War veteran Ro Cham H’Yeo is called a Cho-rao bird of the Central Highlands

When people have concerns about land issues or loans for production, H’Yeo will come to help them. She helps them with empathy and clear explanations, so people can understand the right and wrong. H’Yeo was a cadre of the Women’s Union and the Fatherland Front and now is Deputy Head of the Veterans’ Association of Gia Lai province. "I have some advantages in my work. Gia Lai province is home to ethnic minority groups such as the Gia Rai and the Ba Na. I have working experience at commune and district levels and I can help the villagers understand the Party’s guidelines and the Government’s policies and laws."

While doing organizational work, H’Yeo has always felt compassion for the hardship of other members and tried to find solutions for them. "Female war veterans of the Gia Rai and Ba Na ethnic minority groups have many problems. 3,000 women were exposed to Agent Orange/ Dioxin. I consider it my responsibility to do more for my comrades. In the past, we were comrades-in-arms. Many of them were affected by the defoliant or wounded and some never got married. They are now in their 60’s."

H’Yeo looks sad when she recalls painful memories from decades ago. "I joined the revolution when I was 13. I volunteered for the guerilla force because my older relatives had died in the war and only my younger sister and I were still living. Between 1963 and 1972, 12 members of my family died, including my father, my uncles, and my aunts. In 1968 I joined the army."

In peace time, H’Yeo and her fellow villagers worked hard to rebuild their homeland. She traveled to anywhere people needed help. "In peace time, soldiers live closer to their families. They should be a model in abiding by the Party’s guidelines and government’s policies. We have to take the lead in the Fatherland Front’s movement to build a civilized lifestyle and be a loyal member of the Veterans’ Association for others to follow."

H’yeo is a pioneer in business innovation.  "I have grown coffee since 1990. I have 3 ha of rubber, 6,000 square meters of coffee, 8,000 square meters of land to raise pigs and cows, and a fish farm. I earn around 1,500 USD annually," H'yeo said.

The villagers love H’Yeo for her enthusiasm and devotion. Nguyen Dinh Thien is an official of Gia Lai province’s War Veterans’ Association. "H’Yeo is a female official of an ethnic minority group. She has experience in mass mobilization work. She has endeavored in rallying ethnic minority people to ensure social order and security."

H’Yeo says the most difficult thing about talking with ethnic minority people is to express ideas in a simple way suitable to their understanding. The communicator should understand their customs, language, hobbies, and educational level.