Yuemuyuan is an impoverished village in the remote mountains of Lueyang County,Hanzhong, Shaanxi. The annual per capita income of the 1,600 villagers in 2008 was a mere RMB 1,800. After the 512 Wenchuan earthquake, most of the village’s buildings and infrastructure were severely damaged. The villagers agreed that the only way to shake off poverty was to repair the roads and build a bridge, opening up traffic betweenthe village and the outside world.
Oxfam helped the villagers build four roads and a 50-metre-long bridge in 2010. Liu Hongwei, who participated in the bridge construction, explained the project’s benefits to the village: “Living on a hill, my wife and I had to carry our child on our backs and wade across the river to take him to school. After that, we returned to work in our fields. Villagers with farmland on the mountain opposite us had to carry their crops on their backs and wade across the river to sell them. In the rainy season, the river rose to the level of an adult’s waist. With the raging water, we could not let our son go to school. Although we knew it seriously impeded his studies, we had no other way to keep him safe. In winter when the river was icy cold, many villagers had their feet frostbitten. Some of them even got varicose veins. Now, with the new bridge and new roads, we don’t have to worry about our child not being able to go to school. What’s more, the bridge is wide enough for vehicles or motorcycles, so we can use them to deliver our harvest.”
Oxfam Hong Kong adheres to the principle of promoting community participation and decision making in every programme Oxfam launches. Therefore, the Yuemuyuan villagers were assisted in setting up a group to oversee the programme implementation. Through participation, the villagers have their capacity built, ability nurtured, and sense of responsibility developed to manage their own community.
Liu Hongwei of Yuemuyuan village crosses the new bridge with his son. (Photo taken by Benny Lo)