China: Lifting vulnerable families out of poverty and reducing gender discrimination
FXB Switzerland was registered in China as a local organization, under the name "Bu Tuo Eyas", and worked closely with the local branches of the Chinese Women's Federation.
Context
The mountainous county of Bu Tuo is located in the Liangshan region - the autonomous prefecture of the Yi community in Sichuan province, one of the poorest in China.
With one in five inhabitants living in poverty and an illiteracy rate of almost 75%, the population suffers from malnutrition, deplorable hygiene conditions and a strong disparity between men and women. The Yi have their own language and have great difficulty communicating in Mandarin - both orally and in writing. Poverty and economic inequality among minority groups are widely recognized problems.
They led to the marginalization of development among the Yi and to more social problems existing in the local community, such as drug use, alcoholism, illiteracy and domestic violence.
Furthermore, families have little respect for education, which is reflected in low school attendance, particularly among girls. Early marriage and motherhood, as well as traditions, mean that women bear the main burden of work within the family.
They are illiterate, untrained and very often have no special skills that could help them increase their income and decision-making power, and consequently their quality of life.
Our action in China
Combating the multidimensional causes of poverty: 11 economic and community development projects VillageFXB
Malnutrition, illiteracy, lack of economic opportunities, unfavorable weather conditions, disease, unsanitary housing... Bu Tuo's poorest people face a variety of complex challenges. Addressing only the question of income is a mistake! Partial assistance, addressing only one cause of poverty, is not a sufficient solution to overcome it.
Our VillageFXB economic and community development model provides a comprehensive response to the root causes of poverty in just three years.
This holistic approach to poverty reduction aims to tackle its predominant factors simultaneously: economic poverty, malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare, lack of access to education in the broadest sense of the term and to information, and unhealthy housing and environment.
The aim is also to combat gender discrimination and balance relations between men and women, so that the latter, who are more exposed to poverty, can access the same economic and social opportunities.
FXB China therefore runs theoretical and practical education programs, complementary to VillageFXB programs, to empower vulnerable women in Yi communities. These courses range from basic Mandarin to professional skills in a variety of fields, including the prevention of domestic violence and family health in general.
FXB has also developed an "I am Who" manual which has been recognized as a best practice by UNICEF China for empowering children. The general idea behind this activity is to combat stigmatization by reconstructing children's imaginations through the writing of their stories. Its impact on children's psychological state was also evaluated very positively by the BeiJing Institute of Information and Control in 2009.
Our impact in China
in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan.
have gone from extreme poverty to economic and social autonomy since 2006.
In 2013, Bu Tuo's VillageFXB programs were awarded the "Special Contribution" prize by the Yi Culture Research Center of the Central University of Nationalities and the China Social Welfare Foundation for their contribution to the development of the Yi community in China.