(VOVWORLD) - The COVID-19 pandemic has set back the lives and productivity of Vietnam’s poor and near-poor households and policy beneficiaries. When social distancing was eased, localities promptly disbursed loans to hlep these people restart their lives.
 Nearly 1.3 million poor and near-poor households get access to loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to cope with COVID-19 in the first half of this year. (Photo: baonghean.vn)
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As of mid-October more than 24 million workers had received nearly 970 million USD under a Government resolution on supporting employees and employers affected by COVID-19.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels and its member organizations have been making lists of those in need of support, raising donations, allocating funding, presenting aid packages to disadvantaged people, and supporting transportation and sales of agricultural products.
The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies in provinces and cities nationwide have been mobilizing capital to help the poor and policy beneficiaries overcome the epidemic’s effects.
They have worked with local authorities and socio-political organizations to keep track of the epidemic situation in each locality, the level of impact, and losses, in order to provide needed debt extensions, reschedule debt payments, or give additional loans.
Nguyen Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Khanh Hoa provincial Bank for Social Policies, said that since the beginning of the year, the Bank has disbursed more than 12 million USD to poor and near-poor households and households just out of poverty.
“Last month, we set up transaction stations in 130 out of 136 communes to provide loans,” said Cuong.
This has made capital available for production and business and created jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers.
Cao Thi Kem, head of Lo Gia hamlet, said that as soon as social distancing was eased, she helped 58 local households, all of them ethnic Raglai, apply for loans.
“I meet villagers regularly to get to know their situation. Anyone who is making an effort to do business, I’ll help them apply for a loan,” said Kem.
Nguyen Van An, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that Da Nang has helped tens of thousands of poor and near-poor households by giving them health insurance cards, business capital, free vocational training, and jobs.
“The poor always receive top priority. Extremely poor households have been given interest-free loans. The policy has gotten poor people back to work,” according to An.