Enterprises Pledge Funds during Month for the Poor

Over VND1.7 trillion ($81 million) has been pledged by 14 enterprises on the occasion of the 2011 Month for the Poor, which was launched yesterday in Ha Noi. Speaking at the event which is organized annually by the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said the campaign had helped the Party and Government speed up the nationwide endeavor of hunger eradication and poverty reduction, thus contributing to the accomplishment of the United Nations Development Millennium Goals. Poverty reduction was the Vietnamese Party and Government's major policy, Hai said, stressing that it was not only an economic issue but also served as a foundation for social stability and national defense.
"The work requires all branches at various levels as well as the whole political system to make concerted efforts vigorously and persistently. It will only be successful if we combine Vietnamese internal strengths with international assistance," Hai pointed out.
According to incomplete statistics, in the first nine months of this year, organizations and individuals at home and abroad donated more than VND3.3 trillion ($158 million), co-ordinated efforts to build more than 67,300 houses for the poor and implemented thousands of social security programs and projects. This year, the Month for the Poor will last from October 17-November 18. (Vietnam News Oct 15)