by Xinhua writer Luo Jingjing
BRASIL NOVO, Brazil, June 6 (Xinhua) -- For students and teachers at the Padre Leo Schneider School in Brazil, going to school will be much easier in a couple of months after the road outside their school is paved with asphalt and built with drainage system and concrete sidewalks.
"The asphalt (pavement) project has been desired for a long time. Our community is very old. In winter it was very muddy and in summer there was a lot of dust. We have red clay and it muddied the classroom, and when there came a motorcycle, it even fell," Marliette Rodrigues, principal of the school located in the city of Brasil Novo in Para state of Brazil, told Xinhua in a recent interview right in front of the school gate.
Transportation difficulties have not only caused inconvenience for students and teachers, but also affected work of the school.
"We have quality professionals but they wouldn't come here because of the mud and steep slopes. With the asphalt road the community will be bigger and we'll definitely have greater student attendance," Rodrigues said.
What she called as the "asphalt project" is part of "The Para Sustainable Municipalities Project", which includes developing urban mobility, sanitation and communication programs in a number of cities alongside the Trans-Amazonian highway in Para. Brasil Novo is one of the cities benefiting from the 50-million-U.S. dollar loan project granted by the New Development Bank (NDB), also known as the BRICS bank, in March 2018.
When she was informed that the project was funded by the NDB, the principal said that "we are living in a century of a globalized culture" and the partnership among BRICS countries is "very important" for Brazil to advance its economy and to contribute to the Amazon region.
"We are grateful for this partnership and we look forward to more projects like this that would help us," she said.
About 200 meters away from the school is Aline Feitosa's small bar. For the 30-year-old mother of four, the soon-to-be-constructed facilities would mean more customers to her bar and greater convenience for her kids' schooling.
"(Pavement of the road) is going to improve my life a lot, as people didn't come to my bar because of the mud in the rainy season and the dust in the drought season. It will be good for my children to walk to school, too. We suffered from the lack of a paved road to go to the center of the city for shopping, it was very difficult," Feitosa explained behind the counter of her bar.
Now living opposite to the school, Joao Bernardino and his family members have been enjoying their lives in the city for decades.
"Living here is wonderful, I have nothing to complain about. With the asphalt road it will be better because we had difficulties going to the city center as we had to climb the slopes and there were many holes in the street. We will have more opportunities if Brasil Novo develops," he said with full optimism.
The West Perimeter Avenue on the other side of Brasil Novo has been already paved. Newly built road and well-designed drainage system not only renewed the community but also improved health condition of the residents as dust in summer used to flow into every single household and left many to suffer from serious respiratory diseases.
Running a convenience store at the entrance of the avenue, 38-year-old business owner Giziany Fernandes Pereira was born and grew up in Brasil Novo and has witnessed the city's evolution.
"It's much comfortable now as you don't get your feet dirty as soon as you leave the house. Sales increased at my store because of the easier accessibility. It is a wonderful program," she said.
According to Weder Makes Carneiro, mayor of Brasil Novo, the sustainable urban program is planned to pave some 17-km road in the city and will be completed by August.
He voiced confidence that the project will "improve practically 100 percent of the quality of life" of local citizens.
"We look forward to these important works taking place every day. The investment by BRICS bank brought a different look to the entire state as well as Brazilian cities. One of the best decisions that the country has made is to establish this partnership because it has brought good result to our city," said the mayor.
In a recent interview with Xinhua in Belem, capital city of Para state, Governor Helder Barbalho said the partnership with the NDB is "very positive", calling it "an important asset" that allows the state to carry out works in the productive Amazon region.
According to Ruy Cabral, secretary of urban development and public construction of Para, the loan from the NDB and the initiation of the project have played a significant role in poverty reduction in the nine cities where the project has been carried out.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Para is the country's second largest state in terms of territory and the ninth largest in terms of population. However, it is ranked as the fifth poorest Brazilian state in terms of GDP per capita on the NDB's website.
Noting that Para is one of the least indebted states among the 27 units of the Brazilian Federation, Governor Barbalho said, "the fiscal spending must be rewarded by works, services and benefits (to the people)."
Two of the 16 approved projects in Brazil by the NDB are in Para. The board of NDB approved "PARA II -- Transport Infrastructure for Regional Development" project in March 2021 with a loan of 153 million dollars, which includes subprojects in five regions comprising 475 km road pavements, several bridges and weight stations to "improve connectivity of the state and to promote regional development."
Headquartered in Shanghai, the NDB was established by BRICS nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bank formally opened in July 2015.
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