'Sisters' make up for county's manpower shortage

HEFEI－Donning a red vest and rubber boots and carrying a huge pesticide tank, Zheng Jingjing walked side by side with four "sisters" in a wheat field to spray pesticides for their neighbor who is in poor health and whose husband works away from home.

"A bucket of pesticide weighs more than 50 kilograms. I have a neck problem and therefore can't do heavy work," said Zhang Xialan, owner of the field.

"They did the work that would take me almost a whole day in less than half an hour."

As a volunteer in Yingshang, Anhui province, Zheng, a mother of two, is a member of the county's women's council established in June.

Yingshang has a population of 1.79 million. Of those, 540,000 people work in other parts of the country, leaving behind a large number of women to care for the elderly and children and tend to farmland.

Huang Qi, Party secretary of the county, said: "Many of them spent their spare time on mahjong or chitchatting. It was not only a waste of time but also often caused disputes."

"Stay-at-home women used to be a marginalized and vulnerable group, but as society develops, more women in the countryside aspire to do more and want to gain recognition," Huang said.

The volunteer group, Cunsao (sisters in the countryside) Council, was set up to mobilize rural women in Yingshang. The council now has 4,322 members, with the majority 30 to 50 years old. Zhang Yan, head of the women's federation of the county, said 94 percent of them have a middle school education or higher.

The council members play an active role in rural life, including promoting government policies, persuading people to break with old customs, keeping villages clean, cutting hair for the elderly and mediating in disputes.

"My family was not supportive in the beginning and wanted me to focus more on household duties, but I actually had plenty of time and wanted to do more," said Zheng, 24."They are more supportive now. My husband often offers to help me if I have an issue in the council."

Being a council member is not easy as it requires the volunteers to do tedious and time-consuming jobs. They sometimes are misunderstood, especially during this year's Spring Festival holiday, when they were asked to visit each house to ensure those returning from outside observed COVID-19 control measures. However, they encouraged each other and never gave up on the task.

Since the establishment of the council, its members have persuaded more than 2,000 families to simplify wedding or funeral ceremonies to minimize the risk of virus infection, resolved nearly 1,300 disputes and lent support to left-behind children and seniors living alone.

"The council provided a platform for women to tap their potential and realize their value. They have become a vital force in social governance and rural vitalization,"Huang said.