--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
SPORTS
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Chinese Women
Film in China
War on Poverty
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service
China Calendar
Telephone and
Postal Codes


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies
Hope Blossoms as Girls Helped Back to School

A project initiated by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund has helped around 1.6 million poor Chinese girls who discontinued their studies to return to the classroom.

 

The "Spring Blossom" project has already raised more than 600 million yuan (about US$74 million), some of which has been used to build around 300 schools across China.

 

The China Children and Teenagers' Fund launched the project in 1989, when a report from the fourth national census showed that 4.8 million youngsters aged 7-14 were deprived of an education, 83 percent of them girls.

 

Besides the lack of education, girls especially in poverty-stricken regions often face other problems such as sexual violence, malnutrition, social and sexual discrimination and even desertion, said Jiang Yue'e, head of the Children's section of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) during a recent seminar.

 

"China has achieved a lot in the development of law and regulations related to gender equality," said Dr Christian Voumard, representative of the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) to China at the seminar. But, he added, "new challenging issues have emerged in this transitional period towards the market economy."

 

There is a growing imbalance in terms of the gender ratio at birth; currently there are 117 boys for every 100 girls. More girls are left behind by their parents than boys when farmers migrate. Plus, the ratio of HIV-carrying women more than doubled between 1998 and 2004 from 15 to 39 per cent, Voumard added.

 

The ACWF has advocated China's fundamental national policy of gender equality to parents and the general public through its nationwide branches and tried to give girls practical help, Jiang said.

 

Since 2002, the ACWF has worked with the UK Department for International Development China to train poor adolescent girls.

 

The focus is on building up the youngsters' capabilities, bolstering their self-confidence and independence, said Jiang.

 

(China Daily November 15, 2005)

First Day at School for Girl 'Jailed' by Her Mother
UNICEF Executive Director Stresses Girls' Education
Spring Bud Project
Poor School Kids Get Letter from Blair
Special Fund Aids Daughter-only Families
Spring Bud Plan: A Helpful Hand for Rural Girls
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688