Projects Updates

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

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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

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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...]

Earthquake Projects Report – One Year On

NZCFS Earthquake Projects in China, May 2009 The earthquake of May 12, 2008, with its epicentre in Sichuan, killed over 70,000 people, several million were left homeless, and many farmers’ livelihoods were destroyed. New Zealand China Friendship Society (NZCFS) made a major fundraising effort nationwide, in many places in partnership with other organisations such as the Chinese Association. A total of $36,741 was raised. NZCFS executive members Sally Russell and Dave Bromwich spent several … [Read more...]

2006-2007 Cooperatives Project, Shandan

2005-2006 Gansu Project - Watermelon Cooperative

In 2006-2007 the International Committee for Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (ICCIC), Shandan Cooperative Federation (SCF), Shandan Bailie School, Shandan Women’s Federation and the New Zealand China Friendship Society worked together to develop rural cooperatives in Shandan County. .  The benefits of establishing a cooperative was introduced to a large group of villages and from this eight producer cooperatives were established in four townships. One cooperative began to market these … [Read more...]

NZCFS and ICCIC work together in Sichuan Earthquake Relief Projects

gungho-dave-bromwich

Following the Sichuan earthquake, NZCFS executive members Dave Bromwich and Sally Russell were accompanied by ICCIC Executive Secretary General Du Yintang to Chengdu in August 2008. They visited earthquake affected rural communities in Pengzhou county, and together developed two projects to assist these two areas:..The first project provides finance for materials required for the reparation of the farmers irrigation channels in Huang village of Tongji township. The main … [Read more...]

2008 Scholar – Shen Qianqian

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Report from Diana Madgin, chair, HMQ Scholarship sub-Committee, 4 October 2008We have chosen Shen Qianqian as our 2008 He Ming Qing Scholar in Hebei Province.She is 20 years old and comes from a remote village in the Taihang Mountains, south of where Kathleen Hall was working. Shen has received no support from any other source than her family, who are poor farmers. She is an average student but has a strong commitment to her profession.Dave Bromwich reports that Madam Ma Baoru has … [Read more...]

2007-2008 Northwest China Projects

After the successful project in 2005-06 to introduce co-operatives to eight villages a further twelve cooperatives will be formed in Shandan to harness the enthusiasm and demand from villages to participate. Four of these will be based on non-production activities which may include forming a rural credit cooperative for management of cash flow within the membership, a consumer cooperative in which members benefit from the bulk purchase of goods and services, including materials required for a … [Read more...]