Since 1990 in China, the overall illiteracy rate has decreased by 50% thanks to increasing investment in education and literacy. However, in underdeveloped regions and among women, the illiteracy rate remains high. A survey conducted in 2004 found that 75% of minority populations located in remote and rural regions of western China were illiterate. Moreover, there are 2.7 times as many illiterate women (about 80 million) than men. 70% of women aged between 15 and 45 years are illiterate. This fact has led to huge challenges for both family education and local development.

• To help illiterate women learn to read and write functionally for daily use, grasp basic farm skills, and become aware of gender equality
• To train teachers to improve teaching quality and to promote gender awareness in their teaching
• To explore new methodologies and tools on adult literacy teaching

Intervention areas: Weizhou Township, Tongxin County in Ningxia, Hui Autonomous Region, Weiyuan County, Gansu Province and Majiang County, Guizhou Province.

Aide et Action works in partnership with a local NGO. Together they manage the project through reports, diffusion and sharing of its experiences, organization of common reflection about gender and education. The activities are operationally implemented by all local stakeholders. There are three parts to this activity:

• Women's literacy classes
• Teachers' training
• Research-action through women's class, field surveys

PARTNERS: Cultural Development Center for Rural Women in Beijing (CDCRW) and Community Base Organization

• 7 classes were opened
• 14 voluntary teachers were trained
• 210 women were taught
• Women began to acquire more self-reliance