COOPERATION PROGRAM BETWEEN CESR & EDUACATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT BOOKCASE

COOPERATION PROGRAM BETWEEN THE FUND FOR  ENCOURAGEMENT OF SELF-RELIANCE (FESR) & EDUACATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT BOOKCASE  (TSGTGD) IN GRANTING 100 FREE BOOKCASES FOR TEENAGERS AND PEOPLE IN RURAL AREAS

(The articlewas posted on the website of educational entertainment bookcase in 2007)

Fund for Encouragement of Self-Reliance of Mr. Phung Lien Doan has been established, the headquaters is in Las Vegas - United States, it has partnered with Educational Entertainment Bookcase Program of group of Thien Nguyen Quoc Hoc former students in 1961-1964 and Popular Scientific newspaper in Vietnam. This cooperation was in the development plan of granting 100 bookcases and bringing books to children in communities particularly at remote areas.

Ms. Doan Thu Le has been assigned of FESR’s Board of Directors to directly contact with Dr Ho Dac Duy whom is in charge of Educational Entertainment Bookcase on the plan in 2007 and he has decided to contribute 50% of the cost for program in 2007. Like this,  FESR will fund 50 bookcases and  Educational Entertainment Bookcase will fund 50 bookcases. A bookcase is valued at 100$. FESR has contributed a total value of 5000 USD in this collaboration. The bookcases will be allocated directly for free to remote communities, helping local teenagers have condition to access to books.

FESR’s amount of contributions have been sent to Dr. Ho Dac Duy on March 29, 2007.

The worth partnership is will be announced on the website of the Educational Entertainment Bookcase Program.

                    http://www.xanga.com/tusachgiaitrigiaoduc

The information of Fund for Encouragement of Self-Reliance (FESR)

 Webiste: http://www.fesr.org/

 FESR has been a charitable, non-government organization established in 1997 by a Vietnamese overseas families – the headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Organization’s activities have aimed at helping the Vietnamese people, the branch was based in Hue City, Vietnam.

With the limited amount of funds, the work of helpping the poor in Thua Thien - Hue province towards the poor those who has self-reliance spirit to get a small loan without pledge with very low interest rates to perform manufacturing or small business to support their families. In addition, FESR has also offered scholarship programs and warm coats for poor children, building kindergartens and encouraging the  local government in sponsoring those kindergartens like the local government’s private property. FESR has also got some programs in collaborating with other charities such as the East Meets West Foundation, Room to Read, Social Assistance Program-Vietnam, Helping Americans Asians, Science and Culture Association, Nom Preservation Foundation) and Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education.

Since 1999,  from century flood in Hue to present, FESR has already done a lot of relief work on the fields of society, culture, education and health ... with the amount of over a million dollars for Thua Thien - Hue province and some areas in the central region.

During the visit to the United States in late 2006, Dr. Ho Dac Duy, representative  of Educational Entertainment Bookcase Program has met with Mr. and Mrs. Phung Lien Doan and they has reached an agreement to cooperate in  developping, enhancing the effectiveness of improving the knowledge for teenagers and communities particularly at remote areas. FESR and Educational Entertainment Bookcase Program have been researching the collaboration with the Healthy Living Assembly by Vietnamese doctors and pharmacists in United States and Canada to publish two books of Nursing Child and Youth Sexual in the purpose of popular education

Gangnam Declaration for Ubiquitous Healthy Cities

At the 4th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, held October 26-29, 2010 in Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea, the members of the Alliance for Healthy Cities shared experiences and views on strategies for developing “Ubiquitous Healthy Cities” and declare the following:

Ubiquitous Healthy Cities” does not mean the mere application of e-based healthcare, but achievement of the highest attainable accessibility to health information, activities and basic healthcare services for all citizens. We hereby propose information and communication technology as a solution to resolve the emerging and traditional health issues in our society by:

- Providing ubiquitous information on the social determinants of health to empower citizens to gain control and enhance capacity for health.

- Improving access to supportive environment and information for health to reduce health inequity and digital divide.

- Improving the quality of and access to healthcare services, particularly preventive health services to vulnerable groups and the aged population.

- Establishing a systematic database for health data management including data reflecting the determinants of health, and an effective emergency healthcare system.

- Use the Healthy Cities framework to prepare cities to face the challenges of emerging health crisis.

- Sharing mutual experiences and expanding the Healthy Cities Movement.

We, the leaders of cities, towns, communities, private sectors, NGOs and the academia, reaffirm our commitment towards building healthy cities and, by working in partnership, commit the following:

1. Expand the use of information and communication technology and develop social, environmental, economic programmes and local infrastructure to build healthier cities.

2. Develop effective and affordable healthcare technology to reduce health inequity.

3. Encourage mutual learning by exchanging experiences in creating ubiquitous healthy cities.

4. Support the outcomes of healthy cities to contribute in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

5. Promote environmentally sustainable transport measures and options to minimize pollution and public health impacts.

6. Comprehensive evaluation of healthy cities programmes using the SPIRIT framework.

(http://www.alliance-healthycities.com/htmls/event/index_event.html)

SIMPATHY WITH PEOPLE

Sympathy with people

It’s so sadly, there are many officials call upon the revolutionary slogan but the thought and action are very different. The insensibility and negation are increase day by day

Many cities are lack of qualified human resources so they give out the policy to attract qualified human, cover them to study abroad and after graduation they will back home to work. But in conflicts, although they get the good degree they find the job very hardly (tuoitreonline October 13, 2010) and it’s still happen in many cities. Those people get trouble in finding job whose want to serve their country. A good policy turned into empty slogans!

The images of children at Dong Giang district, Quang Nam province lead and wade across the river to go to school daily touched the readers (tuoitreonline October 9, 2010). Many benefactors are will to build the bridge for them to go to school. But the leaders of the Dong Giang district do not care about their help. (tuanvietnam.net October 16, 2010). It’s true with the sentence: “People need but the leaders!” Where is the sympathy for the suffering and danger are stalking the

Negation and insensibility are not appearing at officials but also at the leaders. The Central Inspection Committee was defined the violations of the leaders of the Ninh Binh province and concluded: “These violations cause serious consequence, waste of money, property and land of National. They make the public dissatisfied and loose the belief of the officials and people.” (vietnamnet.vn, October 15, 2010)

Many “death holes” on the roads at HCM city and Dalat city in any ways it’s the responsibility of the leaders with the safety and lives of people.

People suffering

The information from the inspection team to implement the Land Law previously showed that farmers, who scarified for the national liberation in building the country, are the most disadvantaged people because of the insensibility of some officials for the sake of development of local economy.

When we do the clearance in hurry for projects, rights and lives of people, mostly poor farmers, has not been satisfactorily resolved. The compensation not worth taking over huge profits those investors can gain from a land of farmers.

Many leaders of cities have not paid adequate attention to the number of people losing their homes, loss their land where they can go, how they can continue living. Many clearance projects finished at the large area and then leave fallow in many years while people have no land to cultivate. This situation still occurs in many cities, forcing hundreds of thousands of families in difficulties. Meanwhile, those who issued the decision still neglect the suffering of the people.

Some projects were alerted by public to cause environmental pollution and its harm much larger than the estimated profit, but they still be approved for implementation. Many industrial parks, factories themselves blatantly dumping waste and polluting water, land and air from year to year, but local authorities did not care about complaints of the victims.
The typical case is Vedan company lasts for decades but it’s not unique. The attitude of unconcerned may come from different motivation, but certainly not for the benefit of the people.
Although the Administration reform has undergone many years, but the harassment still happens in common. Many enterprises still complain year by year, from small things such as registration procedures to purchase value added taxation invoice, to customs clearance procedures for import, export, value added tax refund for the tax payment procedures. .. But how many persons responsible for evils committed to preventing it?

The snow block was rolled too long!

The results of an online survey on the administrative reform by the UNDP  coordinate with the Vietnam Net implementation showed that nearly 70% of the respondents answered that they had to give money to solve work-related administrative procedures (“Just money will works” vietnamnet.vn, 14-10-2010). If these results are confirmed, it is really a distress nation. So whether we should continue ourselves in the refrain: "The negation is just particular," "The confidence of the people rising day by day.”..?

In theory, our State is “the State of the people, by the people, for the people" and civil servants. But in reality the problem of harassment, corruption, bribery is widespread. In 2009, Vietnam at 120th rank in Index Comment corruption by The International Transparency Organization , much lower than most East Asian countries, while China ranked 79 and Thailand 84.
Why over the years with negative calls against resolutions but these problems are still widespread? To resolve these pressing issues to correctly identify the underlying causes, not only in itself but also the negative in any mechanism that facilitated the production of the situation, the thought that created mechanisms.

If we are not solving this problem, the danger it causes in society is growing. It is often such a bad block snow rolled down from the mountain, the larger snow block, the more danger it causes and unpredictable. The political campaign activity can improve the reasoning of the staff, but that only works when it actually turned into the enlightenment of responsibilities and obligations of citizens, and country.

BEHIND THE VULNERABLE FATES

“The story of a burned child”

In a remote mountainous village where most of local people living are the enthnic group of  S’tieng. There  is  an  enthnic  family  living  deeply  in  the  forest,  having  a nine-month years old child who  is burned by his mother’s carelessness of pouring a hot soup on his leg.  

Without  taking  to medical  facilities  or  hospital,  his  family  has  still  let  him  at  home. Therefore, his wound has  increasingly been serious,  infected  then gangrenous  to see  the bone.  Being  a  healthy  and  plump  child,  he  become  a  thin  and  depleted  child  with  a complication of infection and he is facing the dealth.

It is not too rare stories of the poor, minorities and many other vulnerable subjects. One ca be  touched when hearing  this  story and concludes  that maybe due  to backwardness and poor  understanding,  the  child  has  not  been  treated  promtly  and  his  heart-breaking situation has been occurred. But why do  they  lack of understanding and why don’t  take him to hospital? I have asked them and that’s a long story.

I asked them if they knew treatment for children under six – years old was free and State had policy  priorities on health care  for  the minorities? The  answer was  that  they didn’t know about that policies, no one told them. They only knew hospital was very expensive and  they  didn’t  speak  Kinh  language  fluently  and  were  illiterate  so  they  were  often scolded  by  the nurses, doctors due  to no understanding going on  there. Therefore,  they didn’t want to hospital.

They  said  they didn’t go because of  living  far  from clinic and hospital, and  they didn’t have motorbike. How about motorcycle taxi? They said they were poor and the motorcyle taxi’s  fee  was  very  expensive  and  they  feared  the  hospital  charge  was  still  more expensive. 

Why were they not good at Kinh language, did not go to school? Because school was far, because  they were  too poor  to buy books, cloth and pay  school  fee, and  if  they went  to school, did not rent or go hunting, they might die for hunger. No study might not be killed immediately, but they would die in other times that they did not know by themselve.

And why did  they  live so  far that they had no  information, and school, hospital were an abstarct issues? Before, the forest’s area lenghtened to the road and they lived with forest for a  long  time. But  the  forest’s area had been more and more narrowed beacuse  forest was  planned  to  plantation,  rubber,  caffee  and  cashew  farmsteads...They  didn’t  have enought money to own these lands, so they worked for those farmsteads and lived on the small  remained  forest’s area, on hunting, digging bamboo shoots and gathering wooden. The more did  farmsteads expand, the more  they  receded  into  living deeply  in  forest and they could be far from the centers. If they had not receded, they would not have lacked of understanding and died caused by not accessing to education and health.

Really  limping if comparison, but I myself had many times to go to hospital or relatives stayed  at  hospital  and  all  had  been  treated  unfriendly. But  I  have  enough  education  to understand and  I have not given up due  to  the  rude attitude,  I can  speak coherently and know  to  find a  place  if   being  treated  intolerably,  or  give  “ envelope”  to  get  the better service, or simply call a friend in the health sector to be “taken care” I also have other options such as going to the private hospital, going for medical outside working hours. I can’t die because I have the social relationships with my status and I am also not so poor as those minorities. But they don’t have such choices and conditions for survival. Therefore, the tragic outcomes had been to them easily and obviously. 

Who killed that child? No one. But it seems that all killed that child: poverty, lacking of accession  to education, health,  lacking of  friendliness of school, discriminatory attitudes of health personnel, lacking of interest of government, planning and development without purposes  of  creating  living  conditions  for  the  native  people  that  make  poverty  and vulnerability seriously... All  is  the  long story behind  the burn and dealth of a child. He  is a victim of a structural development pushing the group, disadvantaged and weak class to outside; is as well as a victim of the social security system having the shortcomings.

The children who have the similar sistuation, may obtain the same outcome as him? It is possible. Because he  died  not  by  the  chance,  not by  any  person  and  not by  a  separate event. The social scientists name its phenomenon that “systematic violence”.

What is “structural violence”?

The term “structural violence” has been used for the first time since 1960. And then it is  extended  by anthropologists, with  an  aim  to  analyze  and  describe  lower classes who feel vulnerable to suffer from tragedies of the spiritual and physical issues, of health and even  the death. Their  tragedy  is not only caused by any separate  individuals but also by different factors which is concerned closely and systematically. The structural violence is able to cause suffers, the worsening quality of life and even the death of many people. But it  is  often  expressed  in  silent  and  invisible ways. We  scarcely  find  this  term  in  reports, economic  and  social  researches  due  not  to  be  determined  with  statistical  data.  The structural  violence  is  involved  in  gender,  sex  and  law…become  more  sensitive  and complicated  and  due  to  this  reason,  the  victims  suffer  their misery more  seriously  and desperately. For example: the story about a dog kills a person at the farm, or headmaster’s prostitution  in  forcing  his  student  to  prostitute  themselves  to  other  people,  or  sexual harassment at  the office… but all  is only a part of  ice-berg which  includes  suffers  from underprivileged fates in society.

While  basic  violence  from  any  separate  individuals  can  be  dealt  with  law,  the structural  violence,  in  contrast,  isn’t  easy  to  deal with.  It  is  caused by causal  socio-eco issues  including urgent  stories  taken over by  the public. These  issues  are  even given  in public  and  condemned  by  social  opinion.  Some  people occasionally  have  self-defenses strongly and demonstrate its power by blaming for people at low position and worsen the victims’ status. Who or what is behind the misery the poor suffering, in which it can be a long  story  never  been  told.  Or  the  story  about  a  nurse  who  is  involved  in  sexual harassment  or  students  are  forced  to  prostitute  because  they  are  scared  of  lowering behaviors.  However,  despite  their  worry,  it  still  happened.  There  is  no  threat  without series of the cause and effect. That system will make no allowance for them to have other choices and S’tieng child has to wait for terrible death just for the burns caused by boiling

rice soup. That has been noted that he must be given top priority to health and many other aspects.  And  one more  thing  is  that  we  have  taken  part  in  international  Congress  of children’s power and innumerable agencies, laws and supporting policy and protection of children,  women,  the  poor  and  ethnic  minority.  So  we  should  reconsider  laws  and enforcing mechanism concerning  to  these  issues. Behind  invisible  and  visible  stories of the structural violence are other ones of a social  framework which  it seems  to  forget the impoverished people and the vulnerable fates as well.

                 

By Tran Thi Thanh Huong - The Sai Gon Times Daily

THREE CONCEPTIONS OF POVERTY

Since 2000, the Economic and Social Commission of Asia Pacific Assembly of the United Nations (UNESCAP) has launched three concepts which  are closely related to each other to describe poverty; such as poverty of income, poverty of access, and poverty of power.

Poverty of income 

Income or consumption is measured on average, through the numbers and percentages, the national  and international poverty level, Gini coefficient to assess poverty, wealth gap, inequality and poverty level of a country. 

However, although the figures must be used to easily measure and quantify,  they cannot fully describe the shape as well as poverty assessment and the ability to escape poverty. Even these figures may also limit the understanding of real poverty. 

Looking at the numbers, Vietnam is still very optimistic with the  spectacular  speed of poverty reduction over the past 20 years, while experts in the country have repeatedly warned that poverty still occurs.  Mr. T at the Thanh Thoi B Commune, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap province, is the main provider  in a family with two children and an elderly mother living on 3000m2 of family land.  He planted sugar cane and raised pigs and can afford  to  live and save money. Since 2003, sugar prices fell only 1,200 VND / kg and the price of pork only 15,000 VND / kg and he  lost money. As many people, he tried to grow Strabismus (rush) with a loan of 2 million, but between  planting to harvest, the price dropped to only 700 / kg and he lost all his money and was in debt causing  his children to quit school so they could provide income for the family.

It can be seen only income is a sign of poverty or poor escape, but did not describe the cause and vulnerable situation, uncertain boundary between poverty and  poor escape. More important than income, what they lack is to accumulate resources for life, safety, information and market orientation, and ways of agricultural production which are suitable time after time, and to secure loans when necessary. These elements exist, but the poor have little access to them. Therefore, poverty of income  is closely related to poverty of the social approach.

Poverty of access

Poverty of access  increases poverty of  income and continues the cycle of poverty. The poor have no access to many  of the  services and basic infrastructure such as; from traffic, educational funding, clean water, housing , social security, and information policy. 

Just being  in  debt means  they could not  get into  on the waiting  list  for preferential loans  given  to local borrowers and  they are forced to get the loan from black credit at the market with very high interest rates. Just due to Mr. T’s harvest losses his children have no access to education.  Lack of access to services and basic infrastructure makes poor people more  vulnerable to disease, and they had to pay more for medical expenses due to lack of insurance. Even buying drugs for mild illness  is very difficult.  When they get serious illness many families are forced to sell land to get money for  treatment. Children often have to miss school, go to work early in their life, and accept a life of hard living that can be brutal and violent.

Lack of access to information and policies  cause  the poor  to become the victims of many factors; usury, purchase of poor quality farm produce, a general lack of understanding of markets and new technologies, as is the case Mr. T. in Dong Thap.

Even  in many programs for the poor, they do not know very well. In a survey of households, most poor people said they did not know the criteria for selecting the poor households and cannot understand why they are on the poor list and then off the poor list. Asking why out of poverty, one family said: "I do not know why, people of the commune people’s committee ask to take the poor book and not pay back, and now I’m not in the list of poor households ".

All the poverty alleviation programs of government agencies and NGOs have a slogan that says: “ Help the poor  to  help themselves”. Meanwhile, the poor live in a state of blind information and access to many facilities, basic services and policies, so how they can afford to help themselves?

Poverty of power

If  the poor can access these policies and this information can  it  really help the poor? The answer is "yes" when it meets the needs of the poor and they can benefit from their practice. These relate to the poor having created conditions,  making them  capable,  and  having the power to participate in  the  opinion building process and policy decisions relating to them. 

Therefore, when talking about the activities of social development and poverty alleviation, people often mention the word "empower" and that confused many people when translated into Vietnamese.  It was then called "Advanced capacity "at the" empowerment "is at" strengthening ".  It is very difficult to express this concept, as it is not only related to the capacity, rights, but also related to the intrinsic strength of each man.

When there was power, the poor can " help themselves" out of poverty and be sustainable. 

The poor not only suffer from income poverty and poor access, they are very poor in strength. They cannot ask about the reasons of   his poor book or lost poor books, and don’t know where to ask what they should plant, and how not to feed sustain more losses.  

Having seen a group of workers building a water tank and a radio support program  for poor people, I asked why it was so carelessly constructed. They answered calmly: "This is national money" I said, "But this tank is  for the poor  and if  your  children go to school in a school built carelessly  by the national funds, what would you think?". He said that he was asked to do that. The people standing around it, who will be  the beneficiaries of this project  showed an indifferent reaction. Poor power can be seen very clearly when people are unable to act, impact, or affect the surrounding social environment, when it relates to their own lives. 

Unfortunately, not only the poor  have  "poverty of power".  In many parts of society 

violence and  crime is increasing because people do not have enough inner strength to deal appropriately with people and life around them. Not only are students fighting poverty by this means of this power that the youth are being filmed and indifferent watching nearby is also very poor.

Teachers are also very poor and the creative power of dialogue  is a set pattern of lessons in literature, but they are denied any thoughts contrary to honest "answers."   

There are many local officials who say why not consult the people about their problems because they have decided they’re very low knowledge about this subject. 

Businesses, agencies or projects get profits at any cost, regardless of  the  environmental destruction  to resources.  They also have a very poor sense of the power of thought and effort away from the main block of life of their customers. 

Any country where economic prosperity is only for a certain section of people  and not  all members of society, that country cannot be called strong. Poverty is not only related to part of the people that have  low income. It involves all aspects of the mechanisms of social policy, educational philosophy and social behavior of different classes of people. 

If we just follow the big projects, but forget the poor in all aspects we are quietly devastating the lives of not only the poor but all of us, as we are so very poor in vision.

By SaigonTimes

NARROWING GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR

(The Saigontimes) – According to  govermental reports,  in current the average Vietnamese GDP per capital is 1.200 USD/year, specifically 2.800 USD in Hochiminh city. The GDP expansion targets in 2015  at  2.100 USD per capital for the whole country,  and  at 4.800 in hochiminh city in particular. ( cited : Draft documents of Party Congresses at all levels).

If these aboved figures are exactly, it will mean that the average income per vietnamse will be 100 USD per month, equivalent to 3,3 USD/per day (# 65.000 VND). This showing is in comparing to the gobal poverty line of 2 USD per person per day, if we divide income equally among capita, we noted that in theory our nation will have no poor people. And similarily, average income of each Hochiminh resident is 233 USD per month (4.5 million VND), equivalent to 7.7 USD per day (150.000 VND per day).

The analysis of these supposed calculation to reveal a reality that currently our nation have more than 10 millions people (about 12 per cent of population) with income of less than 9.000 VND(0,45 USD) per day, living under national poverty line!. And it is definitely, in reverse, in society there are some very rich people, event they have their own air-plane and luxurious car which is the most expensive one in the world)

This adversity show that the gap between the poor and the rich are widened ominously day by day. According to pulished data, in 1994 the disproportion between rich and poor in Viet nam is 4,1 times (with comparing to income, living standard between 20 per centt of richest and 20 per cent of poorest)

In 1999, this inequality rises up to 7.6 times; in 2001 of 8,1 times and in 2008 spreading over 34,4 times. While the imbalance between rich and poor in United State in 2009 records at a highest rate of 14,5 times (SGGP, 4-10-2010). It is reveal that the gap between rich and poor in viet nam is twice higher than United state- the leader of capitalism countries in the world.

In an economy operating to market mechanisms, no one expected to have a rake in  income as equally dividing poverty. However, once the rich-poor gap widened  uncontrolling, the management at the macro economy definitely has problems, corrective measures should be taken immediately! Because from ancient times until today, the state "who all eat, who was not " always hidden some social risk of instability and unpredictable.

By SaiGonTimes

Translated by Khanh Linh

LAW ON SOCIAL INSURANCE: HEALTH INSURANCE; UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

Article 91: Employees’ rate and form of payment are:

1. Every month, employees were defined in points a, b, c and d, clause 1, article 2 of this law shall pay 5% of the salaries, wages to retirement and death, from 2010 onwards, every two years paying by 1% until reaching the rate of 8%

Thus: in 2009, the employees paid social insurance with a total of 5%.

For example, CESR’s staff have signed the labor contracts with 1.000.000VND of salary level, in 2009 they piad social insurance are 1.000.000VND x 5% = 50,000 vnd.

In early 2010, the employees paid by more 1% so the total cost of employess’ social insurance was 6% and every two years, it will be increased by 1%. Thus, in 2012, the employees must pay 7%, and in 2014, total cost is 8% ... and so on until the total additional pay is 8%.

Eg: CESR’s staff signed the labor contracts with 1.000.000VND of salary level, in 2010 they must pay 1.000.000VND x 6% = 60.000VND, in 2012 they must pay 1.000.000VND x 7% = 70.000VND

Article 92:  

Employers’ level and form of payment are:

1. Every month, employers pay based on the fund of salaries, wages of employess’ social insurance was defined in points a, b, c and d, clause 1, article 2 of this law are as following:

a) 3% to fund of sickness and maternity; in which the employer retains 2% of timely payment to employees so that they have enough conditions to enjoy the  regulations in section 1 and section 2 of chapter III of this law and perform the quarterly balance sheeet with the organization of social insurance

b) 1% to fund of occupational accidents and diseases

c) 11% to fun of retirement and death, from 2010 onwards, every two years the employer must pay more 1% until reaching the rate of 14% (extracted from the social insurance law)

So: in 2009, the employers pay social insurance with a total of 15%

For example, CESR’s staff have signed labor contracts with 1.000.000VND of salary level,  in 2009, the employer paid the social insurance: 1.000.000VND x 15% = 150,000 VND.
In early 2010, the employers paid by more 1% so the total cost of employers’ social insurance was 16% and every two years, it will be increased by 1%. Thus, in 2012, the employers must pay 17%, and in 2014, total cost will be 18% ... and so on until the total additional pay is 14%.

160.000VND + = 220.000VND 60.000VND

For example, CESR’s staff have signed the labor contracts with1.000.000VND of salary level, in 2010, the employers must pay: 1.000.000VND x 16% = 160.000VND, in 2012
they must pay: 1.000.000VND x 17% = 170.000VND

So according to clause 1 of Article 91 and clause 2 of Article 92, the total social insurance of employers and employees for 2010 are:

Employers pay 16% + Employees pay 6% = 22% of total social insurance
160.000VNĐ     +            60.000VNĐ            =          220.000VNĐ

Health insurance:

Article 3. Premiums, the supporting level of paying health insurance according to Article 13 of the Law on health insurance and of the subjects specified in Article 1 of this Decree.

1. From July 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009, monthly premium of the objects are as following:

a. 3% of monthly salary or wages of employees for those defined in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 12 of the Law on Health Insurance;

2. On Jan 01, 2010, the monthly premiums of the objects are as following:

a. 4.5% of the monthly salary or wages of employees for those defined in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 12 of Law on Health Insurance

In which employees contribute 1 / 3 that is 45.000VND x 1 / 3 = 15.000VND

In which employers pay 2 / 3 ie 45.000VND * 2 / 3 = 30.000VND

For 2010, the Government has made a new decree No. 62/2009/ND-CP dated 27 May 07 2009.
According to point a, clause 1, article 13 of the Health Insurance Law, the health insurance premium, the employer shall pay 2 / 3 and employees contribute 1 / 3. Thus: on Jan 1, 2010, the total health insurance premium is: 1.000.000VND x 4.5% = 45,000 VND.

In which employers pay 2 / 3, that is 45.000VND * 2 / 3 = 30.000VND

In which employees contribute 1 / 3, that is 45.000VND x 1 / 3 = 15.000VND

Unemployment insurance:

Based on the Article 81, 81, 82 of Social Insurance Law, based on Decree 127/2008/ND-CP dated 12 MAY 12, 2008

Based on the Circular 04 / 2009/TT-BLDTBXH , the Unemployment Insurance premiums (UI) were paid as following: based on Article 102 of social insurance law and article 25 of Decree 127/2008/ND-CP, the premiums are:

           
- Employees pay 1% of monthly salary or wages for unemployment insurance;

- The employer shall pay 1% of the fun of  salary and wages for employees who participate in unemployment insurance;

- Every month, the State will support from budget by 1% of the wage fund, wage insurance for unemployed workers who participate in unemployment insurance

- Profits of fund's investment activities;

- The other legal source of income.

Based on Section I, Clause 1, the circular 04/2009/TT-BLDTBXH, the monthly unemployment benefits by 60% of the average wage, wage premiums for unemployed of six months proceeding before the employees are unemployment or termination of labor contracts in accordance with labor law or terminating the labor contract in accordance with law officials and civil servants

In case of final months before being unemployment, the emlployees have interrupting time to pay unemployment insurance because they are not eligible for paying unemployment insurance according to the law. Thus, the preceding six months of  calculating the unemployment rate is that the average of six months of unemployment insurance before the employees lose their jobs or terminate labor contracts according to labor laws or terminating the labor contract in accordance with law officials and civil servants

Translated by Thuy Hang

The noisiness

The more urbanization, the more noisiness people have tosuffer

In this morning, when taking child to school, stopping in the front of red light bar, suddenly, hearing a series of honk behind informing that the red traffic light turned to green light and could go. It was really uncomfortable because there was a crowd in the early morning, how to go faster.

Riding motobike in the highway, being started – causing the accident when hearing the horn. Slowly Mr. Driver, construction in ahead, you couldn’t use the horn to go first.

Drinking coffee in sidewalks, suddenly hearing the quarrel of two garbage vendors; being calm – it was not very rowdy in the ward making your today income increasingly!

Going to bed earlier than as usual, but being asleep lightly, the neighbor’s Koraoke sound infiltrated. The hotest summer’s night with the song “Nguoi tinh mua dong” (Sweetheart winter) could not reduce the heat. Its noisiness made the body “hotter”.

It is that how precious the calmness of city is!. It is more precious if in the noisiness of ward, society, we are able to keep the peacefullness and quiet of the soul.

PVH

AFHC Support Program for NPO/Volunteer Activities

To:  Center for The Encouragement of Self-Reliance

Support Program for NPO/Volunteer Activities 

Grant Amount Final Decision Notification

We have reviewed your activity report and related documents dates as of July

23, 2010. , and have finally decided to provide you with the amount as noted below.

Note

Grant-decided

amount

  JPY    64,000    (around US＄750)  

*The above amount is calculated as US$1 = JPY85. 

  (currency exchange rate of early October, 2010)

*Please note that grant money is limited that the above amount is subject to

change based on the exchange rate of the remittance date. 

Hideyuki Harada

Mayor of Fukuroi City, Japan

Head of the Japan Chapter of the Alliance for Healthy Cities    

The certificate will be handed to the representative of Hue City from the Japan Chapter

as followings.  Attendance to Investiture ceremony will be highly appreciated.

   Date:  October 28(Thurs), 2010

   Time:  4:00-5:20 PM 

   Venue:  AFHC Session on International Support on Healthy Cities 

           Investiture Ceremony for Completion of the Pilot Projects”

           B1F, COEX Intercontinental Hotel , Gangnam-gu, Seoul

FEELING SORRY FOR THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR

My friend and I went to the well-known coffee shop at the district 3 with its price of more than 30,000 VND each cup. He told that he had just met an old friend, a worker in Dong Nai, who frequently does extra hours but his income is just averagely around 3,000,000 dong per month. So, he never drinks coffee with its price of 4,000 dong each cup.

Another girl told that she was invited to a grand hotel for a meal by her friend who just won a land deal. And she was surprised by the price of a ration which can support a family for a month.

Passing Phu My Hung urban area by chance, a wide range of people feel surprised to think that they are entering into a completely strange land. Along with its cleanliness, spaciousness and modernity, it is evidently the wealth of residents here. Monthly family’s expense (hygiene, security, lights…) can also increase many times as some poor households in other areas. From that we can realize living standards gap together with quality of life.

The similar situations sometimes happen nationwide with different levels. In 2007, a situation was given that two people shared a chicken but a person actually eat up it while the other is just looking.^^

After 3 years, this situation could be more different than before. Two people share 2 chicken. So, a person averagely eat more than a half of chicken but whether this situation  can happen with the fact that one person eat up two chicken. And two others just can look at him or a person eat more than a chicken and a person eat its remaining while the third person is still hungry?

What a pitiful situation! In reality, the overview of an increasing developing society and a prosperous country have been demonstrated by regularly annual GDP growth and continuously average income per capita growth. That is an indispensable thing. However, it make the gap between rich and poor to accelerate and one thing to say that the rich trend to be richer while the poor are hard to improve their income due to limiting capital, educational level and professional skill…

Income gap will lead to ability gap in meeting demands of education, health care, entertainment…It means that people’s living standard has not been improved much. As a result, the gap between rich and poor should be adjusted by strategic policy rather than by separate policy in locality. Yet, adjustment must be implemented by all relevant agencies rather than just only by the State. Firstly, there must be consistent and complete point view of social equality. For example, along with business assistance, we also take a measure to assist farmers and care about beneficiaries of welfare and social sponsorships…

Also, we need to attach special importance to improve people’s quality of life, which is considerate as the goal of reducing the gap between rich and poor rather than just focus on income. Policy of social security needs to be cared properly, especially health care and education. For instance, tuition and some receipts for poor students should be free of charge completely. Besides, there cannot be any prioritized policy for the poor and policy cases in health care….

Tax policy is also one of another interest. Personal income tax should be reconsidered beginning rate of tax and reducing items for low-income or average income people with no tax. On the other hand, increasing tax for costumers buying goods and expensive and luxurious products and consider taxing goods and raw materials for production, particularly for agriculture.

Macro policy has to ensure that increasing people have been eaten much more than before. And  this is considered as goal of worldwide in general and of  Vietnam in particular.

(According to Saigontimes’ newspaper )

Translated by Huynh Thi Ngoc Thuy

Low poverty line

The poverty line currently applied in Vietnam is falling in households with everage income of less than 200.000 VND per capita per month in rural, mountainous area and less than 260.000 VND per capita per month in urban area. In the other ways, not to mention to momentous area, anyone who has income lining less than 9.000 VND per day (equivalant to 0,46 $) is considered poor. Based on this national poverty line, the population below poverty line occupies 12% with more than 10 billions poeple.

It is estimated that in period of 2011-2015, the new poverty line for people in rural area would be raised  to 400.000 VND per capita per month and 500.000 VND in urban area Meanwhile, the recent poverty line applied to many countries is calculated on average income of less than 60 $, equivalent to 2$ per day.

For United States, a family with yearly income less than 22.000 USD is ranged into poor. It means that average income per capita of American less than 5.500 USD per year, less than 458 USD per month and less than 15 USD per day is considered poor. So the poverty line of United States is as high 7.5 as worldwide’s average poverty line.

Up tills now, Vietnam has gone out of list of least developed countries, and also participated in prestige organizations in region and national wide. For me, there is no reason for us to set out such a low poverty line, which corresponded to 1/3 comparing to world wide line. This poverty line aimed at reducing the number of poor population to reality, is not legitimate, even more harm than good.

So that, we need to raise Vietnam poverty line in period of 2011-2015 as high 1.5 as the estimated level to 800.000 VND per capita per month in rural area and 1.000.000 VND in urban. Even this level is still low in comparing to worldwide it could be accepted depending on the major living standard of Vietnamese households

By The Saigontimes.vn

Translated by Phuong Cuc