Sharing vision - Bringing Empowerment

Rising out of poverty

  • Perform: Phương Anh (Translated by Hoang Duc)
  • 23/04/2021

Mr. Binh is now 45 years old, living in the poor countryside of a Northern Mid-Mediterranean province. At the age of 18, he entered a well-known school in the city specializing in agriculture. Four years later, he graduated from university with a degree in priority and was invited by many companies to work. During a visit to the countryside, seeing relatives in the village struggling but harvesting not much, he raised the intention to return to his hometown. After a few nights of struggling, thinking, with the heart of a child with his homeland, he decided to give up a desirable job with many people in the city to return to his hometown. Seeing his son's determination, his family also wholeheartedly supported.

Initially, he established a small agricultural products preliminary production and processing facility in his hometown, purchasing small and small. Gradually, connecting a lot with suppliers, exporters, he bought and expanded the workshop. After nearly 10 years, he had a decent opportunity, the family was also stable with his wife and 2 young children. His life was full from here, but the accident struck, during a business trip to the South in 2010, he suffered a traffic accident that resulted in paralysis of his legs. The family had to sell the house, sell the land to treat him in the fragile hope that he could recover somewhat. "My family took me to all the major institutes in the country, sometimes through Singapore but still could not help me move", Mr. Binh shared. After years of pursuing treatment, the property sold out, his family accepted to give up. He also accepted to be attached to the wheelchair instead of the same legs as before. From a well-off family in the area, after only a short time has returned with empty hands, only the small house left on the hill land left by grandparents. Mr. Binh recalled that time. "Think about it, I came from the breadwinner to the family suddenly became a burden for all 3 mothers and children, the most miserable was my wife, the time I had just had an accident and ran for treatment, took care of my husband, took care of my children, watched her suddenly think a wind could blow, my heart tightened, just thought that or I was going to die, so that 3 mothers and children could be freed. As if to know what I thought, she confided in me every night, she said she was not afraid of suffering, not afraid of hard work, just afraid of mental fulcrums to try to be me and her child no longer, until then, she really collapsed. Hearing that, I told myself to try to heal, to recover to feed my wife and children. But in fact, as you can see, I still need a caregiver now, still can't walk."

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Since 2015, his family has been listed as a poor household, every day, his wife pushes a wheelchair with him to sell hawkers all over the big street, alleyways to earn more income for the family. Every day, he and his wife are subjected to gazes, whispers from strangers and acquaintances. Those who don't know say you're sick, make money on the mercy of society. The person who knows your family is deflated, comparing your house old and present. He is not clear, does not explain, outside he appears calm to his wife peace of mind but in his heart he hates himself useless, so that his wife must suffer with him.

After many nights of thinking, with the concern of not stopping over and over again in my head: "I also went to university, I used to manage a whole business establishment, I just could not walk, but my mind still worked well, so why don't I start over? ". Re-starting his old profession will be difficult with his disability, he went online to learn business models, livestock suitable for current circumstances as well as contact the Association of Persons with disabilities to join groups of persons with disabilities to share and learn the experiences of the previous ones.

Initially, he planned to take out a commercial loan at the bank to start a business. However, all the banks he has contacted for loans require him to mortgage the property for the loan. In difficult circumstances, the only remaining property is a fourth-floor house on hilly land. You don't risk your life. His wife loves her husband, loves her children, runs everywhere borrowed, from relatives to friends and former business partners. But seeing his family like that, no one willing to lend. Watching her come to each house and then go back, have business ideas but need money, he felt desperate. Thoughts of life stalemate have no way out, at the end of June 2017, an information that carries the opportunity to open a brighter door for the future of him and his family. According to information supported by the Association of Persons with Disabilities and the Farmers' Union, it is known that the state has a policy to support workers who are disabled people who need to create jobs themselves can borrow from the National Employment Fund for employment at a lower interest rate than other subjects, he contacted, learned the conditions and procedures for borrowing. Because he is both a member of the Farmers' Association and a member of the Association of Persons with disabilities, he is supported and helped a lot by everyone. He joined the savings team of the Farmers' Association, after a period of preparing complete and detailed business documents and plans, he received a loan from the Bank for Social Policy of nearly VND 40 million.

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After more than 2 years of building, with the available business experience and the continuous efforts of himself and his family, gradually, his family had a small hedgehog farm with 10 pairs of hedgehogs and 5 commercial hedgehog cages, estimated to earn 150 million VND annually. He shared: "It was very difficult at first, I didn't plan to raise hedgehogs, but the doctors in the Association suggested that as well as the house next door with the hill land to rent, I also tried it. I thought farming was simple, but I lost a couple. After that, I joined my wife for training courses, contacted hedgehog farms in the area or nearby to study more, gradually raised many familiar members, now it is considered as warm."

In 2019, his family escaped from poverty, the couple worked together to build a hedgehog farm to stabilize their lives and shared with other members of the Association of Persons with disabilities, farmers' associations wishing to make loan applications, learn from experience in raising hedgehogs, overcome difficulties, rise out of poverty.

According to the provisions of Article 12 and Article 13 of the Law on Employment 2013, disabled workers wishing to create jobs may borrow from the National Employment Fund when they fully meet the following conditions:

  • Having full civil act capacity.

This means that this employee must be at least 18 years of age and not be in cases of loss of civil act capacity, person with difficulties in awareness and mastery of acts or limitation of act capacity (Clause 2 of Article 20 of the Civil Code 2015).

  • Wishing to borrow capital to create jobs by themselves or attract more employees with certification of competent agencies or organizations where the project is implemented.
  • Legally reside in the locality where the project is carried out.

Once the a above conditions is met, pursuant to Decree 61/2015/ ND-CP is amended, supplemented by decree No. 74/2019/ND-CP and Guidance No. 8055/NHCS-TDSV of the Bank for Social Policy guiding the lending profession to support job creation, maintenance, and expansion of jobs on October 30, 2019, stipulates that the policy on concessional loans for persons with disabilities to create jobs is applied as follows:

  • Self-employed workers who have disabilities may borrow a maximum of 100 million VND for a period of no more than 120 months (equivalent to 10 years).
  • The loan interest rate is equal to 3.96% per year (equal to 50% of the loan interest rate for near-poor households specified in Clause 1, Article 1 of Decision No. 1826/QD-TTg of 2013 and Clause 1, Article 1 of Decision No. 750/QD-TTg).
  • The overdue debt interest rate is equal to 130% of the loan interest rate for self-employment workers who are disabled.