BRI stories | Chinese-aided satellite television signal project brings happiness to Mozambican families

Children gather in front of a house equipped with a Chinese-aided satellite television receiving antenna in Picoco Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 25, 2023.(Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

MAPUTO, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Government of Mozambique announced in May 2020 the completion of a project to bring digital satellite television signal to 1,000 villages in the country, benefiting over 20,000 families.

The project, covering all ten provinces and the capital city of Mozambique, was co-funded by China and implemented by the Chinese electronics and media company StarTimes. It trained work force, particularly young people, to be in charge of the maintenance and provide assistance to the beneficiaries.

Nunes Guardagea, a 31-year-old engineer, is one of them.

Guardagea joined StarTimes in 2016 and participated in the project maintenance after training. He considers the job as one of the most meaningful experiences in his career.

Guardagea traveled across the country and learned a lot on the job. His family condition has undergone earth-shaking changes. He expressed his wish to learn more about digital technology and visit China and the headquarters of StarTimes.

The project not only fulfilled Guardagea's dream of repairing and assembling electronic equipment in childhood, but also brought great satisfaction to the beneficiaries, who now have access to national and international channels and have a lot of fun.

The project is part of the resolutions of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2015, in which the Chinese government pledged to provide satellite television access for 10,000 villages in Africa.

Nunes Guardagea inspects a Chinese-aided satellite television device at a villager's home in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023.(Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Students rest in front of a classroom equipped with Chinese-aided satellite television receiving antenna at a school in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, on July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Villagers watch satellite television program at a rural hospital in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea (C) and his colleagues check Chinese-aided satellite television devices at Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea (2nd R) and his colleagues communicate with villagers who use Chinese-aided satellite television devices in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Staff members of StarTimes install Chinese-aided satellite television receiving antenna at Metuchira Village, Sofala Province, Mozambique, May 13, 2019.(StarTimes Mozambique Branch/Handout via Xinhua)

Nunes Guardagea and his family watch a television program at home in Matola, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea (L) and his colleague check a Chinese-aided satellite television receiving antenna in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Villagers wait to see a doctor at a rural hospital equipped with Chinese-aided satellite television receiving antenna in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea (R) and his colleague check a Chinese-aided satellite television receiving antenna at Mafuiane Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea checks the signal of a Chinese-aided projection television device at a school in Goba Fronteira Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea checks the signal of a Chinese-aided projection television device in Mafuiane Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 25, 2023.(Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea inspects a Chinese-aided digital television set at a hospital in Picoco Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea and his colleagues communicate in front of a house equipped with a Chinese-aided satellite television receiving antenna in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea and his colleagues pose for a group photo with teachers and students at a school in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023.(Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Nunes Guardagea checks a Chinese-aided projection television device in Goba Village, Maputo Province, Mozambique, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

People watch a television program through projection in Metuchira Village, Sofala Province, Mozambique, May 13, 2019. (StarTimes Mozambique Branch/Handout via Xinhua)