period focuses on solving major and urgent issues in poverty alleviation, ensuring human rights, emphasising the development and investment of socio-economic infrastructure in poor areas, raising incomes and living standards, offering skills training, and creating jobs for needy people, she said.
In the first nine months of this year, the Ho Chi Minh City Fund for the Poor received more than 115 billion VND (5 million USD) and spent over 113 billion VND (4.96 million USD) on building 101 houses of charity, repairing 14 houses of charity, presenting 359 Nguyen Huu Tho scholarships, caring for 156 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and wounded soldiers, and giving Tet gifts to the poor.
Ho Chi Minh City provides livelihoods to needy people. (Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA) Le Minh Tan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that sustainable poverty reduction in the current context is a major challenge. The city has mobilised tens of billions of VND to take care of policy households and poor households during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“However, support is only meant to provide emergency relief to help people overcome these difficult times,” he emphasised. “The important issue is focusing on creating jobs as a means of getting out of poverty. In this way, people have the opportunity to escape from poverty sustainably.”
On July 7, 2021, the government ratified Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP approving a support package of 26 trillion VND (1.2 billion USD) for those affected by the pandemic. With a motto of “simplifying and cutting procedures and minimizing time”, the package will reach the right people quickly and conveniently.
In addition to emergency support, longer-term poverty reduction solutions are also being implemented by authorities.
In order to help the poor overcome difficulties posed by COVID-19, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies is developing a plan to cut lending interest rates by 10% for poor households and policy beneficiaries.
The Ministry of Finance and a number of related ministries and branches recently proposed a support package of 3.5 trillion VND (154 million USD) to provide poor students with computers, helping them study online during social distancing./.
