Onthe week of 24th June 2019, in celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of the PRC, a delegation of international IESDstudents from Algeria, Benin, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Gambia, Grenada,Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia visited Yunnan Province this week.Yunnan Province is one of China’s most south western provinces and is also thehome of most of China’s ethnic groups. Here the team of students learned aboutthe government’s poverty alleviation efforts aimed at eliminating poverty(living on less than 1 dollar per day) by 2020.  The group led by the Program Coordinator ofIESD, Mrs. Jiaqi Shen were accompanied by Tongji University’s Mr Zhou Ye, nowthe Deputy Director of Yunlong County, and Mr Liu YiCheng, the 1st Secretary of the CPC in Yong'an Village,  to several areas of Yunlong County where theywere able observe many of the projects underway.

     In celebration of the 70th Anniversary of China, myselfand a few of my classmates visited Yunnan county which we found to be a humbleand serene rural part of China. The trip has given me insight on the great workbeing carried out by the Chinese government in addressing the various causes ofpoverty and ensuring that development of the nation isn’t isolated only to someareas but widespread and inclusive of rural communities which may be difficultto reach. Currently, a sanitation project led by Professor Zhou Xuefei also ofTongji University will provide improved toilet facilities to Yong’anVillage.  In this village TongjiUniversity has also sponsored the construction of a road where previouslyvillagers were unable to access their homes easily.  In addition, a bridge will soon beconstructed which will allow the villagers to cross the nearby river safely.The bridge will be named Yong Ji Bridge a merging of the names Tongji and  Yong’an  and a symbol of the bridges being builtbetween the two in their longstanding corporation.

     An interactive session was held at TuanjieMiddle School where our team taught the students about ourcultures, including lessons in dance and various foreign languages. Thestudents were eager and enthusiastic to learn about us and we were honored tobe given an opportunity to impact their lives positively. Tongji University isa major supporter of Yunnan province and carries out many projects whichsupport local education as well improved infrastructure and sanitation.  Over the past 5 years the university has sentTongji students who support the local teachers of Tuanjie Middle School inensuring students gain a wider knowledge base and are able to decreasegenerational poverty through improved education. 

     The trip is one of several commemorating initiatives conducted by TongjiUniversity in an effort to aid in community building in the province.  These projects are part of a larger goal setby the CPC to improve the quality of life of Chinese people and to alleviatepoverty.  I find the Chinese governmentto be ambitious and admirable in this goal. They aim to ensure that itscitizens can live a full life without the fear of being without  the fearof being without basic needs.This will be achieved by development of the rural areas of China such as YunnanProvince and will include: (1) development of the local economy; (2) relocationof communities to logistically and infrastructurally safer areas; (3)development of the agricultural sector; (4) access to good education for all;and (5) assistance for the elderly and disabled.

      China believes that strengthcomes from within and thus will work hard to ensure that no Chinese citizenshould ever worry about food, clothing, shelter, health or education.  

-Ms Ahyana Maxine Bowen,

 Biologist from Grenada

Tongji University 

College of Environmental Science and Engineering

Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development

Email: ahyanabowen@gmail.com