 |
A project introduced in 2007 is helping more than 4,640 elderly, mostly disadvantaged and minority people, improve their lives. — VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung |
Not any more.
A project intended to improve the lot of the disadvantaged in northern Thai Nguyen Province has helped change her life.
The widow now has enough free time to join local art performances and increase her income with a herd of pigs.
"I was carefully guided in acquiring agricultural knowledge and given a preferential loan of VND2 million (US$102) to buy breeding pigs with a yearly interest rate of 0.7 per cent," she explains.
Three years later, she owns dozen of pigs and her family is no longer listed as a poor household.
Help Age International and the Viet Nam Women's Union have used the 887,350-euro project to help more than 4,640 elderly, mostly disadvantaged, poor and minority people to improve both their material and spiritual lives in Phu Binh, Phu Luong districts and Thai Nguyen City, northern Thai Nguyen Province, since 2007.
Women's Union national project manager, Pham Huong Giang, says that 104 clubs have been established to help ease hardship for the elderly by introducing them to new agricultural techniques; providing them favourable loans to switch production and raising their awareness about laws for the ageing.
"About 2,530 elderly people have been supported with loans of between VND1-5 million ($51-255) each," she says.
"Of these, 2,350 people have additional income and 283 have escaped poverty."
Exercise classes
Physicial exercise classes and art performances to improve the health of the elderly are held regularly and more than 350 volunteers have been trained to give home-based care to the ill.
"The project has fostered compassion among the elderly and make them understand the need to help the disadvantaged to make a better society," says the project manager.
The loans have helped increase the incomes of more than 70 per cent of more than 8,200 elderly citizens and 75 per cent of the illiterate can now do calculations and write simple words, says Vo Tranh Commune, Phu Luong District, intergenerational club chairman Duong Van Thanh.
"It's not easy for the elderly to study, but they join all of the activities with enthusiasm," he says.
Institute of Sociology representative Nguyen Duc Chien says club activities for the elderly with many difficulties is a sound idea.
But age and loan restrictions is a problem.
"Only those aged between 40 and 60 are eligible to join the clubs," he says.
"I think older women as well as women who suffer from domestic violence should be included.
"They have become a group that needs care."
The maximum loan of VND5 million ($255) is also insufficient for many who want to enlarge their businesses.
Women's Union national project manager Giang says 320 clubs are planned for central Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces by 2014 and a specific proposal has been submitted for approval. — VNS
No comments:
Post a Comment