Welfare program focuses on women and girls

A public welfare program focusing on women and girls has been launched to support education, employment and poverty alleviation projects in the Yangtze River Delta region.

The program takes applications from social organizations or companies based in Shanghai and provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui with priority given to the protection and care of women and girls, support for employment and education, the guarantee of their rights and interests, and cultural development and training.

Projects related to the employment of poverty-stricken women, disabled women, the education and growth of poverty-stricken girls, and violence resulting from sexual discrimination are some of the priorities, organizers said.

Financial support and other follow-up support will be delivered.

The deadline for application (application@lotusfoundation.org.cn) is by the end of January and after that there will be a review of the projects submitted.

The program was initiated by Shanghai Lotus Foundation, a NGO dedicated to helping disabled people and those suffering from financial difficulties, sickness and disasters, and the Shanghai Legal Center for NGO, or ForNGO.

Social organizations play an important role in areas such as education, medical treatment and judicial protection of women and children and the pandemic had led to new problems and difficulties for females, the foundation said.

Eliminating sexual discrimination and violence and providing help to women in need requires more attention from the society, it said.