CHD Working at Full Capacity in Poverty Alleviation

China Huadian Corporation Ltd. (CHD) has been working at full capacity in poverty alleviation as 2020 is a crucial year for winning the battle against poverty.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the company has provided 1.95 billion yuan ($293.3 million) for poverty alleviation and launched a series of projects to improve income in poverty-stricken regions. It also sent 434 employees to the frontline of the battle against poverty.

So far, about 200,000 people in 130 villages of 62 counties have gotten rid of poverty.

Developing local industries to increase income

Industry is the foundation of poverty alleviation, the root to prosperity and the source of wealth. CHD's subsidiaries nationwide have been devoted to developing industries in poverty-stricken areas to increase villagers' income.

For example, CHD's Tibet subsidiary launched a Tibetan woodcut culture handicraft company and built a workshop to make such works on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

It also contributed to a long-term order valued at more than 30 million yuan between the buyers and the woodcut company, which increased local Tibetan people's income and at the same time promoted Tibetan handicraft culture.

In Yanhe county, Guizhou province, CHD's Wujiang branch invested 16.5 million yuan in construction of a tea garden base that covers 1,500 mu (100 hectares) and constitutes a complete model of the tea planting industry, which significantly increased local people's incomes.

Following the model of the tea base, similar tea gardens were also built in another ten villages in Yanhe, benefiting 5,742 villagers of 1,235 households.

CHD's Huadian Jinsha River Upstream Hydropower Development Co., Ltd invested 470,000 yuan in Jinyang county in Southwest China's Sichuan province, helping Gu'en village develop the peppercorn planting and chicken breeding industries, and increasing the village's income by 2 million yuan annually.

The fishery and fruit growing industries were also well developed in the southern area of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region thanks to CHD's saline-alkali land renovation project.

Special local industries are developed thanks to CHD's support. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Launching projects to drive economic development, stabilize employment

So far, CHD has invested 300 million yuan in special poverty-alleviation projects to drive economic growth and promote employment in accordance with local features.

For example, it used 3.5 million yuan to build a 500 kW photovoltaic power station in Wuqia (Ulughchat) county in Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang.

It was the first of the second wave of poverty-alleviation PV power stations under the framework of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) and the first in the prefecture.

The station has increased the annual income of the village by more than 700,000 yuan.

CHD builds PV power stations to supply power to local people and increase incomes in affected areas. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Another 600,000 yuan was invested in construction of a 70 kW distribution PV power station in a village in Artux in Xinjiang, the first of its kind to be operated in the region. The station not only satisfies daily power and heating demands in the village, but also contributes nearly 90,000 yuan to the village annually.

To solve the problem of power shortages in Nyima county in Naqu, Tibet autonomous region, which is 4,600 meters above sea level, a 215-million yuan power supply project was completed within 100 days.

CHD is also promoting construction of hydropower plants in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, expecting them to drive local employment through renewable energy.

It is expected that more than 200 local workers will be recruited for the projects and more long-term jobs will be offered once the Suwalong hydropower plant is operable.

CHD has also invested more than 1.04 billion yuan in centralized PV power stations in other regions including North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region as well as Hebei and Henan provinces.

In addition to the PV stations, supportive facilities to the clean energy projects including road as well as water and power supply systems have also been valued by the company.

Locally-produced cement and steel materials as well as agricultural products are always the preferred choices of CHD.

Last but not least, the company cooperated with the local government and organized local villagers to participate in construction and material transportation, helping them earn a living from the projects.

Launching technical training, promoting education level

An education-employment model has been promoted by CHD in Tibet and the Tibetan prefectures in Sichuan to solve education and employment problems.

The company reached agreements with some vocational schools to open training courses for poverty-stricken students according to the company's professional requirements. When the students are qualified for the positions, they will be recruited by CHD's companies.

CHD's subsidiary in Sichuan also launched online distance education with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Sichuan Province.

The company offered 690,000 yuan to 23 primary schools in Jinchuan county to open online classroom platforms, through which students in remote areas are able to obtain high-quality education.

CHD in Xinjiang invested in construction of 13 kindergartens and primary schools in southern parts of Xinjiang to promote Mandarin study by pre-school students.

The company also offered subsidies for 650 poor students and opened training courses on livestock breed improvement while providing epidemic protection for nearly 3,000 herdsmen.

CHD had invested 66.97 million yuan totally in education poverty-alleviation projects between 2012 and 2019 and helped construct and renovate 34 brick and mortar village kindergartens and primary schools in extremely poor areas.

CHD has helped construct and renovate 34 brick and mortar village kindergartens and primary schools in extremely poor areas. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Innovating ways to promote agricultural products

CHD has explored multiple ways to help poverty-stricken areas sell agricultural products. To date, the company has purchased local products valued at 62.01 million yuan and helped sell products worth 17.68 million yuan since 2018.

CHD in Xinjiang signed an agricultural product order valued at 5.3 million yuan with Artux county, the first purchase agreement of its kind based on the online platform and helped sell walnuts valued at about 2.7 million yuan.

The company also promoted Artux's high-quality agricultural product brand through the internet, WeChat and TikTok, increasing sales volume of mutton and beef by nearly 10 million yuan.

Promotion conferences are also a way to promote agricultural products. In that way CHD in Gansu has helped more than 20 households sell over 300 kilograms of pepper valued at more than 54,000 yuan this year.

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)