Improving life quality thanks to credit policy

(VBSP News) VBSP's Safe Water and Rural Sanitation program has been effectively implemented for the past years, contributing to improving rural life quality and sanitation in Hau Giang province.

Mr. Nguyen Van Minh's mother was very happy when he borrowed money from VBSP to build a clean bathroom

Mrs. Le Thi Riep's family in Vi Dong Commune, Vi Thuy District, borrowed VND 20 million from VBSP in Vi Thuy district to build a bathroom, a toilet and a clean water facility. She excitedly said: "Thanks to the preferential loans of VBSP, my family built the clean water supply facility and the closed toilet which are very convenient".

Many households in rural areas are satisfied with the Safe Water and Rural Sanitation program because it solved many problems of water for households living along canals and ditches without any water supply pipes. Mr. Nguyen Van Minh confided: "My family borrowed money from this program 2 years ago, which helped us construct a toilet and buy water pumps. However, currently water sources at the canal are not as clean as before sowe hope that the State will invest in the pipeline to supply clean water for households living in this area".

In recent years, the VBSP's lending program has helped households in rural areas to have capital to invest in construction, renovation or upgrading clean water supply and sanitation facilities to match with the national standards, which aimed at improving health and living conditions, promoting economic and social development in rural areas. However, currently, the capital sources are not enough for the needs of rural people. As Mr. Nguyen Huu Danh - Director of VBSP in Chau Thanh A district said: “At the beginning of the year, the capital sources are allocated but only meeting 70% of the demand of borrowers. As of the end of May 2019, total outstanding loans for the program reached VND 63 billion with 6,677 active customers in the district. In order to meet the demand of borrowers to build clean water and sanitation facilities in the remaining months of this year, we need about VND 4 billion”.

Mr. Huynh Quoc Viet - Director of VBSP in Long My district said: “The lending program has met 60% of rural people's demand in the district. However, our biggest problem is that there are many interlacing channels and canals and the system of water supply pipelines is inadequate”.

Mr. Nguyen Van Vu - Credit Manager of VBSP in Hau Giang province said: “The program has a wide range of borrowers. Recently, most of the borrowers have used capital effectively on the right purpose. Besides, the program has helped rural residents solve the problem of clean water and sanitation. In the first months of the year, the Head Office of VBSP has allocated VND 30 billion to the branch, so far the branch has disbursed that amount of money but having not met the demands of borrowers yet. In order to help the households construct clean water facilities, bathrooms and toilets, VBSP will mobilize funding from various sources including asking for support from local district’s budget”.