Even her infrequent trips to the nearest township of Xinhui were only dedicated to buying clothes for her family.

But Yuan, who has participated in a micro-credit lending project for the past year, now not only goes to town more often, but also runs her own business of buying and selling piglets and lambs.

"I can bargain now and I feel much more competent," said Yuan of her experience with the lending program.

The UNDP-financed micro-credit project, which is carried out by the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges and the women's federation of Chifeng, has helped raise the incomes of local women and their self-confidence.

"We are 100 percent satisfied with the results," said Toshihiro Tanaka, UNDP's assistant resident representative to China in Chifeng, where a seminar on the project was held recently. "There is a lot of potential to continue these kinds of achievements."

The project, which was launched in 1997 and will end at the end of the year, provides small loans to women farmers in Chifeng, encouraging them to farm ecologically and boosting their social status by enhancing gender awareness. By the end of June, more than 3,000 women had received loans of up to 1,000 yuan (US$120).

A survey conducted among 250 women indicated that 234 have witnessed an increase in annual income. The average increase was about 220 yuan (US$26.50).

Financed with 440,000 yuan (US$53,000), 65 households have developed their sustainable and ecologically friendly farming businesses by May, according to sources with the local women's federation.

"Women, whose place in the past was the kitchen, are now less dependent and more confident," said Tian Xuemei, with the Chifeng Women's Federation.

In addition to the project in Chifeng, the UNDP and the center have also launched a program in Tianjin, where laid-off women were given micro-credit support up to 4,000 yuan (US$482) to start their own business. The project started late last year.

(China Daily)