Jin Jin (1st, L), co-founder of Jean's Salon, poses for a photo with participants during an activity held in the Yangpu Women and Children's Activity Center in Yangpu District, Shanghai. [China Women's News]

An allied public-welfare platform for mothers has benefited many women in Yangpu District in Shanghai, bringing knowledge, skills, joy and confidence to the participants.  

Launched by the Women's Federation of Yangpu District in Shanghai and the Haiya Family Education Service Center in August 2018, the platform gives women from all walks of life who are interested in public welfare undertakings a chance to provide voluntary service, promote harmony in communities and family happiness, and spread positive energy. Among them are female entrepreneurs, college teachers, housewives, retirees and students.

Junma is the founder of the Haiya Family Education Service Center and co-founder of the platform. She once worked for a well-known securities company, but chose to quit her job to be a full-time mother to take better care of her family. She is involved in public welfare undertakings in her community.

For the past three years, the platform has organized diverse activities for local mothers, providing them with opportunities to display themselves, learn from each other and realize their own value.

A cheongsam show, cooking times and tidying up lessons have been organized, promoting traditional Chinese culture and improving participants' cooking and tidying skills as well as enhancing mothers' confidence and facilitating family relationships.  

With a fast-growing number of participants, the platform has established 11 groups targeting different fields such as food, environment, storytelling, handicrafts, health and business start-ups.

Qiuma is one of the group leaders. She loves to accompany children to read picture books. In 2019, she participated in an activity of telling stories for children launched by the platform. Qiuma prepared many props along with gifts to arouse the children's interest in reading. She also invited her husband to assist her in setting up the story scenes. Her excellent performance proved that she was capable of becoming the head of the mothers' group for telling children's stories, conveying the essence of life to kids through diversified tales.

Jin Jin, owner of a company for child massage, became the leader of a group of women with entrepreneurial ambitions. She has helped many like-minded mothers start their own businesses via the platform. She also launched Jean's Salon where women entrepreneurs can share start-up experience, encourage each other and try their best to mitigate the risks of starting businesses.

The group members also take an active part in community governance. They organize residents to improve the environment of residential buildings and facilitate neighbors to get familiar with each other through activities, making the whole community more like a family.

In the past three years, hundreds of activities held by the platform covered thousands of families in 12 sub-districts and more than 300 women's homes in Yangpu.  

Advocating the idea of showing love to yourself, the family, and society, the platform has motivated many participants to be more open-minded and energetic.

"I never thought I could be so great," one of the participants in the business start-up group said with confidence.

Qiuma accompany children to read picture books during an activity. [China Women's News]

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)