Poverty Alleviation by China Women's Development Foundation

　　【Overview】 In 2011, in accordance with the overall deployments of the central work conference on poverty alleviation and development and the needs of women, targeting at the poor women in western regions, China Women's Development Foundation continued to implement the charity projects such as “Water Cellar for Mothers”, “Health Express for Mothers” and “Small Loans for Women” and invested a total of 100 million Yuan to directly benefit more than 10,000 women.

　　【Water Cellar for Mothers】 As of the end of 2011, China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF) built 128,000 water cellars for mothers and 14 small water supply projects in 24 provinces and autonomous regions in the western areas, benefiting nearly 1.8 million people. In 2011, CWDF issued project funds of more than 24.5 million Yuan for the construction of Water Cellar for Mothers, covering 17 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities); issued 6 million Yuan of safe drinking water project funds for the schools involved in “Water Cellar for Mothers” to implement drinking water projects in 48 primary and secondary schools in the rural areas of Guizhou and Yunnan; continued to jointly implement the project of “Water Cellar for Mothers” in 18 pilot project counties (districts) jointly with the Ministry of Water Resources, and actively coordinated to include rural schools’ drinking water problem into the pilot projects.

1. Pilot project of "Water Cellar for Mothers • Campus Safe Drinking Water": Since 2011, to solve the unsafe drinking water problem of the rural primary and secondary schools in remote areas, we promoted the implementation of the campus safe drinking water project of the “Water Cellar for Mothers” through increasing safe drinking water and health sanitary facilities, relevant drinking water equipment or water purification facilities and building suitable pollution-free sanitary toilets. The project achieved good social benefits. We allocated more than 6 million Yuan of project funds for 48 schools in 7 provinces and autonomous regions to support the construction of 7 projects and the procurement of 45 solar water purification facilities, benefiting 33,267 teachers and students.

2. Water sanitation health training and intervention projects: To help the rural women change their thinking of health, enhance their awareness of environmental hygiene, develop good health behaviors and improve their health quality, CWDF organized the water sanitation health training and intervention projects jointly with the relevant units and institutions.

(1)  It launched the Pepsi Safe Drinking Water Project jointly with PepsiCo Foundation and applied for project funds of $ 5 million for the three-year cooperation. At present, we’ve completed the baseline survey work on 180 projects in 30 counties of 8 provinces and submitted the Interim Project Report. Meanwhile, we issued $ 400,000 to complete the Sichuan project and Gansu project of the PepsiCo Foundation, benefiting more than 10,000 people.

(2)  ITT watermark plan: we invested $ 250,000 to complete the safe drinking water projects, sanitary toilet and healthy education projects of ten schools in three provinces, benefitting more than 6600 people.

　　【Health Express for Mothers】 With the tenet of “sending health knowledge, sending the concept of health and sending health services”, through providing health counseling services, free health examination, free transfer of women for hospital childbirth, making propagandas for health knowledge and organizing trainings for grassroots medical workers, the "Healthy Express for Mothers" launched in 2003 has played a positive role in reducing the morbidity of gynaopathy, especially in cooperating with the government in implementing the “Outline” and the projects of reducing maternal mortality, infant mortality and the eliminating neonatal tetanus, affirmed and praised by all circles of society. As of the end of 2011, 1289 Health Expresses for Mothers were provided for 1000 counties (cities), benefiting more than 30 million people.

　　In 2011, the "Healthy Express for Mothers" continued to expand its connotation and denotation and, on the basis of implementing the “Health Express for Mothers”, successively launched the major disease funding, propaganda for disease prevention and mental health projects, making a new contribution to the improvement of the health levels of women and children.

　　First, further increase Health Expresses for Mothers, provided 201 health expresses to 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) including Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Chongqing. The health publicity, gynecological disease screening, emergency rescue and other public welfare activities benefited more than 1.2 million people.

　　Second, based on the free two cancer screening, we actively conducted special rescue activity for the poor mothers suffering from the “two cancers”, raised 25 million Yuan of donations to set up the special fund of “two cancer relief for poor mothers”. As of the end of 2011, we had issued relief funds of 32.08 million Yuan, covering 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as well as Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

　　Third, actively explore the establishment of channels to provide support for the women suffering from the “two cancers”. Through SMS platform, microblogging and other modern information media, we raised nearly 400,000 Yuan of donations to help a dozen of poor women through one-for-one pattern, including Lu Wenhong, Feng Juan, etc.

　　Fourth, actively organize various forms of obstetrics and gynecology business trainings for poverty-stricken areas. With strong support of the Chinese Medical Association, we held two 7-day national advanced seminars on medical education successively in Beijing and Jinan and held a two-day grassroots medical worker trainings in Lvliang of Shanxi, covering 500 grassroots doctors, Which was welcomed by the local medical workers.

　　Fifth, prepared the “Maternal and Child Health Manual of Health Express for Mothers” jointly with the Chinese Center for Disease Control Maternal and Child Health Center, including the knowledge on the prevention of gynecological diseases, perinatal care, infant and young child feeding, etc, covering 14 counties and cities in Sichuan Province.

　　【Small Loans for Mothers】 In 1996, in accordance with the requirements of the national plan for poverty alleviation and development, through “household poverty alleviation by recycling of small loans”, we carried out anti-poverty activities through issuing small loans in more than 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China. As of the end of 2011, the project’s capital increased to 30 million Yuan and the rolling funds reached 140 million Yuan, which was used to support more than 300,000 poor households to develop planting, breeding and processing projects, helping more than 3 million people increase income.

　　In 2011, while actively implement relevant projects, the Small Loans for Mothers continued to improve the project management and improved the professional operation level of the project through a number of mechanism measures to enhance the project implementation force, laying a solid foundation for us to enhance the ability of the urban and rural women to obtain income.

　　First, we continued to enhance the level of professionalism, actively joined the microfinance Union and cooperated with the United Nations Development Programme to launch pilot international training program to enhance the professional skills of poor women.

　　Second, we invited the CASS expert groups to visit ten project areas in Hebei, Shanxi, Sichuan and Xinjiang and completed the overall assessment on the projects.

　　Third, we integrated funds for sub-project implementation. We invited bids from 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, determined 48 projects and issued a total of 20.87 million Yuan of funds for the implementation of Small Loans for Mothers through scientific planning.

　　While constructing the Small Loans for Mothers and providing financial and technical support for poor women, we also opened other special funds and the specific implementation situation is as follows:

　　(I) China Yangtze River Three Gorges Group donated 8 million Yuan to set up the "Woman Development Fund for Immigrants in the Reservoir”, and carried out integrated anti-poverty activities such as rescue, training and financial support. So far, more than 1 million Yuan was issued.

　　(II) Sichuan Deyang Disabled Children Project continued to support 13 disable children affected in earthquake in Hongbai Town of Shifang City, Deyang, Sichuan, and put in relief funds of 95,813 Yuan.

　　(III) China Heroes’ Mothers – China Construction Bank’s Funding Program subsidized 1813 heroes’ mothers or wives with 5.0525 million Yuan.

　　(IV) The project of "Mengshandu Green Rural China" allocated nearly one million Yuan to launch the second batch of new rural projects and constructed drinking water projects in Tiandong County, Baise City of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, aiming to solve the drinking water problem of the nearby villages.

　　(V) The project of "Meihao Homes Green Action" benefited 542 rural households in Ningxia, mainly supporting them to develop yard economic forest, fruit tree planting and village afforestation.

　　(VI) "Jinbao Scholarship" and "Jihui Takeoff Scholarship” awarded 140 poor outstanding college students with 280,000 Yuan.

　　(VII) "Little Teacher Cradle Action” funded 15 kindergartens in Chongqing with relief fund of 94,400 Yuan.

　　The implementation of the Small Loans for Mothers effectively improved the living conditions of the poor women and families, effectively mobilized the entrepreneurship enthusiasm of poor women, played a positive exemplary and leading role and achieved good economic and social benefits. In 2011, this project won the highest Chinese government charitable award - China Charity Award.