About 1,900 low-income households of ethnic minority groups in the southern province of Dong Nai are expected to escape from poverty in 2015, said the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. The ethnic minority households, accounting for 14.5% of local poor families, will soon escape from poverty since they have been benefiting from vocational training, low-interest bank loans, and other forms of assistance, Deputy Director of the department Lam Duy Tin said. Since 2009, the provincial People’s Committee has supported some VND73 billion ($3.47 million) to more than 5,800 ethnic minority students for their vocational training fees. About 3,400 of them have graduated so far. Ka Sem, a Co Ho ethnic from Phu Binh commune, Tan Phu district, secured a job in Ho Chi Minh City for the last five years and earned around VND7.5 million a month at present. She said the entire tuition fee for her two-year learning of fashion design at the Vocational Training Junior College No.8 in Bien Hoa city was covered. She was also introduced a job immediately after graduating. Vocational training and creating jobs are key measures to raise people’s income, Tin noted, adding that Dong Nai has lifted more than 4,700 ethnic minority households out of poverty in the past five years. Dong Nai has a population of more than 2.76 million with over 175,000 being ethnic minority people, according to statistics in 2013. (vietnamplus.vn Jan 3)
