BATI, Cambodia, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Por Sokhim, a 52-year-old Cambodian grocer at Tanorn village, has experienced a great change in her family's livelihood after a China-aided poverty alleviation project was carried out in her village.
Situated in Takeo province's Bati district, approximately 60 kilometers south of the capital Phnom Penh, the tiny village has a total area of 72 hectares and is home to 138 households with 640 people.
Used to depend entirely on growing rice paddy on a small field, Sokhim, the mother of four children, has currently run a grocery store, and her husband owns a motorbike repair shop, after the project helped construct basic infrastructure such as concrete roads, a clean water system, solar power, an irrigation system, and essential public facilities in the village.
She recalled that previously, her family was poor because this remote village had not been developed, and roads were almost inaccessible from the outside world.
"Now, there are accessible concrete roads and solar power, and vehicles can travel in and out of the village easily," she told Xinhua.
She added that farmers are no longer finding it difficult to sell their products because brokers drive trucks to buy them at the farm doors, and it's also convenient for children to ride to school.
"With good roads, we can run small businesses at home. My husband owns a motorcycle repair shop, and I run a grocery store. The sales are good," Sokhim said, adding that the project has not only helped her family but also improved the livelihoods of all people in the entire village.
Tanorn village chief Pang Samedy said about 70 percent of the villagers are farmers, and the rest are factory workers.
"The view in the village is lushly green as trees with flowers have beautified the roads. In sum, all 138 families in the village have reaped the fruits of this China-aided project," he said.
Samedy said that with China's development assistance, Tanorn village's image has significantly changed, with many large houses built.
"As Tanorn village chief, I'm extremely grateful to China for helping develop the village and improve the livelihoods of the villagers," he said.
The project, dubbed the Cambodia-China Friendship Village for Poverty Alleviation, has been introduced to the village since January 2021.
It has been carried out by Cambodia's Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF), with funds from the China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD).
Chea Munyrith, CSAF's planning and project director, said during the past five years, the project has developed road infrastructure, solar electricity, a clean water station, pumping wells, schools, and a multipurpose building for the village, adding that the Tanorn village will serve as a good experience for the development of other rural villages across the Southeast Asian country.
"Chinese experience in poverty alleviation has been applied in this Tanorn village," he said. "As a result, during the past five years, the project has completely transformed this village." ■