Vietnam is one of the most populated Asian countries, with more than 90 million people calling the country home. With such a large population, poverty is unavoidable, especially in the rural parts of the country. Despite the ongoing problem of poverty, rural parts of Vietnam have been able to decrease the amount of poverty with the implementation of certain policies and programs. This article will offer some details of policies and programs helping to alleviate poverty in Vietnam.

Hunger and Poverty Eradication Program

The Hunger Eradication and Poverty Reduction Program, or HEPR, focuses on the children of Vietnam. Children and their families benefit from the program with free health insurance. Additionally, they obtain schooling needs such as tuition exceptions, subsidies and loans designated for children living in poverty. With the aid of HEPR, studies have shown that enrollment in early schooling increases to around 9%. This is beneficial to alleviate poverty in Vietnam and its future since the lack of education is one of the biggest poverty risk factors.

In 2010, nearly 75% of households had members who only completed primary school. Six years later, the number decreased to 57%, which happened with the aid of programs like the Hunger and Poverty Eradication Program of Vietnam. Through the focus of gaining educational opportunities for the future of Vietnam, the Hunger and Poverty Eradication Program of Vietnam has worked to support the process of attaining education.

National Targeted Program for Poverty Reduction

The National Targeted Program for Poverty Reduction, or NTPPR, is a poverty-reduction initiative that uses an anthropological perspective to target ethnic minorities living in poverty-stricken rural areas. Through this targeting, NTPPR gains insight on how to alleviate the amount of poverty in Vietnam, for example. This program aims to reduce poverty by around 4% yearly, which is double the national target. This goal helps with encouraging the decrease in poverty because it sets higher expectations for the program.

Health insurance is one of NTPPR’s biggest priorities and this program provides free insurance for children that are age 6 and younger. This is especially beneficial for women who have to work to sustain their household incomes. Since mothers no longer need to take hours off to tend to their illness-vulnerable children, they receive a great benefit. The NTTPR is beneficial to impoverished rural areas and helps the neediest population to alleviate poverty in Vietnam or its symptoms.

The World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework in Vietnam

The World Bank is a global program that helps to support countries with low-interest rate loans. The World Bank works to improve the farming industry of rural Vietnam by encouraging low-income farmers with profit-making crops. Through helping the economic growth of impoverished areas, nearly 1.5 million people join the Vietnamese middle class annually. Vietnam has since reduced its poverty to nearly 10%. For instance, as of 2016 and in 2018, 70% of people living in Vietnam are income-secure. The World Bank has assisted with Vietnam’s most disadvantaged population through increasing farming productivity, strengthening the skills of farmers and leveling the playing field for all the gain employment opportunities.

Despite the many economic challenges Vietnam has faced throughout the years, programs and initiatives like the HEPR, NTPPR and the World Bank have supported the growth of Vietnam’s economy by downsizing the amount of poverty in rural areas.

– Karina Wong
Photo: Unsplash

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Original Source: borgenproject.org