Kon Tum (VNA) – The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum is mobilising its entire political system to support disadvantaged residents, especially those from ethnic minority groups, in building new, clean, and stable homes.

Kon Ray district stands out as a successful example, having completed the replacement of 155 dilapidated houses ahead of schedule.

Turning dreams into reality

Y Buc, a 63-year-old woman from Village 3, Dak Pne commune, Kon Ray district, had long lived alone in a makeshift shelter under challenging conditions. As a member of a particularly disadvantaged ethnic minority household, she had never imagined owning a proper home. With a goal to help people like her settle down and have better lives, Dak Pne commune authorities developed a plan to support her in replacing her deteriorated house.

She shared her joy, saying that that thanks to support from the Party and State, she can finally realise what once felt like a distant dream. She contributed 40 million VND (1,533 USD) of her lifetime savings, while her neighbours helped her with labour to build a new 50sq.m house.

A district-wide review identified 155 households in need of housing assistance, including 118 poor, 33 near-poor , and four policy-beneficiary families.

Nguyen Van Thuy, Vice Chairman of the Kon Ray district People’s Committee, stated that communal authorities were directed to act decisively, ensuring support reached the right people and was properly allocated. Leaders of local party committees and governments were made directly responsible. Mass organisations and associations were mobilised to contribute labour, and party members were assigned to support each household throughout the process.

Communes adopted creative approaches - they consulted with families to determine their own contribution, encouraged community participation, coordinated land surveying and paperwork for land-use certification, and swiftly removed legal or procedural barriers. As a result, housing reconstruction efforts moved quickly and faced minimal obstacles.

Community power at the core

Strong advocacy and public awareness campaigns helped generate broad community consensus. Many families, upon receiving government aid, voluntarily contributed additional resources—some offering over 100 million VND—to build new homes.

For example, A Mau’s family in Dak Pne commune received 30 million VND in government aid to repair their home. They invested an additional 120 million VND of their own to construct a solid, 60sq.m house with brick walls, a corrugated metal roof, and aluminium doors, replacing their previous wooden shack. The family reported a renewed sense of vitality, happiness, and stability.

Kon Ray district has now completed the renovation and construction of 155 homes at a total cost of nearly 14 billion VND. Of this, the province and district provided over 7.7 billion VND, while residents contributed more than 6.2 billion VND in cash, materials, and labour. On average, each new home cost between 100 and 150 million VND.

Nguyen Thanh Son, Chairman of the Dak Pne People’s Committee, said the commune had completed and delivered more houses than any other in the district, with 47 units built at a total cost of over 4.8 billion VND. He emphasised that community contributions—amounting to more than 2.1 billion VND—played a vital role in this achievement. Volunteers contributed labour equivalent to 530 million VND, while materials donations were valued at 384 million VND. He noted that these new homes represented both a dream fulfilled and a testament to the community’s solidarity.

To date, Kon Tum province has supported 2,622 households in eliminating substandard housing, including 2,077 newly built homes and 545 renovated ones. The campaign in Kon Ray has become a grassroots movement and a success story in poverty reduction.

The initiative not only improved housing conditions but also sparked a sense of urgency among residents. Instead of relying solely on state support, they actively contributed funds, labour, and effort. Through joint action with local authorities, they brought to life their long-standing dreams of clean, safe, and decent homes—lay෴ing the foundation for improved livelihoods and a brighter, more stable futu𒊎re in their homeland./.