President of the All-China Women's Federation Gu Xiulian met with Zambian first lady Maureen Mwanawasa in Beijing on Tuesday, exchanging views on women's development in the two countries.
Gu said the Chinese government attaches great importance to women's development, taking such measures as enacting about 11 laws to safeguard women's rights, assuring equal participation between men and women in both family and political lives, and improving education level for women, especially for those who live in poverty-stricken rural areas.
China has implemented a project since 1989 for helping those girls, who were unable to go to school because of poverty, go back to school and accept education, Gu said, noting that under this project, China has raised 350 million yuan (US$42 million) to assist about 1.5 million girl students.
Gu expressed her hope that China and Zambia will strengthen exchanges on such experiences of promoting women's development, so as to make more progress in this field.
Mwanawasa said Zambia also provides similar assistance for its women and children, hoping that China will help and support Zambia to expand such programs to promote development of women and children.
Mwanawasa briefed Gu on major efforts made by the Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative, a non-governmental organization personally run by the first lady to improve the living standards of the Zambian underprivileged family.
The first lady said her organization has worked for helping women and children receive education, enabling vulnerable women and children access safe and clean water, and providing mobile clinics to the most vulnerable people.
Similarly with China, Zambia also gives financial support to women by providing loan to them, in a bid to improve their living standards, she noted.
Mwanawasa arrived in Beijing on Monday morning on an eight-day visit to China as guest of the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a non-governmental organization set up in 1982 to promote welfare of youth and children.
(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2005)
