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Promoting effectiveness, the Intergenerational Self-Help Club model in Hai Duong has had many practical activities to support the elderly to promote their role.
In our country, the elderly are always cared for by the Party, the State and the whole society. Vietnam is also one of the few countries in the world that includes the issue of caring for and promoting the role of the elderly in the law, thereby creating conditions for the elderly to receive better care.
With the permission of the Government, since the year 2000, HelpAge International (HAI) has cooperated with the Association of the Elderly and the Vietnam Women's Union to research, develop and put into operation a model of intergenerational self-help clubs.
After realizing the effectiveness of the model in caring for the elderly, the Prime Minister issued Project No. 1533 (the first project), replicating the intergenerational self-help club model nationwide for the period 2016-2020; followed by Project No. 1336 (the second project) for the period 2021-2025.
Implementing the Government's Project, provinces and cities across the country, including Hai Duong, have quickly deployed and replicated this model. According to the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly, to date, the country has built over 7,300 clubs that are operating well.
Each intergenerational self-help club has 50-70 members, of which 70% are aged 60 and over. In particular, the club gathers elderly people from poor or near-poor households, elderly people in difficult circumstances, and elderly people in need of social assistance for support.
The club was established and operated effectively, bringing profound social and humanistic significance. This is a comprehensive model that both cares for and promotes the role and participation of the elderly. With 8 areas of activity, the intergenerational self-help club meets the diverse needs of the community, especially the elderly in difficult circumstances.
The highlight of the intergenerational self-help club is that its members regularly promote the role of supporting the community. Members help each other and people in many ways such as: supporting harvest for members who are sick or in trouble; coordinating with local authorities to collect waste, clean up... These activities not only help connect members but are also recognized and highly appreciated by all levels and functional sectors.
Every month, through the meetings, members interact, share experiences, learn from each other, have the awareness to help each other in life both materially and spiritually, be happy, confident and have better connections with the village. Thanks to that, the model of intergenerational self-help clubs is not only welcomed by the elderly nationwide, supported and expanded by Party committees and authorities at all levels, but also highly appreciated by international organizations.
In Hai Duong, in recent years, the Association of the Elderly at all levels has been assigned to take the lead in implementing the project, so it has actively mobilized members to participate. The club has proactively mobilized capital through support from the State budget, sponsorship from the HAI Organization, and mobilized members to contribute to replicating the model.
Currently, intergenerational self-help clubs established in the province are operating effectively, achieving set targets, bringing many benefits to the elderly.
According to the Government's projects, by the end of 2025, the whole province will have about 170 intergenerational self-help clubs and will continue to replicate the model in the following years.
To date, Hai Duong has established 148 intergenerational self-help clubs, nearly 63% of communes and wards have these clubs. Regardless of the funding source, the clubs are all trained in the "hands-on" way on management and operation for the members of the executive board; and are provided with support (non-recoverable) of initial capital from 50-80 million (depending on each project). Members can borrow this capital to develop production and improve their lives. About 15% of the clubs have been operating for 7-11 years, raising funds of over 150 million VND/club. Some clubs even have capital from 180-200 million VND.
