Ding Haiyan, first Secretary of Hejiayuan Village, Tongxin County, Ningxia

"No matter how hard it is, we have to get the villagers out of poverty."-- Ding Haiyan, first Secretary of Hejiayuan Village, Tongxin County, Ningxia

Xinhua News Agency reporter he Chenyang

Hejiayuan Village, Tongxin County, Wuzhong City, Ningxia, is the "hard bone" for poverty alleviation. In the past, there were 869 people in 213 households in the village. due to drought and little rain, most of the villagers either moved spontaneously or joined ecological migration. at present, there are only 47 regular households.

How poor was Hejiayuan Village in the past? Hu Haiqun, a 64-year-old villager, described it like this: there is no new house in the village. when a young man in the village goes on a blind date, he shakes his head as soon as he hears the name of the village, and it is difficult to say a few words to the woman.

In March 2015, Ding Haiyan, then chairman of the trade union of Wuzhong Water Bureau, was selected to serve as the first secretary of Hejiayuan Village. The leader of the bureau said that Ding Haiyan was chosen because she had worked at the grass-roots level in rural areas for a long time, was full of feelings for the rural masses, and had rich work experience.

Having dealt with poverty alleviation for many years, she went to the front line of poverty alleviation at the age of 50.

"as soon as the youngest son came to the village, he cried on the spot, saying, Mom, don't come. I'll go to your leader. This place is too bitter!" After a long silence, Ding Haiyan said to her son, "I've been working here for two years. This place is booming. I'll be relieved when I get back."

To get the poor gully out of poverty and get into a well-off society as soon as possible is her inner commitment to the villagers.

On the first day of visiting the village, Ding Haiyan felt a lot of pressure. "the first impression of this village is that it is dilapidated and lifeless. The houses of 47 permanent families are very dilapidated, with over 50-year-old residents accounting for more than 3%. Because the road is difficult, some villagers do not leave the village all the year round." Ding Haiyan said: almost all the people in the village who have a little way to get rich have gone out, and most of them are the elderly and the disabled, so it is difficult to get these people out of poverty.

"if you want to be rich, build a road." With regard to Ding Haiyan's decision to build the road, many villagers are both happy and worried. The happy thing is that they do not have to look at the sky when they go out in the future. The worry is whether the female cadres from the city can solve things that have not been done for many years. After repeated argumentation, Ding Haiyan raised money in many ways, and the Municipal Water Bureau decided to raise money to build this road. After that, Ding Haiyan "came to the scene every day, covered in dirt every day," until a straight gravel road was built, Ding Haiyan breathed a sigh of relief. The villagers gave Secretary Ding a thumbs-up.

Ding Haiyan knows very well that building roads is not enough. To lift the villagers of Hejiayuan Village out of poverty, it cannot be done without the support of industry.

Through analysis and research, Ding Haiyan found that the traditional planting structure is the main obstacle to the increase of farmers' income. because growing grain does not make money, the idle land in the village amounts to more than 1000 mu.

Under Ding Haiyan's repeated persuasion, the villagers began to change the planting structure. This year, the village has planted 300mu of seedless gourd, 300mu of cauliflower, 300mu of traditional Chinese medicine, 2100 mu of miscellaneous grains, 1200 mu of peritoneal corn and 3000 mu of alfalfa.

"in the past, I didn't have any money in my pocket, so I didn't dare to go to the market or go to the city. I was afraid to meet an acquaintance and ask you why you didn't buy anything." 'it 's all right now, 'said Bai Zhengquan, 58. Last year, he earned more than 3000 yuan from Bupleurum alone.

In addition to guiding villagers to adjust their planting structure, Ding Haiyan also decided to send chicken seedlings to each household to raise chickens and mobilize villagers to expand the scale of cattle and sheep farming by striving for funds and actively contacting the market.

"I raised 50 chickens this year, and a batch of income in August was 3000 yuan. This is the largest income I have made in recent years, and the whole family is extremely happy." Hu Haixiang, a 64-year-old villager, said Secretary Ding not only gave away chickens, feed and cages for free, but also bought veterinary medicine at his own expense.

In Hejiayuan Village, Ding Haiyan found that the failure to go to work in the village had a lot to do with the inaction of the village party branch. "Poverty alleviation needs to be guaranteed by a strong branch." After Ding Haiyan became the first secretary of the village, she not only strengthened the construction of the branch, but also installed fitness equipment in the village by actively striving for funds, thus enriching the life of the villagers.

I have been working in Hejiayuan Village for almost two years. Due to the difficult conditions, Ding Haiyan's arthritis continues to break out, and sometimes the pain is unbearable. However, she was warm in her heart to see that the life of the masses was getting better and better.

"I have encountered a lot of difficulties and sometimes shed tears, but when I think of the expectant eyes of the villagers, I feel that no matter how hard it is, I have to really lift the villagers out of poverty. I can't be sorry about their trust and live up to the duties of the first secretary." Ding Haiyan said.