——Conclusion of the Comprehensive Development Project for Rural Communities in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture

Author: Yu Zaolan, government relations officer

Early on from when the first rays of morning light touched Luoen and Shougu villages (in Butuo County, Liangshan Prefecture), the villagers were busy in their newly reconstructed courtyards. A couple of villagers crossed the rebuilt bridge and passed the new water pool in the village. The small piglets, recently delivered by the sows, were lying in sunny corners, vegetables in gardens were shining in green, while children went to the chicken shed to pick up an egg and bring it back in the house for their mother to prepare before having breakfast... A harmonious picture confirms the great changes of the village, since the implementation of the Community Development Project.

On April 18-19, 2020, 26 months after the implementation of the project, we held the closing meeting of the Comprehensive Development Project for Rural Communities in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The project was implemented by Humana People to Peoples’ Sichuan representative office in cooperation with the Poverty Alleviation and Immigration Bureau of Butuo county and Lean township government after receiving financial support of 1.55 million Yuan. The project covers a total of 1802 people in 462 households, including Shougu village and Luoen village in Lean Township, Butuo County, Sichuan Province. Through the new three-party model of "foundation + government + public welfare organization", it participates in targeted poverty alleviation and improves the income and life quality of rural residents in Lean, Butuo County.

The summary meeting was divided on two parts.

On April 18, the Deputy township leader of Lean Township, the Secretary of Luoen village, the Secretary of Shougu village, the cadres (government employees) of Baocun village and the project staff visited the village families benefitting from the projects various activities, checked the results of the project activities and how the villagers benefitted, and collected the villagers' feedback on the project.

According to the benefitting villagers’ response it has become a daily family habit to raise chickens at home and ensure that the children eat eggs. Through the projects cooking training the villagers learned to fry different vegetables, and the children prefer fried vegetables to boiled vegetables. Through the transfer-of-piglets program, villagers who received sows passed piglets on to other villagers and the neighborhood relationship has become closer.
At the same time, the project staff also put forward suggestions for the future management of public bathrooms and pig breeding funds.

On April 19, 15 people, including deputy township leader of Lean Township, headmaster of the central school, vice president of the hospitals health department, village secretary, Baocun village cadres and project staff attended the project summary meeting held at the “White House Hotel” in Butuo county.

At the meeting, the project manager first mentioned the raising of pigs and passing on piglet raised by families in special circumstances, the physical examination of children, the distribution of laying hens and vegetable seeds, the organization of villagers to participate in the skill training of raising chicken, the improved knowledge of planting, cooking, children's nutrition and health, the establishment of children's clubs, the improvement of families yards, the construction of water reservoirs, construction of a convenient bridge and public bathrooms as well as looked back at other project activities and achievements.

According to the different project activities the participants gave feedback from different perspectives.
The deputy leader of Lean Township, Tuojue Shiri, participated in the whole project implementation. At the closing meeting, he told with emotion that the project of Humana People to People for more than two years has brought great changes to the two project villages in four aspects:
1. Environmental health improvement: the appearance of the village has improved, and the white garbage is reduced. 2: The traditional diet has been changed: originally villagers only ate potatoes, sometimes small pieces of meat and local cabbage, and the diet structure was monotonous. After cooking training, even 70 year olds have learned to cook. 3. The children's health awareness has improved through training and through health products distributed to the children. Now they consciously wash face and hands every day, and the health level has greatly improved. 4. The improvement of hardware facilities: the construction of the pool solved the villagers’ drinking water problem, the transformation of the families’ courtyards improved the families’ environmental health, and the reconstruction of the previous dangerous bridge facilitated the villagers' travel

Mr. Wei Shilagui, Secretary of Shougu village, spoke highly of the project activities. He said the pigs had a high survival rate and a fast growth rate, twice that of traditional pigs. The laying rate of layer chicken is high, 3-4 eggs can be collected every day. Before the start of the project, some people did not grow vegetables at all, but because of the projects promotion, the villagers' enthusiasm for growing vegetables increased.

Ashen Youhei, Luoen villages project coordinator, also told a bit shy that he didn't know how to start when he began visiting and training the villagers. After a few months of persistence, the villagers' thinking gradually changed. When he told about the villagers' willingness to participate in training and listen to him patiently explaining farming skills and pass on knowledge on health, his eyes were shining and his voice was full of pride.

During the review of the project activities, everyone's face was filled with joy. I could hear that the activities carried out by the project had a real impact on and improved the production and life of the local villagers.

Next, the imagination and design of future project activities pushed the whole summing-up meeting to a climax, and the participants actively made speeches and suggestions. They said that in the time to come, they hope that new projects can help the villagers to establish pilot demonstration kindergartens, build garbage pools, continue to carry out health course training, pay attention to the rescue of more children living under special circumstances, support the breeding of cattle and sheep with large economic benefits, train relevant breeding skills, and support solar energy facilities.

The meeting ended quietly with everyone's imagination of a better life in the future countryside.

The project is over, and a new starting point has begun. Putting thousands of words into one sentence: once on the road to public welfare, we must persist and persist.

Project Introduction:
The Comprehensive Development Project for Rural Communities in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture is jointly carried out bywith the Poverty Alleviation and Immigration Bureau of Butuo County andafter the tThe Federation For Associations Connected To The International Humana People To People Movement (Switzerland) Sichuan Representative Office, received financial support.. The project reacheswill cover 1802 villagers from 462 households in Shougu village and Luo’en village, Le'anLean Township, Butuo county. The project uses the new three-party model of "foundation + government + public welfare organization" to participate in targeted poverty alleviation, so as to improve the income and quality of life of local villagers.

The content of this article only represents the author's point of view.