‘Small yet smart’ projects pay off
China’s approach to assistance benefits millions of people in developing nations in Asia and Africa
Enduring difficulties such as intense heat, limited equipment, and a language barrier, ophthalmologist Zhao Jianfeng and his colleagues managed to perform free cataract surgeries for 118 Sri Lankan patients in two days in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, in May last year.
Their work was part of the Brightness Action campaign, a Chinese medical assistance project launched in 2014 aimed at restoring eyesight for underprivileged patients in developing countries.
Zhao, from the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University in Yunnan province, said many Sri Lankans have eye diseases such as cataracts due to prolonged exposure to sunlight and strong ultraviolet rays, and that they lack adequate medical resources for treatment.
He explained that with the right equipment, surgeries can be performed in minutes. The success rate is high, and the effects are immediate.
“The most rewarding moment was when we removed gauze from the patients’ eyes after treatment,” Zhao said. “I saw smiles on their faces. They gave me a thumbs-up, shook my hand and hugged me.”
Indrananda Abeysekara, a 68-yearold cataract patient and president of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, regained her eyesight after the surgery. She said that she is willing to act as an ambassador to promote the Brightness Action campaign in local communities.
Zhao has participated in the medical aid program six times, performing surgeries in countries such as Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.
“I was deeply touched when a lady in Myanmar thanked me for giving her a normal life again,” he said. “She said she had the opportunity to get back to work and have a social life again.”
Zeng Zhong, director of the hospital in Kunming and leader of the medical team, said that the surgeries not only aid cataract patients, but also enhance the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of local medical institutions.
A key public welfare project in Yunnan’s humanitarian aid efforts, the Brightness Action campaign not only demonstrates China’s willingness to help people in less-developed nations but also plays a crucial role in fostering collaboration and the exchange of medical expertise, Zeng said.
It also stands as a vivid example of people-to-people diplomacy, he added.
The campaign is one of China’s many small-scale livelihood assistance projects, which are also known as “small yet smart” projects.
Such projects are more targeted in their approach and are financed by small loans. They include a juncao (mushroom grass) cultivation assistance program; a project to bring satellite TV networks to African villages; and the Luban Workshop, a vocational training program.
The concept has been a hot topic in China’s foreign aid community since President Xi Jinping said at a symposium on Belt and Road development in 2021 that such projects should be prioritized in facilitating overseas cooperation.
Luo Zhaohui, head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said at a news conference in October that more than 200 small yet smart projects have been implemented since 2021. It is estimated that the projects have benefited millions of people.
Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, said that unlike more high-profile projects, participants in the small ones are more diverse, as they involve government agencies, overseas Chinese companies, civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations.
Sun Tianshu, an associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, noted in an article that the small yet smart projects focus on leveraging limited funding to achieve better development, and provide economic benefits to the people in participating countries.
While “small” indicates the low cost and a small scope of the projects, “smart” refers to the effects, such as
improving livelihoods and enhancing the impact on society, she wrote.
Sun added that the success of such projects lies in being embraced by the people and recognized as an integral force in the development of their nations.
With its geographic advantage, the southwestern province of Yunnan initiated the “Hand in Hand” program, a nonprofit initiative, in 2022 to provide aid through small yet smart projects to nations in South and Southeast Asia.
Over the past two years, 92 programs have been launched in 17 countries, benefiting more than 2.6 million people. The programs have provided medical assistance and safe drinking water, installed energy-saving streetlights, upgraded rural roads, and offered vocational skills training.
In recent years, the Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group, which has been investing and operating in Laos for 26 years, has conducted 11 small-scale assistance projects in the country, including providing water purification equipment
for schools and installing streetlights in rural villages.
Zhang Youzuo, head of the company’s overseas programs in Laos, recalled his visits to remote mountain villages lacking streetlights and kindergartens with old, shabby teaching tools.
“It (was) difficult for villagers to go out at night”, and the kindergartens were unable to meet the kids’ educational needs, he said.
To address practical difficulties for the Lao people, the company installed 70 solar streetlights in two villages in Oudomxay province. Also, it donated equipment such as desks, chairs, and bookshelves to kindergartens.
“I remember when we handed over the projects, local villagers spontaneously prepared meals for us to express their gratitude. A villager from Namodai told me that thanks to the streetlights, he no longer has to walk in the dark at night,” Zhang said.
“Receiving such feedback makes me feel proud and honored.”
Wang Yu, vice-president of the Yunnan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that by taking the locals’ situations into consideration, the projects under the “Hand in Hand” program have achieved quick and tangible effects.
The projects have garnered widespread popularity due to their emphasis on addressing people’s immediate concerns, she said.
At the end of 2022, the China-aided Nigeria Agricultural Demonstration Center, located in the country’s capital Abuja, was put into operation, aiming to scale up the African nation’s agricultural productivity and development.
Through technology transfer, the demonstration center aims to identify projects suitable for Nigeria’s agricultural development, facilitating the transfer of China’s agricultural production capacity advantages to Nigeria, said Wang Yun, manager of the demonstration center.
Operation of the demonstration center is also expected to boost the development of China’s Green Agriculture West Africa Ltd, said Wang, from the company, which was established in 2006 and positioned itself as a partner for China-Africa agricultural development and cooperation.
With 49 employees, nine from China and 40 from Nigeria, the company has been planting crops such as rice, maize, vegetables, and mushrooms in demonstration fields, and a rice processing line has also been put into use.
Chinese experts from the company also offer training to local farmers at the center.
Chinese agritech expert Wang Xuemin said that he had taught modern agricultural technology to Nigerians in areas such as rice cultivation, seed breeding technology, soil and fertilizer sciences, agricultural machinery, and pest control.
“In 2003, when I set foot on African soil for the first time, I didn’t anticipate that I would have such a deep connection with the continent,” he said.
Backward agricultural infrastructure and technology, plus a lack of agricultural machinery, constrained food production in the country, Wang Xuemin said.
Dispatched as a technical expert for the China-Nigeria “South-South Cooperation” agricultural project at that time, Wang Xuemin introduced basic Chinese agricultural tools, such as threshers and huskers, to farmers in Nigeria.
The expert said he used his professional knowledge to overcome various challenges in crop cultivation, especially for rice.
After many years of research and development of seeds, in 2017, Wang Xuemin and his colleagues successfully developed a high-yield rice variety, GAWALR1. Its yield is about 30 percent higher than the most popular local rice varieties.
The variety has been promoted and cultivated for over five years, boosting rice production in Nigeria by over 2 million metric tons, he said.
To better train local farmers, Wang Xuemin wrote a nearly 70-page textbook based on his experiences over the past two decades. It is all about how to deal with practical problems, he said.
Wang Xuemin said he plans to work in Africa for five to 10 more years.
“I hope to fully utilize the demonstration center to continuously innovate our agricultural technologies to adapt to the evolving local production environment,” he said.
Wang said he will also promote agricultural machinery in the continent, develop more high-quality varieties, and intensify efforts to empower more local people with the necessary technical skills.
The goal is to resolve food security concerns, promote long-term food sufficiency and enhance the livelihoods of local communities.
“Additionally, we also hope to use the platform of the demonstration center to support China’s agricultural enterprises in going global and to promote agricultural cooperation between China and Africa, said Wang Yun, the manager of the center.