STORY: China-Africa cooperation helps revitalize Cameroonian village
SHOOTING TIME: July 18-20, 2024
DATELINE: July 24, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:04
LOCATION: KRIBI, Cameroon
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Ndoumale Village in south Cameroon
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (French): HENRI BIKOUO, Leader of Ndoumale Village
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (French): BRIAN MENGUE, Student in Ndoumale Nursery and Primary School
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (French): LOUISE NJOLE EDJENGUELE, Headmistress in Ndoumale Nursery and Primary School
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (French): HENRI BIKOUO, Leader of Ndoumale Village

STORYLINE: 

Thanks to a Chinese company, children in a village in south Cameroon now have a nearby school and water treatment plant.

"Developed" was not a word that came to the minds of visitors when they visited Ndoumale, located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Kribi.

Due to the long distance to the nearest school, student dropout rates were once high here. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (French): HENRI BIKOUO, Leader of Ndoumale Village
"The children had to wait until six years old and travel more than seven or nine kilometers to the nearest school, which was in Grand Batanga."

The transformation began in 2011 when Chinese firm CHEC began building the first phase of Kribi Deep Seaport about 25 km from the village.

Meanwhile, Chinese construction company CGCOC Cameroon Ltd. set out to construct a drinking water treatment plant which can produce 7,000 cubic meters per day.

Once the CGCOC workers left, the building that housed them was transformed into a school. It is the only primary school in the village and has been functioning for three years.

SOUNDBITE 2 (French): BRIAN MENGUE, Student in Ndoumale Nursery and Primary School
"I want to become a doctor. School can give us a good future. I am happy because we have the school here."

SOUNDBITE 3 (French): LOUISE NJOLE EDJENGUELE, Headmistress in Ndoumale Nursery and Primary School
"In the past, children were unable to go to school. But now, with the school located nearby, all children can come here. Also, thanks to the installation of lights, the next semester's enrollment will increase."

CHEC provided Ndoumale Nursery and Primary School with solar lamps which are switched on at nightfall. 

The school premises are also used for ceremonial purposes. 

SOUNDBITE 4 (French): HENRI BIKOUO, Leader of Ndoumale Village
"Today, we're proud to have a school in the neighborhood. The only gift we can give our children is education.
We're very proud of that. We trust them (the Chinese) and want to support them in all their projects."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ndoumale, Cameroon.
(XHTV)