The event was in response to the Month forthe Poor (October 17 – November 18) launched by the Prime Minister.
Speaking at the event, PM Nguyen Xuan Phucsaid the Party and State have paid special attention to poverty reduction overthe past 72 years.
The country now has more than 1.9 millionpoor households, 1.3 million of which need assistance in housing, education,vocational training and livelihoods, particularly those living in remote,mountainous and disaster-prone areas, he said.
The leader added that the Party and State aimto reduce poor households nationwide by 1-1.5 percent annually and fulfillgoals set in the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030. Thegovernment will also continue with the national target programme on sustainablepoverty reduction and new rural construction.
He took the occasion to call on peoplenationwide to join hands for the poor. The PM also expressed his wish toreceive support from individuals and organisations at home and abroad for theefforts.
Participants also responded to the textmessaging campaign “For the Vietnamese Poor 2017” launched by the Ministry ofInformation and Communications.
President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF)Central Committee Tran Thanh Man said businesses, units, foreign organisationsand Vietnamese nationals abroad donated more than 13.4 trillion VND to the “Forthe Poor” fund and more than 36.21 trillion VND to local social welfare programmes.
In collaboration with local authorities, theVFF Central Committee built over 1.4 million charity houses for poor householdsand assisted millions of poor families with production materials and welfareworks.
Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh municipal PartyCommittee Nguyen Thien Nhan, former President of the VFF Central Committee, sharedhis memories about supporting the poor.
On the occasion, individuals andorganisations provided 284 billion VND to “For the Poor” fund.
The organising board also displayed productsmade by the poor in the two cities.-VNA