Poverty reduction efforts in ethnic minority areas in Binh Phuoc province have posted many important results over the years but difficulties persist. The story of Duc Hanh commune in Bu Gia Map district is common. Though fulfilling criteria as a new rural area, the commune still has 95 poor households and 112 near-poor households, of which poor ethnic minorities account for the majority.
Thi Dunh’s household in Bu Croai village is poor and unable to escape from poverty. She is too old to work. In her house, which she received from the State in 2004, is nothing worth more than 50,000 VND. Dunh and her granddaughter live on a monthly subsidy of 270,000 VND from the State and earnings from shelling cashew nuts.
Poverty also hangs over younger residents. Thirty-year-old Dieu Ba has four children. With a large family but no land, as well as earning a living from tapping rubber trees he makes use of his neighbour’s vacant plot of land to plant corn and vegetables to provide for his family.
According to local authorities, the high number of poor households in the commune, especially ethnic minority households, is due to the fact that people don’t have stable jobs or land and have many children. The commune will provide vocational training to the poor in the future, support scientific and technological developments in agricultural production, and take advantage of central and local capital to help people access loans for production./.