National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony marking the Day for the Poor in Vietnam 2018 was broadcast live on Vietnam Television’s VTV1 on October 17.
The event aimed to honour organisations and individuals in Vietnam and abroad who made significant contributions to supporting the disadvantaged through the National Fund for the Poor and social welfare programmes.
It was attended by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man.
Speaking at the event, NA Chairwoman Ngan said the Party and Government consider poverty alleviation a requirement for sustainable growth. It is among the UN’s millennium and sustainable development goals which Vietnam is committed to, she added.
She said with delight that the number of poor households defined by multidiscipline standards has dropped to 6.7 percent, surpassing the target set by the NA.
The Party, NA, Government, enterprises, individuals and organisations have joined hands in boosting socio-economic development in difficult areas, she noted, saying the National Fund for the Poor has received dozens of trillions of Vietnamese dong, helping build thousands of charity houses and offering access to healthcare, education and business opportunities to hundreds of thousands of needy people.
Pointing to the figure of 2.9 million poor and near poor households nationwide, the top legislator said the road to sustainable poverty alleviation remains difficult, requiring creative initiatives and more resources.
Ngan called for continued assistance from the business community and individuals at home and abroad as well as foreign countries and international organisations for Vietnam’s growth and poverty eradication efforts.
The TV programme featured people who told their stories of overcoming poverty and of supporting the needy. Among them were Ho Minh Hieu, an orphan boy, who raised pigs to earn money for school, and Phan Ba Manh and Hoang Duc Minh, creators of “charity aid” and “good friend” applications, which helps coordinate charity groups and organisations.
On the occasion, President of the VFF Central Committee Tran Thanh Man launched the action month for the poor, which lasts from October 17 to November 18.
Between October 2017 and October 2018, the National Fund for the Poor and social welfare programmes raised more than 2.9 trillion VND (123.7 million USD), which were used to build 28,000 charity houses, and aid dozens of millions of poor people in terms of production capital and materials, healthcare services and hunger alleviation.
According to the organising board, during the course of the TV programme, 100 organisations pledged to donate 857 billion VND (36.57 million USD).
Donations in response to the action month have arrived in some localities, with Hanoi recording 77 billion VND (3.28 million USD), Ho Chi Minh City 38 billion VND (1.62 million USD), and Bac Giang 47 billion VND (2 million USD).
Meanwhile, 2,000 texts worth more than 4.4 billion VND (187,763 USD) were sent in support of a fund-raising texting campaign. As part of the campaign, willing donors can send the code VNN to 1409 from October 1 until the end of December 31, 2018 to contribute 20,000 VND towards helping the poor.-VNA
VNA
