"Bridge" to bring policy credit to the poor

Ms. Hiao Lien (left cover) - Head of the Savings and Loan Group of Ju Ma Nai village, Ia Rto commune, Ayun Pa town, talks with the borrower. **Photo: ML**

For nearly 10 years, Ms. Hiao Lien - Head of the Savings and Loan Group of Ju Ma Nai village, Ia Rto commune (Ayun Pa town) has been persistently attached to the job of "carrying the prison and the whole village". Meetings with people, going to each household to guide loan procedures, mobilizing interest payments, depositing savings... have been closely associated with her daily life. "What makes me persistent is the joy of seeing people gradually stabilize their lives, have conditions to develop production and business to escape poverty, take care of their children's education, renovate their houses..." - Ms. Hiao Lien shared.

For each household, each situation, some people borrow money to develop livestock, some buy seeds, repair houses, she "knows by heart" each story to guide, collect interest, and save on time. "Some families say their children are sick and don't have money to pay interest, I tell them to give me 50 thousand for now, I'll make up for the rest, and then pay them back when I have money. I love the people, so I help them when I can," Hiao Lien confided.

Not only is she a “bridge” for the poor to access policy credit sources, Ms. Hiao Lien is also a “fire-spreader”, instructing on how to use capital effectively, sharing experiences in raising livestock and growing crops, and giving people more confidence on their journey out of poverty. Mr. Kpah Krik (Ju Ma Nai village) happily said: “Thanks to policy loans, I invested in raising cows and building barns. Now the herd has grown to more than ten cows, the family economy is better, and my children are fully educated. All thanks to Ms. Hiao Lien’s encouragement and guidance, my family has what it has today.”

Similarly, Ms. Pham Thi Be - Head of the Savings and Loan Group 10, Doan Ket Ward (Ayun Pa Town) although not having a salary, only receiving a small percentage of commission, still sticks to her job responsibly. "Doing paperwork, training, going to each house to mobilize interest payments, collecting savings... is hard work but I am happy because I can help poor people access policy capital to develop production and stabilize their lives" - Ms. Be said.

Currently, Ayun Pa town has 110 Savings and Loan Group Leaders, quietly acting as a "bridge" to bring policy credit to the people. With a total outstanding debt as of May 2025 reaching 301 billion VND with more than 5,400 borrowers, this number not only reflects the spread of capital but also depicts the hearts of the leaders of Savings and Loan Groups at the grassroots level, contributing to strengthening people's trust in the policies of the Party and State.

Mr. Bach Thanh Long - Chairman of Doan Ket Ward People's Committee affirmed: "We always create favorable conditions for savings and loan groups to operate effectively. In addition, we regularly invite borrowers to propagate and remind them to use capital for the right purpose and repay debts on time."

Credit officers of Phu Thien district discuss policy loans with the family of Mr. Ksor Kueo (second from right). **Photo: ML**

Not far from Ayun Pa town, in So Ma Hang B village, Ia Peng commune (Phu Thien district), the family of Mr. Ksor Kueo and Ms. R'Ô H'Mai has just finished building a new, spacious house. Mr. Kueo emotionally said: "Before, I did not dare to borrow money because I was afraid of not knowing how to repay the debt. But Ms. R'Ô H'Leng - Head of the Savings and Loan Group came to my house, guided me step by step, and assured me that if I used the money for the right purpose, I would be able to repay the loan. Thanks to that, I boldly borrowed 50 million VND to buy cows and improve the rice land. Now my family has a stable source of income."

From a village with almost no credit capital, up to now, more than 90% of households in So Ma Hang B village have boldly borrowed capital. The total outstanding debt managed by Ms. H'Leng is currently more than 2.5 billion VND, with no overdue debt. Not only supporting the paperwork, Ms. H'Leng also went to the gardens and barns to inspect and guide people on how to invest in production development. "Of the 40 loan group members, most are poor, near-poor, and newly escaped poverty households, so I always encourage them to use the capital for the right purpose to stabilize the economy and escape poverty sustainably," said Ms. H'Leng.

Mr. Nguyen Quyet Thang - Chairman of Ia Peng Commune People's Committee - said: "The leaders of the Savings and Loan Groups at the grassroots level are truly an important bridge between the District Social Policy Bank Branch, the local government and the people. Currently, the commune has 16 groups with a total outstanding debt of over 34 billion VND, with no overdue debt. This result is thanks to the dedication and responsibility of the group leaders."

Savings and Loan Group staff advise poor households and policy households to access policy credit sources. **Photo: ML**

As of May 2025, Gia Lai province has 3,400 Savings and Loan Groups, of which good groups account for 98%, good 1.2%, average 0.8%. Total outstanding loans of policy credit programs reached 7,880 billion VND with more than 152 thousand poor households and policy beneficiaries still having outstanding loans. To achieve this result, there are more than 1,900 Savings and Loan Group leaders, through grassroots socio-political organizations such as: Women's Union, Farmers' Association, Youth Union....

Talking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Chi Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union - said: "As of May 2025, the whole province has 592 Savings and Loan Groups managed by the Youth Union. Many young people have risen up to start their own businesses, develop the economy, and solve their family lives. Many economic models from loans have become typical examples."

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/cau-noi-dua-tin-dung-chinh-sach-den-voi-nguoi-ngheo-post330378.html