A typical Group Leader in Dak Nong province

(VBSP News) No overdue debt, outstanding interest or ghost borrowings are criteria that Savings and Credit group of Village 2, Dak Som commune, Dak Glong district (Dak Nong province) have achieved for many years. Ms. H’Giang - Head of this group contributed greatly to this result.

Many ethnic minority households in Dak Som commune borrow preferential capital from VBSP to expand coffee plantation area for higher income.

This group currently has 58 members, borrowing nearly VND 3 billion preferential capital from VBSP in Dak Glong district, of which mainly ethnic minority households borrow money from credit programs for poor, near-poor households and production and business in disadvantaged areas. Preferential capital is used to plant forests, cultivate industrial plants, raise livestock and poultry in order to get profit, increase income and improve living conditions. Thanks to joining in the Savings and Credit group, many households in the village have enough capital to buy trees and fertilizer to expand area of ​​coffee and pepper and increase the number of cows and buffaloes. Because average rate of households escaping from poverty every year reaches 3%, living conditions of some households have become better. Especially, the members of this group not only use the capital effectively but also change sense of principal and interest payment. As a result, situation of late principal and interest payment is terminated. In the past 5 years, the group has not had overdue debt and outstanding interest. Moreover, in the first quarter of 2019, the group had the highest savings deposit in DakGlong district.

It cannot be denied that Ms. H’Giang is a key factor for those achievements. In fact, from the day Ms. H’Giang becomes a Group Leader, relationship of village's members becomes closer. The group also takes care of rights for the poor and directly guides ethnic minority people how to live more solidly and friendly. The members also regularly discuss and help each other in borrowing and using preferential capital for production development to quickly escape from poverty and become richer. As a Group Leader, Ms. H'Giang cleverly instructs the members to propagandize State's credit policies on preferential credit and VBSP’s activities at group meetings. Therefore, issues related to borrowing and using loans are public and democratically discussed, including choosing eligible borrowers, helping each other to use capital effectively, supervising, encouraging the borrowers to raise the awareness of paying the debt on time.

In addition, Ms. H'Giang always focuses on monthly meetings with VBSP staff and local mass organizations. This task has helped her to catch up timely the work related to poverty reduction, crop and livestock production conversion and emulation movements of helping each other use preferential capital and become more productive.

“I often go to members' house to monitor how they use capital. If there are any difficulties, we will discuss how to help them, otherwise, we will report to commune authorities for help", Ms. H 'Giang said.

Her enthusiasm has brought trust and connection between members, creating a sustainable "bridge" for VBSP to get closer to the poor in the Central Highlands. Thanks to joining in Savings and Credit group, ethnic minority people can get benefits from preferential capital and change the awareness of preferential policies of the Party and the State.

Following the instruction of Ms. H'Giang, we visited Mrs. K'Rai’s house - an ethnic household and a member of Village 2’s Savings and Credit group using preferential capital to develop production and escape from poverty. In the past, her family was a poor household, but after participating in activities of group, she was guided and helped to borrow VND 50 million from VBSP to plant coffee and pepper. From profit collected from the garden, she paid off all the debt to the bank and saved money to expand cultivation and breeding.

In fact, since being reorganized, Savings and Credit groups in Dak Nong province have been positively impacting and creating resources to help people escape from poverty and change their awareness about borrowing and using preferential capital for the right purpose, achieving efficiency in production development, creating jobs and increasing income to improve life conditions.