Raising sheep brings hope for prosperity, Miao Jintang forges a path to higher income

Miao Jintang and his wife are feeding the sheep.

Recently, our reporter and companions drove to the home of Miao Jintang, a poor household in Dalaihushuo Village, Dalaihushuo Subdistrict, where he and his wife were busy in the yard feeding forage to the sheep. Although the weather was cold, it could not hide the happy smiles on the couple's faces. Miao Jintang said excitedly: "After the poverty alleviation work team learned about our family's situation, they coordinated with financial institutions to apply for a 50,000 yuan loan for us, bought more than 100 sheep, and also put a ceiling on our house and installed a door. Without the good policies, our family would not be where we are today."

Miao Jintang is 68 years old this year, a veteran Party member, with a son and a daughter. His son had bladder cancer, and his daughter, after divorcing, lives with the two elderly couple with her two children. A few years ago, in order to treat his son's illness, the elderly couple spent all the family's savings, and also borrowed 100,000 yuan at five percent interest, but still could not save their son's life. Now, the whole family's livelihood depends entirely on the few dozen sheep Miao Jintang raises and the income from his daughter's work. His wife has been ill year-round and needs medicine and injections, and they also have to support two grandchildren's schooling and repay debts. The whole family fell into a desperate situation.

In the targeted poverty alleviation work, the leaders of the Huo City Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Forestry Bureau who are responsible for the household often visited his home to investigate, learning in detail about the causes of poverty and the family's production and living conditions, income sources, and other situations. In February this year, Miao Jintang's family, through registration and filing, became a assistance target in the village. Raising sheep is one of Huo City's industrial poverty alleviation projects. Miao Jintang's family caught this "free ride," using the 50,000 yuan poverty alleviation loan to buy more than 100 sheep. Adding the few dozen from before, they now have more than 200. "My sheep are raised fat. Next spring I can sell a batch, and then I can repay the loan. The money from the next sales will be my own. I plan to buy some more and expand the breeding scale, striving to completely escape poverty next year. I am a Party member, and after escaping poverty I must do what I can to help others get rich together." Miao Jintang said with a smile, looking at the sheep pen in the yard.