STORY: "Chinese schools" sow seeds of hope for students in war-torn Iraq
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Nov. 8, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:17
LOCATION: AL-MUTHANNA, Iraq
CATEGORY: EDUCATION

SHOTLIST:
1. various of damaged school facilities in Iraq
2. various of new schools built by PowerChina
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI CHUANSONG, Project manager, PowerChina-Iraq model schools project in Al-Muthanna Province
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): GUO YADONG, Deputy general manager of the Overseas Business Division, PowerChina Hubei Engineering Co., Ltd.

STORYLINE:

In Iraq, years of war and conflict had severely damaged local education system and infrastructure.

To address the challenge of school enrollment for local children, the Iraqi government decided to build 8,000 new schools by 2030.

The first phase of this project includes 1,000 schools, with 679 schools in 10 provinces undertaken by the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina).

In the province of Al-Muthanna, the construction of 53 schools has been fully completed by PowerChina.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI CHUANSONG, Project manager, PowerChina-Iraq model schools project in Al-Muthanna Province
"Currently, we have finished the construction of (53) schools in Al-Muthanna Province, which can provide learning opportunities for over 50,000 students. Local people call these well-equipped and high-quality new campuses 'Chinese schools'."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): GUO YADONG, Deputy general manager of the Overseas Business Division, PowerChina Hubei Engineering Co., Ltd.
"For many years, Iraq has endured the devastation of war, with scarce electricity resources and backward infrastructure. In Iraq, we can deeply feel Iraqi people's urgent need and aspiration for development. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, PowerChina has actively engaged in Iraq's post-war reconstruction. As a Chinese saying goes, 'It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to nurture people.' Through the model schools project, we hope to contribute China's strength to improving local education and fostering talent development in the region."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Al-Muthanna, Iraq.
(XHTV)