On May 14, International Mother’s Day, the YouChange Foundation organized a workshop on rural women’s development in Leishan County, Guizhou Province. Over 20 attendees, including academics and prominent female entrepreneurs, participated.
The workshop summarized nine key issues that often concern rural women. These issues range from increasing women’s participation in community building and leadership to promoting lifelong learning.
According to Tang Min, counselor of the State Council of China and vice chairwoman of the YouChange Foundation, joint efforts are crucial to empowering rural women. At the workshop, she said, “Multi-sectoral cooperation and collective action can leverage the strengths of all parties, improve outcomes, and achieve greater social impact.”
For nearly eight years, the YouChange Foundation has worked to empower rural women through its WomenUp project. The project aims to lift rural women out of poverty by helping them find jobs or start their own businesses.
This year, the WomenUp project will expand to promote the full development of rural women. In addition to economic empowerment, it will also focus on family education and community engagement.
