A ceremony was held in Dharmasthali of Tarakeshwor Municipality on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the ‘sustainable development experimental village’.

The event celebrated the successful completion of various comprehensive projects by the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD) in the municipality. The event coincided with the 69th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China.

In May 2023, the China Foundation for Rural Development Nepal Office launched its project ‘sustainable development experimental village in nepal’ in Tarakeshwor.

CFRD said it executed a number of integrated projects in community water supply, education, nutrition, and skill training sectors, with a total investment of over USD 776,861, directly benefiting 11,976 individuals.

The integrated projects included four major components: the construction of a whole village water supply system, educational support, child nutrition support through school feeding, and skill enhancement for farmers.

Celebrating the accomplishment and dedication of 80 farmers who received a 3-month long free training service to enhance capacity and farming skills for off-seasonal vegetable production, the event further boosted joy of farmers with free agricultural tools and equipment support.

Additionally, beneficiary schools of the Smiling Children Program received extended support of kitchen materials to sustain the feeding program smoothly, along with provision of rewards for Mothers’ Group Members, in appreciation for their invaluable support in meal preparation and feeding activities.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song, Mayor of Tarakeshwor Municipality Krishna Hari Maharjan and Country Director of CFRD Nepal Office Zou Zhiqiang among others attended the event.

Delivering her remarks, Zou expressed gratitude to all relevant stakeholders and individuals, supporting smooth completion of the training program and execution of other projects within the municipality area.

She also cited that the success of the training program has been possible due to dedication of the trainee farmers and congratulated them for their achievement, and also thanked the implementing partner and training institution for conducting training activities efficiently.

Ambassador Chen congratulated the China Foundation for its rigorous efforts since past eight years to support social welfare and development activities in Nepal and successful accomplishment of the agriculture training programme.

He also appreciated dedication and achievement of trained farmers, which has capacitated farmers to adopt systematic farming skills, thus enhancing their agricultural productivity and income generation opportunities.

Mayor Maharjan expressed his pride in the trainees' achievement and efficacy of training program, reaffirming the municipality's dedication to supporting such initiatives.