Diageo sponsors further training plan

Qin Xiuping was busy giving lectures to the new trainees of the British Council's Skills for Social Entrepreneurs Project recently but she still showed great interest in taking more financial management training classes offered by the program this year despite finishing the training course provided by the project two years ago.

As secretary-general of Xixiang Women's Development Association, an organization dedicated to helping impoverished women in Xixiang county, Shaanxi province, to start small business by providing them with small loans and consultancy services, Qin has evolved from someone who had never heard of financing to someone skilled in seeking financing from corporations, foundations, banks and local governments, thanks to the training.

Skills for Social Entrepreneurs is a project launched by the British Council in 2009 aimed at identifying and supporting new generations of social entrepreneurs to develop sustainable solutions to community-based challenges, including environmental and social issues.