China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF) headed a delegation of charity-minded enterprises, media outlets and elder volunteers' team to hold an inspection tour of the implementation of public welfare programs in Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and Guiyang, in Southwest China's Guizhou Province, on the occasion of the annual "September 9th Charity Festival."
During their two-day trip, members of the delegation undertook investigations of the precise demands of rural women and their families and learned more about the operation of "Mothers' Homestay" project and the assistance to underprivileged women with breast and cervical cancers as well as the building of workshops for intangible cultural heritage inheritors, all of which brought new opportunities to local women and injected fresh vitality into economic and social development.
'Mothers' Homestay:' a Leverage of Women's Unique Strength in Rural Revitalization
The opening of a new site of the "Mothers' Homestay" project at Hongjiang Village, in Lipo County, has forged fresh development momentum for the ancient and picturesque village nestled amid lush hills. It is a new platform built by the CWDF on the basis of the "Genius Mom" initiative to integrate intangible-cultural-heritage exhibition, charity-oriented study tour and handicraft business with the development of rural tourism and homestay industry and further promote the employment of women villagers.
Project designers gave an introduction to the "Mothers' Homestay" project in terms of its guiding philosophies, functions and social impacts. It is designed to be a demonstration public-welfare project, which features management by mothers, family empowerment and harmonious co-existence of homestays and villages.
As of this September, the village had developed a cluster of homestay business with 210 guest rooms and 472 beds.
Meanwhile, the village has cultivated a four-sphere integrated industrial system of study tour, training, tourism and creative cultural business, organized 127 group activities on a yearly basis, received 12,000 visits, earned about 600,000 yuan (US $8,451) for the collective economy, and created 60 employment opportunities for women residents.
In addition, the "Genius Mom Workshop" initiative at the village has employed 69 women, come up with over 40 types of cultural products, nurtured five leading women inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, and further expanded the income channels of local women.
"The expansion of the "Mothers' Homestay" project's business scope has created sustainable conditions for rural women to earn more money," Deputy Secretary-General of the CWDF Nan Jing said. She pointed out the sustainable development of the charitable program requires collective efforts. Organizers should stimulate women's motivating power, promote the integrated utilization of resources available and meet precise demands of customers.
Wei Yongyu, head of the "Genius Mom Workshop" and manager of a "Mothers' Homestay" at Hongjiang, introduced she has learned homestay decoration knowledge and skills from professionals and she will improve her managerial capabilities. She emphasized that she has full confidence about her business venture and will take utmost efforts to reward the society.
Moreover, the CWDF delegation sent daily necessities from the "Postal Parcel for Mothers" project to local women.
Health and Inheritance: Build Dual Defense Lines for Women's Development
The inspection tour also brought the CWDF delegation to Sandu Shui Autonomous County, where it held a donation ceremony for the underprivileged women with breast and cervical cancers. Taikang Yicai Foundation donated 200,000 yuan (US $28,169) in cash to the initiative in collaboration with CWDF and Guizhou Women's and Children's Development Foundation.
After the donation ceremony, Chen Tengxiang, Vice-President of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, held a public lecture about the prevention and control of HPV infection and cervical cancer and responded to the questions from participants.
Members of the CWDF delegation also paid a visit to a community-level health service center at Sanhe Sub-district and a village-level clinic at Dahe Township in Sandu, where they learned about the utilization of Health Express for Mothers medical-service vehicles and the positive changes brought by the vehicles to the life of local women. They also investigated the functions and importance of grassroots clinics in helping improve women's access to healthcare services.
The delegation also visited a "Genius Mom" horsetail embroidery workshop managed by Wei Taohua. Wei is a representative inheritor of horsetail embroidery, a state-level intangible-cultural-heritage craft. So far, over 80 nearby women have followed Wei to learn embroidery skills. Her horsetail embroidery products have been sold abroad through sales channels provided by the CWDF. The traditional handicraft has become an important source of income for many rural women.
Photos from CWDF
(Source: CWDF / Women of China)
Editor: Lei Yang
