Date of posting: October 20, 2009
Story of Wang Shoulian, a local micro-entrepreneur from Si He village in Gansu Province, China
Women in the rural areas are receiving more and more attention in recent years for their critical role in the rural economies of both developed and developing countries. In most parts of the developing world they participate in crop production and livestock care, provide food, water and fuel for their families and engage in off-farm activities to diversify the family income. In addition, they carry out vital functions in caring for children, older persons and the sick. Yet, many rural women subsist with little to no access to education, financial or health services, hindering their opportunities to better their lives and the lives of their families. As such, development efforts have been focused on these rural women so that there can be general improvements to those living in rural areas.
Microfinance is one powerful tool used to address the needs of these underserved women. Providing microfinance services to rural women has allowed these women the opportunity to increase income and improve living conditions in a sustainable way. Moreover, the trainings conducted in conjunction with these micro-loans provide valuable knowledge and skills that allow these women to better their lives. The trainings can include literacy programs, basic accounting skills, agricultural best-practices, and health-related trainings.
PlaNet Finance’s current European-Commission sponsored project in Tongwei County, Gansu Province, China (“Microfinance & Renewable Energy: Using Microfinance to Increase Access to Renewable Energy in Rural Areas”) allows poor farmers and households to take advantage of a State subsidy biogas program by providing micro-loans so that the poor can invest in this clean-energy technology. To date, our microfinance partner Tongwei Rural Development Association (TWRDA) has provided over 430 micro-credits to rural individuals, many of them women charged with taking care of the rural household – women such as Wang Shoulian.
Wang Shoulian is a local micro-entrepreneur from Si He Village in Tongwei County. As a result of a State biogas program and new micro-loans, she was able to build a biogas system in her home, allowing her to use this renewable energy technology for stove-top cooking. The initiative not only provided her with microfinance services, but also provides useful trainings, like how to use the biogas installation and safety issues.
The use of biogas system indeed changed Wang Shoulian’s life. As she says: “Biogas has brought a lot of good things. We can save on the cost of coal and electricity; the less coal we burn, the more money we save. What’s more, we can use the biogas residue as fertilizer so we save more money on fertilizer. And then the other thing is that when we come back from working in the fields, we can make our meals right away. The house is cleaner and healthier.
As part of the program, we also have women’s small loan groups. We hold meetings at the new loan centres to get the loan group together, and to receive trainings.”
In honor of the International Day of Rural Women on October 15, 2009,PlaNet Finance would like to commend
Wang Shoulian and the millions of rural women working to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Please see http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/idrw/ for more information on this important day.