Warm houses of "comradely love"

Exciting

That was the feeling of veteran Can Thi Than (79 years old, in Coi Hung Son village, An Son commune, Nam Sach) when she received financial support from the Hai Duong Province Veterans Association to repair her house, which has been dilapidated for many years.

Mrs. Than's family's old house was built in 2002. At that time, due to lack of money, her family had to build a patchwork house, so after only a few years it was degraded, the walls were peeling, and the roof was leaking.

Five years ago, Ms. Than’s husband passed away. Since then, she has lived alone in this house. Her children are also poor and cannot afford to help their mother repair the house. In early 2024, she received partial financial support from the Provincial Veterans Association to repair the house.

"The house was built with a higher roof, covered with cold corrugated iron, all the old plaster was scraped off, and covered with plastic, and completed before Tet. I was very happy. The happiest thing is that I no longer have trouble sleeping because of rats running on the roof every night like before, my health is much better," Ms. Than shared.

Emotional and excited are also the feelings of veteran Pham Van Quy (82 years old, in Ha Hai village, Ha Ky commune, Tu Ky). Mr. Quy's family's house was built in 1995 and is now seriously degraded. Mr. Quy has long wanted to repair the house so that he and his wife no longer have to live in a situation where the front and back leak, and mortar falls on them while lying down. Knowing Mr. Quy's family's situation, the Provincial Veterans Association supported him with 25 million VND to repair the house. "I am very happy to receive support from my comrades to repair the house. This gives us more motivation to overcome difficulties," Mr. Quy said.

Bonding camaraderie

In order to promote the movement to support members with housing difficulties, in recent years, the Veterans Association of Hai Duong province has deployed it to 100% of grassroots associations and has received positive response from officials and members.

"However, in 2023, according to a survey, Hai Duong still has more than 140 veteran families facing housing difficulties. The Provincial Veterans Association has developed a plan and decided to support 30 households to repair their houses at a rate of 25 million VND/household. The cost is entirely contributed by members in the province," said Mr. Dinh Van Truy, Chairman of the Provincial Veterans Association.

To implement the above program, up to now, the Provincial Veterans Association has awarded 650 million VND in support to 26 members. The Association strives to complete the support by August.

Not only the Provincial Veterans Association but also the Provincial Veterans Entrepreneurs Association, the District and Commune Veterans Associations also have many good ways to create funds to support members in building and repairing houses. In addition to mobilizing members to contribute and support, the associations at all levels promote and mobilize businesses, philanthropists, organizations, units inside and outside the province, and children living far from home to support.

In 2023, the Provincial Veterans Business Association mobilized member businesses to contribute to building and repairing 6 "comradeship houses". The Ninh Giang District Veterans Association built 19 houses from the "Savings Fund for Comrades' Houses" contributed by officials and members in the district. Since the beginning of the year, the Hai Duong City Veterans Association has mobilized the construction and repair of 5 houses; the Gia Loc District Veterans Association mobilized the construction of 2 houses...

"I find supporting the construction and repair of houses for veterans from funds contributed and mobilized by members to be a very meaningful activity. That shows that, whether in wartime or peacetime, Uncle Ho's soldiers are always united, ready to help and support each other to improve their lives," said Mr. Dinh Duc Khang, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Binh Lang Commune (Tu Ky) at the ceremony to present support money from the Provincial Veterans Association to member Nguyen Van Xay in Thuong Hai Village, Binh Lang Commune.

Sharing more about this activity, Mr. Dinh Van Truy said that the good news is that along with the funding from all levels of the association, sectors, organizations, localities, families, and clans also joined hands to help. At the handover ceremonies of the support money, the Party Committee, government, and local organizations all supported both cash and in kind, helping members have more motivation to improve their lives.

"In the coming time, the Veterans Association at all levels in the province will continue to mobilize resources, striving to achieve the goal of eliminating dilapidated and degraded houses for members by 2026," said Mr. Truy.