BATI, Cambodia, April 5 (Xinhua) -- For generations, the villagers in Tanorn, a tiny far-flung village in southern Cambodia's Takeo province, had lived in difficulties and poverty, but their lives have been changed completely after a China-aided poverty alleviation project was carried out since 2021.
Situated in Doung commune of Bati district, roughly 60 km south of the capital Phnom Penh, the village once had no proper accessible roads, clean water, sewage system, electricity, irrigation system, school and health center, but now it has all of them in place.
Cheng Laiseang, a 51-year-old farmer and grocer, said she has lived in the village since she was born and witnessed poverty among the villagers for decades, but their livelihoods have been changed after the China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD) has funded the Cambodia-China Friendship Village for Poverty Alleviation project, which has been implemented by the Cambodia's Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF).
"Previously, we lived like frogs in the well and were very difficult to see the outside world because of bad road conditions," she told Xinhua on Sunday. "The villagers were previously hard to earn a living because when they harvested their farm products, it was quite difficult to transport them to markets."
The mother of four children said the China-aided project has helped build essential infrastructure in the village, such as concrete roads, a clean water system, solar power, an irrigation system, and key public facilities, truly transforming what was once an isolated village into a modern one.
"Now, our daily lives are similar to those of the urban areas because we have all the basic infrastructure in place and also jobs that generate steady income," Laiseang said.
"The project has not only improved the livelihoods of the villagers in Tanorn village, but also benefited residents in other villages, as it has built roads connecting the village to other areas," she added.
Doung commune chief Nop Touch said the 72-hectare village is currently home to 138 households with approximately 640 people. It is the smallest and poorest of all eight villages in Doung commune, and it is far away from the commune hall and the health center.
"The project funded by CFPD has transformed Tanorn village into a model village," he told Xinhua.
Kemreat Viseth, secretary of state at Cambodia's Council of Ministers and chairman of CSAF, said the project has not only developed basic infrastructure for the village, but also created jobs and built human resources for villagers and their children.
"The development of roads, pumping wells, electricity and the school, among others, is a true example of Cambodia-China cooperation in reducing poverty in Tanorn village," he said on Sunday during the inauguration ceremony of a concrete road connecting Tanorn with Svaykham, another village in Doung commune.
The 605-meter-by-5-meter road was the latest achievement under the project.
Chea Munyrith, CSAF's planning and project director, said the Chinese experience in poverty reduction has been applied in Tanorn.
"Five years ago, Tanorn village was the poorest village of all, but five years later, after our development, we all see villagers have big houses with strong fences. Nowadays, people in every house possess motorcycles or cars," he told Xinhua. ■