Mrs. Le Thi Hien, a Byword for Clever Public Relations Officer

Mrs., Le Thi Hien is receiving certificate of merit from the Provincial People Committee at the commending ceremony

    Mrs. Hien was born and grew up in Ha Nam province in 1982. She and her husband’s family decided moving for Dong Nai to settle. After 30 years of sharing difficulties with people in Nhan Hoa ward, she was trusted and elected as head of the ward. The new position gives her a chance to have direct contacts to the people, and enables her to understand public concerns and expectations but it also poses challenges to a woman like her. However, once undertaking the this post, with her inherent enthusiasm, Mrs. Hien constantly works with the committee of Fatherland Font to mobilize locals and care for their spiritual and material life. Especially certain movements such as care of the poor households, building cultured family in the ward and other movements which have been supported by the people. Typical movement is to stimulate locals’ contribution to construct the rural path.

    Among three wards in the commune, Nhan Hoa is considered the ward with highest rate of poverty. There are still 67/674 poor households including 46 Chau Ro ethnic minority households, thus it is difficult for them to financially contribute to the path construction. In that case, she fearlessly encouraged public contribution, starting from block 11 of quarter 3. For the poor families, she lent them money and would be returned later. She said five out of eleven households in block 11 were still poor. Thanks to her idea the path was completed within a month, since then the authority made her idea a model applied across the ward.  up to now, 10/12 rural paths have been covered with asphalt and concrete with the total length of 1,544 meters and total cost reaching VND580 million (US$35,913) spontaneously contributed by the locals. She is stimulating people for VND500 billion (US$30,960) worth of distributions to constructing a interregional road connecting National Road A1 with residential quarter no. 3 and 4 with the length of 540 meters.

    Movements launched by local authority like setting up social welfare fund are strongly responded by the locals in the ward. In 2008 Nhan Hoa residents contributed VND2.3 million (US$142) to gratitude fund, and VND7.8 million (US$483) to fund for flooding and storm prevention and control; VND3.8 million (US$235) to northern people impacted by natural disaster, etc. All of these achievements are partially due to role of the leader, Mrs. Hien.

    The new post brings her a lot of concerns. Besides duty of a head of the ward, she has to take part in other unions’ activities such as joining the executive board of the commune Women’s Association, taking charge of population programs, playing part in the commune reconciliation group, and so on. She said “I am in charge in many positions so I am very busy. Meanwhile I have to work to support my family. Fortunately, my husband sympathizes and supports me, for which I have coped well with social work.”

    With the thought of “Public relation officer must possess good moral quality, enthusiasm and excellent propaganda skills. He or she must be close, practical, and social to people and believe in the people”, Mrs. Hien always tries to listen to and understands people’s concerns and expectations and then consults the party committee and relevant bodies about proper solutions to them. For example, via people’s reflections on environmental issues, she had submitted her proposal to authority and wastes has been collected since the middle of the year 2007. That imperative problem was settled made the people extremely excited.

    With her all unexhausted efforts, Trang Bom district and Central Association of Vietnamese Women have rewarded her, a prominent model of women, with a lot of certificates of merit. Especially, she was commended by the Provincial Committee and awarded with certificate of merit regarding her  a clever public relations officer.

(Reported by Lien Huong, Translated by L.H)