In 2014, the Ho Chi Minh city Fatherland Front collected nearly VND162 billion from collectives and inpiduals to the Fund for the poor, exceeding the set target.

Photo for illustration

The information was announced during a meeting to review the campaign “For the poor” held by the city Fatherland Front on April 14^th.

With the collected capital, the Fatherland Front, at all levels, built and repaired 104 houses of gratitude, 645 charitable houses, and 832 houses of the poor and beneficiaries. In addition, over VND154 billion was spent caring for the poor’s lives and giving support to ethnic minorities, workers, students, disadvantaged women, lonely elderly people, disabled orphans and poor people in surrounding provinces.

Responding the program “Joining hands on building new style rural areas”, the city committee for the poor worked closely with the city Farmers’ Association, to encourage the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development to earmark VND20 billion to build 500 charitable houses for poor farmers. Furthermore, VND3.7 billion was mobilised from agencies and inpiduals to build 161 great unity houses for poor families in the northern province of Dien Bien. The year also saw granting of 21,353 scholarships and 322 vehicles worth nearly VND27 billion for disadvantaged pupils and students.