Feature: China-Africa cooperation helps revitalize Cameroonian village

by Arison Tamfu, Wang Ze
YAOUNDE, July 23 (Xinhua) — Ndoumale Village in south Cameroon used to remind people of virtually everything except for development.
Located on the outskirts of the seaside resort city of Kribi, the once-inaccessible village now boosts revival thanks to the implementation of China-Africa cooperation projects.
The village’s transformation began in 2011 when China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC), a Chinese firm, began building the first phase of Kribi Deep Seaport about 25 km from the village.
At the same time, Chinese construction company CGCOC Cameroon Ltd. set out to construct a drinking water treatment plant and related supporting facilities in Ndoumale, which can produce 7,000 cubic meters of water per day.
Upon completion of the infrastructure, a new world of possibilities opened up, breathing new life into the village, which is inhabited by about 600 residents.
NETWORK OF ROADS AND BRIDGES
To reach Ndoumale, one had to trek for at least two hours through a bumpy dirt track.
“It was a watercourse which did not have a bridge. There was no road,” said Henri Bikouo, the traditional leader of the village.
Things are different now. As part of its corporate social responsibility, CHEC has constructed roads and bridges in the village.
“Road to riches because it has opened us up to the world. We now buy goods from other places and more people are relocating and constructing buildings in our village,” said 63-year-old Jean Edjanle, a resident of the village.
The road network extended to Bagyeli locality of pygmies, an indigenous ethnic group.
“Sometimes we crossed in a canoe to go to school, but now we go by road. It’s good for us,” said Marie Belle Ndabouane, wife of the leader of Bagyeli.
CHILDREN’S SCHOOL WITH SIX CLASSROOMS
In Ndoumale, children had to trek for nine km to find the nearest school because there was no learning institution in the village, said Bikouo, whose six children almost dropped out of school as a result of the risk and cost involved in the long journey.
There is hope now.
When Xinhua reporters arrived in the village, 10-year-old Brian Mengue who wants to become a medical doctor was busy attending classes with his friends at Ndoumale Nursery and Primary School.
The six-classroom building used to house CGCOC Chinese workers constructing the water plant, but when they left after completing the project, the building was transformed into a school.
It is the lone primary school in the village and it has been functioning for three years.
“Before, the children could not go to school, but now everyone attends school since it’s close (to them),” said 26-year-old Louise Njole Edjenguele, head of the school.
“School gives a good future, makes you think. I am happy because we have the school here,” added Mengue, the pupil.
DARK NIGHT ILLUMINATED
When night falls in Ndoumale, solar lamps are switched on to illuminate Ndoumale Nursery and Primary School, which now also serves as ceremonial premises in the village. The solar lamps were provided by CHEC to ease the education of the children and night activities in the village.
“Next year’s enrollment in the school will surely increase thanks to the light,” said Edjenguele.
When it was 6:30 p.m., villagers gathered in one of the classrooms to listen and watch CHEC workers talk about road safety measures on a major highway that CHEC constructed a few kilometers from the village. The villagers cheered with excitement as the solar lamps were switched on.
“This is so wonderful. We are blessed,” shouted one of the villagers in the hall.
In Bagyeli, pygmies danced in gaily to welcome the installation of solar panels in the locality. Ndabouane, the wife of the leader of Bagyeli, said that their lives have been transformed since CHEC installed the solar panels.
“We use it (light) in the kitchen. If you want to prepare you turn it on… and the light can last until the morning and that’s good. When children go to school, they will turn on the light. This will also help them to be wise and intelligent in school,” Ndabouane said.
Bikouo, the traditional leader of Ndoumale Village, is proud of the village’s transformation. The 58-year-old said that it was his dream to lift his community out of poverty and achieve prosperity, and that dream is becoming a reality thanks to China-Africa cooperation.
“We trust them (Chinese) and want to support them in all their projects,” said Bikouo. ■