The State Development and Investment Group Co., Ltd. (SDIC Group), the China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF), and relevant institutions on January 24 initiated a public-welfare project to care for rural women teachers, and to promote their career development. The kickoff ceremony was held in Beijing. 

Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), stressed studying and implementing the guiding principles of the important speeches of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is a top political task, and efforts should be made to serve the overall situation and serve women and children. She also noted rural women teachers — who are guides during children's growth, guardians of children's rights and interests, and builders of children's future — play important roles in building China into a leading country, in terms of education. 

Huang said the joint efforts in carrying out the project was intended to promote implementation of key decisions of the CPC Central Committee on promoting women and children's development, and to enable common people to share the benefits of China's financial development. The joint efforts in carrying out the project, she added, was also intended to promote the fundamental national policy of gender equality, to improve women and children's well-being, to help Chinese better understand the importance of family, and to promote family education and virtues. 

Huang encouraged women who are rural teachers to undertake great causes, to be advocates of civility and dream-chasing trailblazers, and to make greater contributions to realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, on the new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country. 

Fu Gangfeng, Chairperson of SDIC Group, noted rural women teachers, who are a major force in promoting rural education, help create a bright future for countless rural families. While shouldering the responsibility of improving education quality, the teachers cope with pressures in their family lives, and in their social and career development. 

Fu said he hopes implementation of the project will help rural women teachers promote their professional development. He also said he hopes the women, who take pride in being teachers, will play greater roles in promoting rural education development. 

The SDIC Group plans to donate 6 million yuan (US $0.85 million) to the project annually, from 2024- 2033. Under the project, rural women teachers in Fujian, Guizhou and Gansu provinces will receive professional training and medical aid. The project team will conduct research on how to promote rural women teachers' development.

Photo from VCG

(Women of China English Monthly March 2024)