Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh has called on organizations and individuals at home and abroad to provide support to poor people, especially those in mountainous and remote areas and calamity-prone regions to help them overcome difficulties and escape poverty.

He made the appeal on the occasion of the “Month for the Poor” launched in Hanoi on October 17. The month will run until November 18.

Ninh said poverty reduction and care for the poor is one of the key policies which the Party and State are paying much attention to.

This is not only an economic issue but also a condition to ensure political and social stability and national defence and security, he added.

The Party and State always pursue a strategy of developing economy in conjunction with social progress and equality, thus creating conditions and environment for the people to develop production and enrich themselves, thus contributing to national construction and defence, he said.

According to statistics, in the first nine months of this year, individuals and organisations at home and abroad donated over VND4.4 trillion to the fund for the poor and the social welfare programme.

They also contributed to the construction and repair of 65,000 houses for the poor and the building of over 1,360 public works.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee Huynh Dam said since the launch of the fund for the poor 12 years ago, as much as VND7.19 trillion have been donated.

Besides, enterprises, non-governmental organisations and localities have contributed over VND15.3 trillion to construction works and social welfare programmes, he said.

However, there are still 2.6 million poor households and 1.5 million others near the poverty line throughout the country, the chairman said and called on organisations and individuals at home and abroad to give further support to the campaign of the Day for the Poor and make more contributions to helping the poor escape from poverty and food shortage.

At the ceremony, organisations and enterprises pleged to donate VND2.7 billion to the fund for the poor.