A training class of  the School for Mothers project launched by Luoping Women's Federation is  held in  a village in Luoping County, in Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

In Luoping County, in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, there is a special school, and it is being well-received by local women. Why? It is a school specifically for mothers. It not only enriches the mothers' spiritual and cultural lives, but it also helps them solve problems in their lives.

The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) launched a project last May, during which it called on women's federations, at all levels, to encourage women to play their unique roles in family and social life, and to guide women as they contribute to family and social harmony.

In response to ACWF's call, Luoping Women's Federation has implemented the School for Mothers project. The project is intended to improve the ideological and ethical standards of mothers, improve the women's scientific and cultural knowledge, enhance the women's health awareness, increase their level of family education, and improve their abilities, so they can find employment or start their own businesses.  

"Our original intention was to solve the problems resulting from women's strong need to learn and the difficulties associated with organizing large-scale training. What we do is organizing training whenever and wherever it is convenient for women. Based on the women's specific needs, we invite professional teachers to conduct the training. The advantage is that we can improve efficiency and save costs," Fang Min, President of Luoping Women's Federation, says.

Enriching Lives

"Some teenagers do not like to communicate with their parents, and they sometimes have rebellious behavior. That is normal. What parents should do is to guide, accompany and support them. As long as it is not a matter of principle, it doesn't matter if they don't want to communicate. Don't scold them, as that only makes things worse," a teacher said during a training class. The class, which focused on family education and parent-child relationships, was held in Xiaohebian, a village in the county.  

Xiaohebian has 217 residents, and most of them are of the Bouyei ethnic group. The school for mothers (in the village) was established in August 2019. Since then, the village's primary school has become the main venue for women to attend training, either at night or during their spare time.

Fang says the school invites teachers from the local cultural station to teach singing and dancing, as some women have an interest in singing and dancing. Some women like knitting and embroidering; for them, the school invites professionals to teach them how to improve their skills. Given that some women find it hard to communicate with their children, the school organizes lectures on how to effectively communicate with children.

"In the past, we tended to play mahjong in our spare time, and many families quarreled over this. Since the school for mothers was established, we usually sing and dance, learn new skills and obtain new knowledge in our spare time. We perform dances in the township, and we can earn extra money from our performances," villager He Zhuzhi says.

Greater Harmony

An instructor talks with a participant in the training class of the School for Mothers project.

Teachers at the school for mothers not only include volunteers and women's federations' cadres, but also experts and professionals from various fields, such as education, agriculture, forestry, culture, justice, family and marriage.

Where there is a need, there is a training class. Various types of training classes have been held in factories, under fruit trees, in greenhouses, near fishponds or in courtyards, all based on the needs of the women.

Yunfenghui Clothes Company, in Banqiao Town, has 122 women employees. Last year, under the guidance of Banqiao Women's Federation, the company established a school for mothers. The school has organized lectures, including on women's health and the protection of women and children's rights. Women have also received manuals on how to use the law to protect themselves and their family members.

Jiulong Ecological Agriculture Cooperative, established by Su Dexian, is located in Xiaozhai Village. It is an agricultural sightseeing and leisure enterprise that integrates catering, planting of flowers and seedlings, breeding chickens, and picking fruit. The company employs more than 200 people, including many from impoverished families.

Last August, the cooperative established a school for mothers. The school has organized four training classes — the prevention of African swine fever, raising chickens, pruning and fertilizing fruit trees, and the protection of women's rights. The lectures have benefited more than 100 women.

After having conducted some research, cadres of Luoping Women's Federation learned family relations were not good within some families in which children had quit school. As a result, women's federations, at all levels in the county, have distributed more than 10,000 publicity materials about the Law of the People's Republic of China on Compulsory Education and the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors to help increase people's legal awareness, especially the guardians of children.

Nine-year-old Xiao Hui lived with his grandmother in Luoxiong Subdistrict. His parents divorced and they worked in different cities. After learning the child had quit school, Luoxiong Women's Federation's cadres communicated with his parents, and persuaded them to find jobs in Luoxiong so they could take better care of their child. Now, Xiao Hui is back in school, and he is behaving at school.

The school for mothers has had a positive influence on women and their families. "Women's comprehensive quality has been improved, and their relationships within their families are more harmonious," Fang says. She says she believes an increasing number of women will play greater roles in poverty alleviation, rural revitalization and the construction of family civilization.

A training class of the School for Mothers project launched by Luoping Women's Federation is held in a village in Luoping County, in Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Photos Supplied by Luoping Women's Federation 

(Women of China English Monthly March 2020 issue)