(VOVworld) – The new rural development program in Gia Lai province has involved people from all walks of life including war veterans over the last 3 years. Nguyen Van Gac, a war veteran in Grang 2 village, Chu Prong district, has been one of the most enthusiastic individuals in the movement.
It’s currently the dry season in the central highlands region and farmers have to water their coffee plants. Unlike previous years, when they had to use diesel-fueled power generators to pump water, which are costly and time-consuming, the farmers now have electricity thanks to Nguyen Van Gac. Gac has spent 60,000 USD of his own money to build two low-voltage power stations to replace generators, helping farmers save thousands of USD a crop. Kpuih Hai of Ja Rai ethnicity says: “Mr. Gac has helped us a lot with funding and fertilizer. Most importantly, he brought electricity to the villagers, thanks to which our lives have become better off.”
In 1985 Gac left the army and returned to Quang Binh, his home province. He and his family then settled in the border district of Chu Prong in Gia Lai province. Their painstaking efforts have paid off with a large farm growing coffee, pepper, and rubber, generating an annual income of roughly 200,000 USD. Gac says mutual assistance is an effective way to build new rural areas: “I’m happy to be able to help others in the spirit of the haves help the have nots. I’m proud to win the people’s love and respect.”
Mai Khac Tuan, Vice President of the War Veterans’ Association of Chu Prong district, says that Gac is a role model in the association movement to build new rural areas. Gac has provided free loans to help other war veterans escape poverty and employed their children to work in his farm. Tuan says: “Gac is head of the War Veterans’ Association of Grang 2 village. He has been active in helping farmers build new rural areas.”
Tuan says that war veterans like Gac have contributed significantly to the positive outcomes of the new rural development program in the district. In 2013, the district’s War Veterans’ Association mobilized 35,000 USD and 3,000 workdays to build and pave roads as well as to bring electric light to local villages.