Ningbo promotes common prosperity in Sichuan

Women from all walks of life in Ningbo, Zhejiang province have joined efforts to promote rural revitalization and common prosperity in Sichuan province.

Organized by the Yinzhou district women's federation, a program entitled Five Actions and Ten Projects was launched earlier this month.

More than 100 women from the district, including entrepreneurs, lawyers and teachers, will cooperate with women's federations in Muli and Yanyuan counties in Sichuan's Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture.

They will offer assistance relating to female entrepreneurship, poor families and education. Training courses will be held to encourage women to start their own businesses in Liangshan. Their products, such as Yi embroidery, will also be promoted.

Wang Falian, an expert in making pickled vegetables in Muli county, recently received 20,000 yuan ($3,100) from Asia Marine Group, a freight forwarding company in Yinzhou district, to start her business. A produce exhibition center in Yinzhou will also help Wang to expand her market.

Under the plan, 50 families in Yinzhou will be paired with another 50 in Muli and Yanyuan to help them rise out of poverty. In addition to 2,000 yuan in annual financial support, mental health aids will also be involved. One-hundred women from poor families in the two counties will receive 500 yuan annually for three years in a row.

Schools will join in the effort. Six schools in Yinzhou will be paired with schools in Muli and Yanyuan counties to share high-quality educational resources and help teachers improve their skills.

In April last year, Ningbo was paired with Liangshan under the east-west poverty relief program by the central government, which asks the more prosperous provinces and municipalities in East China to lend support to underdeveloped regions in the country.

Muli and Yanyuan have been paired with Yinzhou district under the program.

According to the local authorities, Yinzhou plans to launch 21 projects in Muli and 17 in Yanyuan this year to promote rural revitalization and achieve common prosperity.

Yu Yin in Ningbo contributed to this story.