The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) announced the initial results of the programme at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 14.

These poor districts have formulated and adopted poverty reduction projects in their localities. They have poured investment into building 3 high schools, 4 ethnic boarding schools, 9 vocational training centres, four district-level hospitals, 26 irrigation works, and 102 district- and inter-communal roads.

In communes, they have invested in 66 schools, 38 medical centres, 155 village roads, 152 irrigation works, 28 power projects, 55 water supply projects, 3 markets, 14 cultural houses and 5 waste treatment projects.

The government has also implemented a pilot programme to send people from these districts to work abroad. After a year, more than 2,900 residents from 28 poor districts have registered for the programme, of whom 2,500 have been chosen. Among them nearly 1,000 have been sent to work in Libya, Malaysia and the United Arab of Emirates. 

As many as 41 State corporations, economic groups and businesses have pledged to assist these 62 poor districts. To date, they have committed more than VND2 trillion for the 2009-2020 period, of which VND520 billion has been disbursed in 2009.

The government will organise a conference on December 17 to review the initial results and iron out snags in the programme.