Projects Updates

Shaanxi Cooperative Project Monitoring

Monitoring

Shaanxi Women’s Federation project “Establish Model Cooperatives in Two Districts of Shaanxi Province, China” This two year project has now completed its first year of implementation. In March 2012, Shandan Coop expert Liu Guozhong, and NZCFS’ Dave Bromwich spent a week conducting a mid-project evaluation. Background to the project. The project is aiming to achieve the following key outcomes: (a)Eight cooperatives will be established to a high level of standard cooperatives, and act … [Read more...]

Report from Deborah Rhode September 2011

Lanzhou banquet with students

(Deborah met our two scholars, Shi Hongli and Wang Shuizhen when she visited Lanzhou with Dave Bromwich.) In September 2011, I was delighted to have the opportunity of meeting our two He Ming Qing nursing scholars, Shi Hongli and Wang Shuizhen, and to hear first-hand of their experiences and expectations since moving to Lanzhou to attend University. I spent an evening with them at a restaurant in Lanzhou, along with NZCFS Vice President Dave Bromwich. Both girls are enjoying living in Lanzhou … [Read more...]

NZCFS PROJECTS ACTIVITY 2012

Coop members collaborate to plant crops at the Ronghua vegetable growing cooperative, Shandan

2012 is the United Nations International Year of the Cooperative.  NZCFS are commemorating the 2012 UN Year of the Cooperative by making four ‘International Awards’ to cooperatives selected from our projects coops. Currently NZCFS projects have directly established 41 cooperatives in Zhangye/Shandan, Gansu, and 8 in Shaanxi. Projects fund–raising focus for this year is to provide an International Award to four of these fifty cooperatives. In the NZCFS NW China projects programme since … [Read more...]

He Mingqing Scholars: Wang Shuizhen

Wang Shuizhen

Wang Shuizhen, Fourth Scholar Feng County, Baoji District, Shaanxi Province Wang Shuizhen started her scholarship in September 2010 at Northwest Minorities University in Lanzhou. On 11 January, 2011, she wrote to Dave Bromwich: “I represent my parents to thank you very much for your help. Without your heklp it would be very difficult for my parents to send me to college. I feel I was very lucky to1 get the He Mingqing Scholarship. I have read the story about He Mingqing. She was very kind, … [Read more...]

He Mingqing Scholars: Shi Hongli

Shi Hongli

From: Minle County, Zhangye District, Gansu Attends: Gansu Medical University, Nursing Studies Scholarship: September 2009 to June 2013 Shi Hongli comes from a small village in a very poor county, Minle Xian, in Zhangye City, not far from Shandan on the edge of the Gobi Desert. She is now in her third year at Gansu Medical University in Lanzhou and was chosen by the Women’s Federation of Zhangye, who are looking after her. Without the scholarship, she would not have been able to become a … [Read more...]

NZCFS Evaluation Visit to Shaanxi Rural Women’s Health Project

Deborah with her group

With the one year NZCFS component of the Rural Women’s Health project, funded by Auckland Branch and KOHA fund now ended, NZCFS Projects team Deborah Rhode and Dave Bromwich spent three days in Baoji district, and visited two project villages in each of Qishan and Fengxian counties. For background and project design outline, visit the Shaanxi Rural Women's Health Project page. In each village they met with members of the ‘backbone team’, women representing the core group of 200 women … [Read more...]

Rabbit Project in Guangxi Continued in the Year of the Rabbit

The 2010 Projects’ Tour visited Sanzhiyang rabbit farmers.

In 2010 NZCFS started a rabbit raising project for hamlets in poor rural areas in the interior of karst Guangxi. On 6 July 2011 NZCFS received a report from Mr. Yuan, the Animal Husbandry Technician responsible for training and advising the farmers. In the 17 households in two villages, 172 rabbits were sold between January and May this year for return of 24 Yuan ($4.50) per kg. This is 700-800 Yuan (NZ$130-150) per household for the 5 winter months when their previous average income was around … [Read more...]

Establish model cooperatives in two districts of Shaanxi province

Field visit to women's handcraft cooperative

Establish model cooperatives in two districts of Shaanxi province March 2011 to February 2013 Background   In September 2008 NZCFS and Shaanxi Women’s Federation (SXWF) formalised a Memorandum of Cooperation. In September 2009 a joint workshop was held with SXWF, ICCIC and NZCFS to promote modern cooperatives This project is one outcome from that workshop, and the second community development project to be implemented under the NZCFS-SXWF relationship. Project Description This … [Read more...]

Rural Women’s Health and Family Civilisation, Shaanxi Province

Half the 'Backbone Team" class at the training in Fengxian County

Rural Women’s Health and Family Civilisation, Shaanxi Province July 2010 and December 2011. Background After the Sichuan Earthquake, NZCFS started to work with Shaanxi Women’s Federation (SXWF) to deliver two post-earthquake rehabilitation projects in the earthquake affected area of south-west Shaanxi Province. A memorandum of Cooperation was signed in September 2008 between NZCFS and Shaanxi Provincial Womens Federation. SXWF identified that lack of basic knowledge by rural women was … [Read more...]

Extension of Cooperatives in Zhangye District, 2008-10

DSCF0537

In 2006 to 2008, two NZCFS projects established 29 cooperatives in Shandan county, enhancing the capacity of Shandan to serve as a model county for cooperative promotion, and establishing Shandan Bailie School as a centre for cooperative training. A further project was implemented from September 2008 to June 2010 to extend the establishment of model cooperatives in four counties of Zhangye district (Shandan is also in Zhangye district). This was titled: Establish cooperative Trainer of Trainers … [Read more...]

Year of the Rabbit 兔

Duan County Guangxi NZCFS project

Sanzhiyang Township (SZY) in Duan County is the centre for smaller villages and hamlets. Sanzhiyang means Three Goat and this name comes from the steep hills where three goats can’t walk side by side. The people are mainly of the Yao ethnic minority (67%) but also Maonan and Zhuang minorities. The average annual income is 716 RMB per person with the range 400 - 800 RMB, with each person living off 0.9 Mu (0.06 ha).  Yuan Jianzhui, from SZY Animal Husbandry Station says because SZY is located … [Read more...]

NZCFS Gansu Projects Visit Report, April 2010

zhangye-tv

Dave Bromwich and Roger Davies visited NZCFS projects in Gansu during April. These projects aim to continue Rewi Alley's legacy of assisting chinese people in Shandan and neighbouring counties to lift their farming economy through agric. education, research, and the forming of farmer /producer cooperatives. The respect and affection with which George Hogg and Rewi Alley are still regarded is illustrated by the wreaths left at their graves on Qing Ming, the day when Chinese people pay respect to … [Read more...]