Solidarity houses cover rain and sun for people in difficult circumstances

On the afternoon of November 16, we went to the house of Ms. Nguyen Thi Duong - a near-poor household in Can Thuong village, Kieu Phu commune, Hanoi. The tiled house was built in 1990 and has deteriorated. The most valuable item in the house is probably the TV that has been used since 2004 until now.

Mrs. Duong and her husband have 4 children (3 boys, 1 girl). In 2008, a son fell ill and died. In 2012, her husband passed away. According to her, the daughter was tricked into going to China - lost contact for many years - and only recently returned to visit her. The remaining children also became wives and husbands. Since 2012, she has lived alone in a small house.

This year, at the age of 80, Ms. Duong admits that God is giving her good health and less illness. "I try not to let myself get sick, because being sick will cost a lot of money" - Ms. Duong told herself.

Ms. Duong said that before, the house had windows, but when he passed away, the windows had to be broken to make a door and exit to serve the funeral. After the funeral, she used a wooden sheet to cover it.

Every time it rains or is windy at night, she is very worried, not knowing if it has enough strength to fight and protect her safety. "I have wanted to build a new house, or repair a house for a long time, but I don't have the money" - she said.

On October 31, at Ms. Duong's house, the groundbreaking ceremony for the "Grand Unity" house construction and repair program for 63 policy households, meritorious people, and near-poor households in the commune took place.

Ms. Duong is looking forward to the great solidarity house being built and shaped so that she can feel secure living safely for the rest of her life. "I am old and weak, so I hope to have a house soon so I can live with peace of mind, and if I can have an extra day soon, it will be a good day" - Ms. Duong shared.

The family of Ms. Do Thi Du is also a near-poor household in Kieu Phu commune. She was born in 1984, but her life was full of hardship, clearly showing signs of aging on her face. In 2009, she got married and had 3 children. Ms. Du works in the fields and takes care of her children, her husband is currently a freelancer with an unstable income. "Some days he was paid 150,000 - 200,000 VND, and when he worked more, he was paid 300,000 VND" - Ms. Du said.

For many years, the flat-roofed house was built in 2002 by her parents-in-law and has been degraded. Every time it rains, the ceiling is leaking and leaking, so she and her children have to mobilize a bucket to collect water.

"I have been looking forward to repairing and preventing leakage in this house for a long time, but my husband and I've only had enough income to cover family expenses, and I can't save any money.

If the leakage is prolonged, the house will be damaged and it will be difficult to fix, said Ms. Du.

Recently, Ms. Du's family is one of the households that received support to repair a solidarity house. She said that she was supported with 50 million VND. She has hired workers and is undergoing repairs. "I really hope to finish the repair soon so that my family no longer has to worry about it when it rains or when it is windy" - Ms. Du said and thought that supporting the repair of solidarity houses is a very meaningful activity.

According to the report of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Kieu Phu commune, in the first phase of 2025, the locality has completed 39 "Great Unity" houses, of which 36 were newly built and 3 were repaired with a total cost of more than 4.5 billion VND.

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