(VOVworld) – Ho Chi Minh City’s District 5 has achieved its poverty reduction targets for the period 2014-2015, one year ahead of schedule, thanks to district authorities visiting every household to show them the most effective ways to escape poverty. VOV’s Kim Dung reports…..

The district established a Poverty Reduction Committee which was then divided into smaller groups whose members frequently visit the local poor households and provide them with the support they need. They often hold community meetings where people are encouraged to share their experience in poverty reduction. Nguyen Thuy Phuong, head of a poverty reduction group in District 5’s Ward 6, said: "Ward authorities have solicited contributions from all sectors in the ward to support the poor, supplementing aid from the state budget. We’ve also asked higher authorities to generate jobs for the poor, and set up emergency funds to support people stricken with sudden misfortune."

The district’s poverty reduction fund has given 124 poor households nearly 100 thousands USD. The fund has also helped poor families obtain loans from the municipal Bank for Social Policies to set up their own businesses.

Vo Thi Nhu lives in District 5’s Ward No.4. Her family’s principal income is from selling fruit and her children often skip school to help with the work. With the help of the District’s Poverty Reduction Committee, Ms. Nhu opened a coffee shop which earns her family a stable income of approximately 200 USD a month. Vo Thi Nhu told VOV: "We could barely make ends meet from selling fruit on the street. Thanks to capital provided by the committee, we are running a stable business. We’ve saved enough money to buy our own house."

Most of the households in District 5 have escaped poverty and some of them have become well-off. Not satisfied with the initial positive results, the district authorities have provided local households with specialized knowhow for improving their economies and improve their incomes sustainably. They’ve also contacted businesses to address local unemployment. Since the beginning of 2014, the district has succeeded in mobilizing 18 sponsors for poor and near poor families. They’ve raised a total of 50,000 USD. Dang Quang Minh and his family are among the disadvantaged in Ward 14: "I’m a motorcycle taxi driver and my wife suffers from slight mental disease and cannot work much. We are supported both by the local government and by sponsors. We were given health insurance and bicycles and my children receive a monthly scholarship of 60 USD each."

There remain 185 near poor households in the district, down 20% from early this year. Han Canh, head of District 5’s Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Division, says local authorities are implementing measures to improve people’s living conditions and prevent them from falling back into poverty. He said: "We will continue to support the remaining poor households in the locality while providing regular assistance to the lonely elderly. We will also provide student scholarships and counsel young people who failed their university entrance exams to attend the Hung Vuong Vocational College of Technology."