In the Ningxia Autonomous Region, a region of Northwestern China that is small and relatively underdeveloped economically, new measures have recently been enacted to promote targeted poverty alleviation.
The Autonomous Region’s first care site for left-behind children has been established in Xingjing, a small town subordinated to the Xixia district of Yinchuan. It provides 55 teenagers with living support, learning guidance, psychological comfort and safety education. In order to aid the protection of left-behind children in rural areas, Ningxia’s local government has also set up a panel to connect useful public resources in this field.
The Xingjing district government is developing an agreement with a social services centre to purchase its services for the protection of left-behind children. Social workers and a set of social services have been deployed to help solve the problems of child trafficking, children’s internet addiction and the sexual harassment of children. The social workers will also provide volunteers with training in order to establish a long-term mechanism for left-behind children’s care, as well as building up valuable experience.
The government of the Ningxia Autonomous Region is also building up a social services base for government purchase. It is currently collecting good social service programs from the public.Through this program disadvantaged groups, including the aged, women, children, the disabled, the unemployed, migrant workers, prisoners, families with financial difficulties, ill-behaved teenagers and the mentally challenged will be given better care.
The government will be responsible for identifying the qualifications of the social organisations, collecting relevant information, setting up norms, conducting assessments and providing technical training. The stipulation is that the programs have to be beneficial to the public, clearly targeted and innovative, with detailed plans and guarantees. The budget for each program should be clear, and preferably between 100,000 and 300,000 yuan.
