Take Action Now to Help Poor Rural Women

Brief Introduction of the Funds

Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women is a non-government organization concerning rural women's development. For many years, we have strived to create opportunities and the right conditions for rural women's development. We have carried out many projects and activities focusing on rural women's self-empowerment, education and training, such as rural women literacy classes, young rural women's vocational training, protection of migrant women's legal rights, and we have always advocated gender equality and promoted rural women's empowerment and development. Because of our equal, pragmatic, open and transparent working style, we have gained support and trust from rural women and great recognition from the public opinion. On Feb.22, 2006, China Newsweek and other domestic and foreign organizations selected us as “Best responsible NGO in 2005.”

More social resources need to be gathered in order to provide educational opportunities for illiterate rural women, help migrant women with urgent needs, offer vocational training for rural women who did not go to high school, and promote their positive social-emotional development. In recent years, Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women (BCDCRW) has cooperated with China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF) and the Beijing Philanthropic Association (BPA) to establish the Rural Women Literacy Fund, the Migrant Women Emergency Relief Fund and the Rural Women Grant-Aid Fund.

1. Rural Women Literacy Fund has been co-established by the CWDF and the BCDCRW. The CWDF will supervise the "Rural Women Literacy Fund" and the BCDCRW will manage the Fund. All the money collected for the fund will be used to carry out adult rural women's literacy projects to raise their educational level, build up self-confidence and allow their potential to blossom.

2. Migrant Women's Emergency relief Fund is co-established by the CWDF and the BCDCRW. The CWDF will supervise the "Migrant Women's Emergency relief Fund" and the Migrant Women's Club attached to the BCDCRW will manage the Fund. All the money collected for the fund will be used for migrant women's emergency relief projects, to show society's concern towards migrant women whose legal rights have been seriously infringed and to provide them help to pull through difficult times.

3 . Rural Women Grant-Aid Fund, initiated by Ms Leslie Chu, a social activist and ceramist from the USA, is co-established by the BPA and the Practical Skills Training Center for Rural Women under the BCDCRW. The BPA will supervise the "Rural Women Grant-Aid Fund" and the PSTCRW will manage the Fund. All the money collected will be used to support young rural women from poverty-stricken rural areas or poor families to participate in vocational training to learn marketable skills while promoting gender awareness and citizenship and knowledge about law. By doing so, they will be able to help their families after they find employment in cities.