Poverty Alleviation, ACWF Is in Action

A needle work contest organized by Jilin Women's Federation in north China [Jilin Women's Federation]

In just over three decades, 600 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty. At the end of 2013, 82 million people remained in poverty in rural areas, down 16.99 million from 2012, according to the Chinese Government.

Since the beginning of China's poverty relief campaign in 1986, the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) has been active helping underprivileged women raise themselves out of poverty both in urban and rural areas.

The ACWF, along with its branches across the country, has developed and conducted a series of programs to provide aid to women -- not just financially, but also in the fields of professional skills, education and health.

Women, Major Target of Poverty Alleviation

"Alleviating women from poverty is one of the most important parts and major targets of China's poverty relief," said Yu Hongqiu, vice-president of the ACWF.

Compared to men, women have limited access to resources. Because women are also less educated in China, and illiteracy and semi-literacy rates are higher among women, they are generally less professionally skilled. Making things worse is the fact that women suffer a high prevalence of reproductive system and breast diseases.

On the other hand, with China's accelerating urbanization, the rural male labor force is migrating to cities, leaving women as a major part of the labor force in farming. Especially in poverty-stricken areas, women have taken on the burden of being the main breadwinners. When women's poverty is alleviated, their families are guaranteed a well-off life.

All these factors make women the primary target group of the poverty relief campaign. Women's federations across the country have shouldered this task and taken advantage of their networks from urban areas to rural areas to connect women and lead them out of poverty.

Financial Aid

In 1996, the China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF) of the ACWF established a fund to issue small loans to help impoverished women shake off poverty. More than 20 provinces and regions across China have implemented financial support programs, such as the Hong Kong Poverty Alleviation Program and Mary Kay Women Entrepreneurs, playing an active role in the poverty alleviation of women.

After 10 years of persistent effort, the financial support program is making full use of a circular fund model. As the program develops, increasing numbers of women benefit from the small loans. The implementation of the program has demonstrated that it is a model for self-sustainable development that can provide distinct social and economic benefits.

In 2009, the ACWF, together with China's Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the People's Bank of China, issued a notice to further improve the program and promote women's employment.

In accordance with the notice, the government has instituted a number of preferential policies for women, including increasing loan limits, coverage, lending agencies and subsidies.

In recent years, women's federations on different levels have actively negotiated with local authorities to advance the financial support program and worked hard to promote it, supervise loan implementation and provide post-loan services.

"Thanks to the efforts of various authorities, more women have benefited from the program," said ACWF Vice President Song Xiuyan.

"I have obtained loans of 100,000 yuan (U.S. $16,300) in total to raise poultry and earn an annual net income of 30,000-40,000 yuan (U.S. $4,890-6,52o)," said Yuan Zhanmei, a woman from Liangshuiquan Village, Huanghua Township, Chongxin County, Pingliang City, in northwest China's Gansu Province.

"I can pay off one loan within two years and I still have profit in hand," said Yuan. She has not only developed profits for herself, but has also led her fellow villagers to make their own money as she did.

The financial program has helped women like Yuan to obtain start-up funds and master various types of skills to embark on their paths to make their fortunes and shake off poverty.

At the end of 2013, interest-free loans worth around 150 billion yuan (U.S. $24 billion) had been distributed, benefiting nearly 10 million women in starting business and finding employment.

Enhancing Professional Skills

Women's federations are committed to equipping women with professional skills and helping them with employment.

The ACWF established the All-China Women's Hand-knitting Association in 2011 to promote women's employment and self-employment, helping grassroots women with employment and self-employment by creating handicrafts and achieving local employment for rural women.

Since then, across the country, women's federations have organized training sessions. In Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, ACWF sponsored a hand-weaving talents training course in 2014. The project provides professional training to potential hand-weaving talents and improves their skills and management. The project is composed of six training sessions and will benefit 500 women.

In northeast China's Jilin Province, The Jilin Women's Federation also helps local women boost their income by encouraging them to make and sell straw woven products such as shoes, handbags and other handicrafts.

In the province's Yushu City, the federation opened straw weaving classes and has so far trained over 500 female villagers. Now, all the women in the village are engaged in the industry.

In order to further boost the industry, women's federations in Jilin have set up local women's handicraft association and the Jilin Women's Federation has registered a unified trademark for these associations --- 'Jilin Qiaojie', literally meaning 'Jilin Skilled Sisters'.

Jilin Women's Federation launched the Jilin Sisters Household Service Project in 2006. It provides women with free housekeeping training and then sends the trained housekeepers to work in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities in China.

The brand Jilin Sister has carved out a niche in the national household services market and nowadays has its sights set on the international market, says Wang Xiuru, director of the Jilin Women's Career Center.

Thanks to the painstaking efforts of the Jilin Women's Federation, wages for housekeepers have increased by 20 percent annually with minimum wages rising from 800 yuan (U.S. $129.92) in 2006 to 2,000 yuan (U.S. $324.8) in 2012.

Jilin Sister, running in a three-year cycle, plans to send about 10,000 housekeepers to areas outside Jilin Province every cycle.