Safe water supply, job creation for disadvantaged areas

“Not only does VBSP provide loans for job creation, but also VBSP brings them safe living water in dry season" - said to Mr. Bui Huu Nghia, Manager of Transaction Office, Binh Dai District, Ben Tre province.

As of June/2011, the commune of Vang Quoi Dong decreases at 21.6% of poor households (320 ones). Before 2008, villagers had to use water in drainage canals, especially during salty penetrated and dry seasons, almost all poor households had to buy living water from tankers worth VND 60,000/m³.

Safe water coming

In 2008, Binh Dai district invested to build one waterworks in Thoi Lai commune. Far away from water wells at over 5 km, only 549 near-street households used this water source, whereas, two-third remained to use canal water. Nghia said "In 2010, we have invested funds for clean water supply and rural sanitation in commune of Vang Quoi Dong for improving the living environment for 180 poor households".

Taking us to see bathrooms, composting toilets and rain water tanks as a result of borrowing VBSP's favorable loans, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Tam  happily says " Without the VBSP's loans, it is hard for our family to build sanitation works as well as rain water tank with stere tens".

Living right in the commune center, before 2010, the household of Phan Van Lieu together with others rushed to seek deserted spots for solving biological "output" in each morning. "Now my family not only uses tap water but also borrows VBSP's loans for building bathrooms and sanitation works" Lieu honestly confides.

Mr. Cao Hoai Nho, Vice Chairman of commune says: "Up to 2011, apart from 549 households using tap water, other 796 ones build rain water tanks with enough capacities for dry season, 700/1,354 households (51.3%) build bathroom with composting toilets".

Have a job

Commune of Phu Long has got 130-hectare water of aquaculture but still exists over 16% of poor households, Mr. Huynh Van Dung, Chairman of Farmer Union said that almost all households are poor, not have or have very few of production lands and even short of jobs. To support 127/278 poor households who are farmer members early escaping from poverty in a sustainable manner, both the communal farmer union and the VBSP's district transaction office coordinated to establish 05 savings and credit groups, as of June, 2011, their outstanding loans reaches VND 1.5 billion.

Family of Đoan Huu Nghia in hamlet 1, has only 2,000m² soil planting 60 coconut palms and working as a carpenter. Nghia says "In late 2008, I borrowed 25 million dongs from the lending program to poor households. Spending 10 million dongs in procuring planes, saws, drills etc., the other amounts is for opening a carpenter shop". Apart from building furniture for villagers, in 2011, he also produced fan-shaped models to support the cement system of raising semi-industrial shrimps. In July, each model price is worth at 55,000 dongs, after deducting 5,000 dongs at cost, his family daily builds 25 model sets but not have enough time to complete orders. He happily says "My family has already released from poverty thanks to the VBSP's favorable loans".

                                                                                     Khuynh Diep