Women actively participate in poverty alleviation, holding up half the sky

In the strategic overall situation of securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the All-China Women's Federation identified its work positioning, strengthened its sense of responsibility, and took proactive action, focusing its poverty alleviation efforts on Longnan, Gansu, the most remote and impoverished area in the country. It vigorously implemented the "Women's Poverty Alleviation Action," helping local impoverished women escape poverty and achieve prosperity with heart, emotion, and effort, making important contributions to Longnan's achievement of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in step with the rest of the country and the province

During the National Day holiday, in the "Qiqiao Workshop" in Daliu Village, Xihe County, Gansu Province, deep in the Qinling Mountains, 54-year-old rural woman Wang Man would pick up her needle and thread to embroider pillowcases whenever she had spare time. Her husband was injured and disabled, unable to do heavy work, and her son was in university, so the burden of supporting the three-person household fell entirely on her shoulders. "Without leaving home, I can earn eight or nine thousand yuan a year, and it doesn't interfere with farming," Wang Man said.

With the guidance and help of the Party committee, government, and women's federation organizations, Daliu Village established the "Qiqiao Workshop" embroidery association, which has now recruited about 200 women from six nearby villages. Through a single silver needle, they earn a certain income, paying for elderly care, buying clothes for their children, and solving family difficulties, earning dignity in life.

For many years, the All-China Women's Federation has focused its attention on Longnan, Gansu, providing genuine help and support, allowing impoverished women there to truly benefit, and holding up "half the sky" for Longnan City in winning the battle against poverty.

Inspiration——

Reshaping the cultural soul in pursuit of wisdom and skill

To help the poor, one must first help them aspire. Only by firmly believing in indomitable will to change one's destiny can one truly ignite a powerful internal drive to seek prosperity and development. Proceeding from the reality that Longnan is a nationally famous "Home of Qiqiao," the All-China Women's Federation actively supports Longnan in keeping Qiqiao culture alive through inheritance and innovative development, guiding impoverished women to overcome the mentality of waiting, relying, and demanding, and to carry forward the spirit of self-respect, self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-strengthening.

In the area of Xihe County and Li County in Longnan City along the upper reaches of the Western Han River, every year from the eve of the first day of the seventh lunar month to the evening of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, local girls gather together to hold seven days and eight nights of Qiqiao activities, praying to "Qiao Niangniang" for intelligence and skill. This ancient folk custom reflects the value orientation of Qiqiao daughters striving consciously and pursuing excellence, and its cultural connotations coincide with the development goals of women's causes in today's society.

Zhang Qin, president of the "Qiqiao Workshop" association in Daliu Village, has loved "Qiqiao" since she can remember. Qiqiao gave her "the courage to show her face in public (increased self-confidence)," and she became an expert in needlework (women's work) and tea and cooking (culinary skills). Zhang Qin and her husband Zhang Guisheng, through years of hard work, now not only have an annual household income of over a hundred thousand yuan, but have also helped impoverished women in several surrounding villages escape poverty and achieve prosperity.

With the high attention and strong support of the All-China Women's Federation, Longnan has now successfully held 8 sessions of the "Qiqiao Daughter Festival." Among them, in 2013, 2014, and 2015, the "Qiqiao Summit Forum" was held in Beijing for 3 consecutive years, establishing a close connection between the ancient Qiqiao culture and the global women's cause, and being understood and recognized in a larger scope, broader field, and at a higher level.

Today, in Longnan's process of securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Qiqiao culture advances with the times, enduring endlessly, blooming with strong vitality and influence, and becoming an important spiritual support inspiring women to work hard to prosper their families and develop to establish their households.

Assistance——

Giving warmth to every impoverished woman

With a monthly salary of four or five thousand yuan, and the employer's whole family even buying her a big cake for her birthday. Earlier this year, 28-year-old impoverished woman Wang Aixia from Xihe County came to Beijing to work in domestic service, and she is very satisfied with this job.

With the assistance of the All-China Women's Federation, there are many other rural women like Wang Aixia who have escaped poverty through domestic service. "Through measures such as helping women determine their poverty alleviation aspirations, strengthening training, making good use of women's microcredit, demonstrating and leading through capable individuals and large households, organizing women to escape poverty with skillful hands, expanding the coverage of screening for women's two cancers, and mobilizing social forces to help women and children, we help impoverished women escape poverty and achieve prosperity with heart, emotion, and effort." Song Xiuyan, Party Group Secretary, Vice Chairperson, and First Secretary of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, put forward clear requirements for the targeted assistance work.

In response to the reality that impoverished women in Longnan generally have low educational levels, limited labor skills, heavy psychological burdens, and weak entrepreneurial and employment abilities and ability to withstand market risks, the All-China Women's Federation explored new paths for multi-channel and diversified targeted poverty alleviation, adopting more targeted and refined assistance measures, and deeply advancing the "Women's Poverty Alleviation Action" including inspirational poverty alleviation, e-commerce poverty alleviation, labor service poverty alleviation, skillful hands poverty alleviation, industrial poverty alleviation, health poverty alleviation, and compassionate poverty alleviation, allowing every impoverished woman to feel tangible warmth.

In order to maximize the cohesion of all social forces, the All-China Women's Federation leveraged its organizational and work advantages to provide various targeted services to impoverished women in Longnan, including entrepreneurship training, production assistance, psychological counseling, legal aid, and health education. Relying on public welfare and charity brands such as "Mother's Water Cellar," "Mother's Health Express," "Spring Bud Project," and "Nutrition Improvement Project for Children in Poverty-Stricken Areas," it vigorously supports impoverished women and children in Longnan. It actively seeks funding for various social charity projects, striving to do good deeds, practical things, and solve difficulties for impoverished women and children in Longnan.

With the help of women's federation cadres, Zhang Qin and her sisters at the "Qiqiao Workshop" opened the "Daliu Embroidery Manor" online store last year, broadening the sales channels and market for embroidery products. Two months ago, they registered and established "Xihe County Zhang Qin Embroidery Art Co., Ltd.," and their skillful-hand products are sold far away to first-tier major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

Effect——

Injecting strong momentum into poverty alleviation

"It steals in with the wind on a quiet night, moistening things softly and silently." The assistance actions of the All-China Women's Federation have produced a gratifying "multiplier effect" on the ancient land of Longnan.

The broad masses of impoverished women in Longnan actively participate in poverty alleviation, relying on their own hands to work hard and become prosperous. Whether developing specialty industries or going out to work to increase income, whether opening online stores or developing rural tourism, women's valiant and graceful figures are everywhere, and women's innovation and creativity are everywhere.

According to statistics, in 2016, the number of impoverished women registered in Longnan City was 235,000, accounting for 46% of the city's total registered impoverished population of 508,800. The dedicated assistance of the All-China Women's Federation and the implementation of the "Women's Poverty Alleviation Action" have not only brought them tangible benefits, but also given them hope for escaping poverty and achieving prosperity.