Report of the percentage improvement program of the elected female delegates among members of Village Council at the impoverished rural area in the south of Shaanxi province

§         The implementation of the program

This program is designed in accordance with the change election of the Sixth Session of Village Councils. Since the government schedules fixed election timetable, we had to keep pace with the local government. In addition, our implementation time was so limited because the approval of the program and capital of the financial budget lagged behind the governmental election timetable in Ankang and Hanzhong cities. We integrated various resources and conducted several important activities carried out within the program time plan.

1.    Writing Election Bulletin for Rural Women Participating Village Councils Election

As soon as our proposal had been approved, we organized human resource to write the bulletin immediately. People participated in the writing task included researchers from the Association, local cadres who are familiar with the indigenous situation from the Organization and Publicity Department of Shaanxi provincial Women’s Federation and we also referred to research results and experiences in both domestic and international organizations. The content includes the Regulations and policies concerning the election of Village Councils, practical knowledge and skills, some excellent election speech samples either written or collected by us, and 100 successful cases of village female heads. The bulletin of the writing part was completed by the end of September. Program participants were not off during the National Holiday, working side by side with designers from the printing plant. 20000 publicity bulletins had been printed out before the start of the training course on Oct 8 and timely delivered to Ankang and Hanzhong. Because the coming peak time for election all over the province, needs of publicity bulletin were huge and we also spread those materials to other cities and areas.

2.    Printing posters.

After the approval of the program, we contacted the printing plant immediately, printed out 10000 posters including 2 pieces in a set designed for the Heyang program and delivered to counties and villages throughout the networks of the Women’s Federation. During the period of the election, the Women’s Federations in various levels in Ankang and Hanzhong organized local cadres posting slogans, conducting publicity broad to create a supporting and encouraging social and cultural environment for women’s participation in the election.

3.    Conducting female candidates’ investigation

To obtain better effect of the training, before the start of training, the Women’s Federation from two cities investigated the qualification of those model female candidates, made a list for those who have good reputation at the grass root level, who will dedicate themselves to the public’s goods, who have serious working attitude, excellent ability and who are young so that the most qualified candidates will be elected for the training session. After careful selection by the Organization Department of the County, the Civil Administration of the County and the Women’s Federation, 215 model female candidates took part in the training.

4.    Successfully conducting two sessions training for the model female candidates

On Oct 8 and 12 in Hanzhong and Ankang, the training of “ability construction for rural women to participate the election of Village Councils” was conducted successively, with 113 candidates from Hanzhong and 102 candidates from Ankang. Trainees included present female village heads and female secretary of Village Councils, potential female delegates, the directors of the Women’s Association and model females.

At the beginning of the training, ceremonious ritual for the training conducted. Leaders who are in charge of this program delivered critical addresses. The Chairman of the provincial Women’s Federation gave lecture on the meaning and importance of women’ political participation, demanding women fully aware of the meaning of women’s political participation, strengthening confidence and meeting challenge. The General Secretary of the Shaanxi Research Association for Women and Family held the lecture, titled “gender and village residents’ self-government”, analyzing difficulties and obstacles of women’s political participation via social gender perspective, imparting practical skills on how to analyze the election situation, how to obtain and strengthen support and assistance. Officials from the Civil Administration and cadres from the Women’s Federation introduced how to be a qualified female village head, election principles, procedures and means of Village Councils and issues that need attentions. Some female village heads shared their experiences about village management issues. Trainees were all much focused, listening carefully, taking notes, working overtime for speech drafts and rehearse of their speeches. During the simulation of speech delivery, trainees actively made comments and encouraged each other. The success of the training was unprecedented marked by trainees’ excellent discipline, high enthusiasm and strict self-disciplining. Many trainees said that they never attend this type of training until this participation and they wish more training would be held for them.

5.Holding the training of female heads’ capacity construction

To make those newly elected female heads equipped to adapt to the affairs of the Village Committee, the Association held one session’ training of female heads’ capacity construction from May 13, 2006 to May 17,2006 in Xian. There were 44 new elected female heads taking part in the training. The training began with the Candle Party embraced by amiable and warm atmospheres. The training was undertaken by participatory mechanism, including the following contents:  

l         Administration of village affairs 　

Learning the function and mission of Villagers Committees, the relationship of villages’ organizations and how to make democratic decision, administration and supervision as well as how to deal with the relationship between the village chief and the party secretary.

l         Women’s leadership

Introducing gender perspective through means of group discussion and acting under the specific contexts to help trainees learn how to overcome social prejudices towards female village chiefs and how to gain supports from their family members.

l         Construction of the new countryside　

The State claims to construct a new socialist countryside, which is absolutely an opportunity for female chiefs to perform their talents. The training introduced national policy of constructing a new socialist countryside, the peasants’ Association and how to cope with the relationship of two committees.

l         Sharing experiences

Skilled female chiefs with working experiences shared their administrative experiences and trainees shared their difficulties confronted during their administration contexts.

The training has been supported as usual by the Shaanxi Women’s Federation. The Chairwoman of the provincial Women’s Federation addressed to encourage trainees. Provincial Policy Research Office and the Agricultural Department in Shaanxi province jointly cooperated with each other, conducting lectures about Construction of the new socialist countryside and democratic administration of the Agricultural Association.

Trainees have strong interests and participation enthusiasm. They perform the soap operas, tell stories, and create and act the San-ju-ban, one of Chinese folk art forms, learning with happiness and inspiring wisdoms by sharing.

6. Inviting experts making final program evaluation

   The previous evaluator was Jie Du from the Research Academy of All-China Women’s Federation. However she was not available and her colleges, Yongying Zhang and Dongling Ma, undertook the evaluation task. They looked at program files, invested cadres of local women’s federation in Hanzhong and Ankang counties, held female heads’ seminars and completed the report (see the attachment). They highly recognize the program and state that the program has been well implemented and completed; also they give their comments and suggestions.

So far the program has been completely implemented and reached the program objectives.

Program Achievements

1) Government officials’ awareness of women’s electoral and political participations from local Women’s Federation and Civil Affairs at various levels has been promoted.  

During the implementation, the Association closely coordinates with local Women’s Federation and the civil affair, promoting government officials’ gender awareness. They take women’s electoral and political participations more seriously compared with that of not participating the gender training. Some of them take women’s political participation as their own responsibilities and voluntarily implement the program.    

2) Creating an encouraging and supportive atmosphere for women’s electoral and political participations 

Creating the atmosphere of women’s electoral and political participations throughout delivering and posing tons of posters and slogans and making broads publicities, villagers’ thinking of women’s political participation has been changed. They realize the importance of women’s political participation. Villagers said, “ When the government encourages women’s political participation, we of course can be elected as female villages’ heads.”

A group of women are elected as female chiefs. On the one hand it increases women’s awareness of political participation and their confidences; on the other hand it transmits the general public’s stereotype of women’s political participation. This paves the basis for more women stepping to the political stage.

3) Model women’ awareness of electoral and political participations enhanced  

Throughout trainings, model women’s awareness of electoral and political participations has been promoted; they increase their competitive awareness and confidences. Some of them originally did not and dared not to take part in the election, now they become competitive and want to be the female village heads and will do their best for villagers’ goods.

4) Obvious increase of women’s participation percentage at Village Committees    

 There are 50 and 47 newly elected female village heads around 21 counties and districts in Hanzhong and Ankang, the highest record during the past years in these areas.  Newly elected female village committee delegates reaches 1891 in Hanzhong City, accounting for 26.3% of the total. Newly elected female village committee delegates reaches 1512 at Ankang City, accounting for 15.04% of the total in Ankang. Newly elected female village committee delegates increased 5.2% and 9.14% in Ankang. There are 105 model women taking part in the training, 30 out of 105 elected as party secretaries and 64 of the rest of them are elected as village directors and committee members, accounting for 85% of the election rate. Among them there are 24 village-directors, accounting for 32% of 75 trainees; 3 vice village-directors, accounting for 4% of 75 trainees; 37 members of the village committees, accounting for 49% of 75 trainees. The most elected female chiefs attended the training launched by the Association.

5) Female chiefs’ administrative capacity has been promoted

Throughout the capacity building of the female village heads, trainees learn relevant contents of villages’ administration, regulations and legal knowledge and share their experiences and skills to tackle real difficulties. As a result they enhance their capacity of managing villages’ affairs.  

6) Female chiefs’ confidences of managing villages’ affairs have been strengthened

After learning managing skills for villagers, female heads are confident to be a good chief. Trainees said “ we understand many policy issues via this training…we obtain our confidences through the interactive learning”, “ This training means a lot to me. As a newly elected female chief I learn how to cope with the relationship between the two Committees and how to unit family members. I become braver…”

7) The program and its achievement are recognized by the outside experts’ evaluation. We get clear insights of the program and reach the new idea for the follow up program.

3 Reflection of the follow up program   

The change election of the Sixth Session of Village Committee was over with its success. With the training program many rural women become female chiefs. They have new pressing needs to be met through our follow up programs.

                i.      Continue to provide female heads various capacity building: the evaluation shows that newly elected heads need tailored capacity building to enhance their ability of managing village affairs. We are planning to provide trainings of villagers’ self-governance, community design, gender and leadership and site visit opportunities as well as expand means of capacity building.

            ii.      Establish female heads’ supportive network: newly elected heads scatter around the province wide, a few within each county. They are weak and keen to have mutual supports and helps. We are trying to build a female chiefs’ network (called Lian Yi Hui) for supportive network and environment, which will facilitate chiefs’ communication and helps among each other and enhance their confidences to deal with difficulties.

        iii.      Campaign policy-making favorite to women’s electoral and political participations. Under the influence of our works, the Organization Department, Civil Affairs and Women’s Federation in Shaanxi province jointly stipulate the appropriate percentage for women’s electoral and political participations. However it has not been included in the local legislation agenda. We hope to promote the local legislation of Shaanxi Standing Committee of the People’s Congress for the benefit of women’s electoral and political participations and impact women further at the province level.