China

Priority Projects in China

Early Childhood Care and Development Capacity Building Program in China

Your gift will help build the capacity of early childhood teachers, health workers, caregivers and the government in selected economically poor rural areas of Shaanxi province. Read More or Donate Now!

China Earthquake Rehabilitation Project

Applying Plan's Early Childhood Care and Development approach to assist children, families and communities in earthquake-affected communities in South-Western China to rebuild and improve education services for children. Read More

Our plan in China

Plan is working at the grassroots level in China with local partner, the Shaanxi Women’s Federation, and local authorities to empower communities to bring real and lasting change, so that their children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Plan has worked in China (population 1.3 billion) since 1995 and currently runs five child-centred community development programs which aim to address the following issues affecting children:

• Insufficient access to quality child and maternal health care
• Low family income
• Limited access to clean water, sanitation and environment
• Poor access to quality education (pre-school, primary and secondary)
• Inadequate protection for vulnerable children and low child participation

Plan’s programs and strategies to address these issues include:

Child and maternal health care

Children in rural China, in particular have limited access to quality community health services. In addition, their health is often undermined due to their parent’s lack of health knowledge. Plan’s Child and maternal health care program aims to improve the quality of community healthcare and increase community awareness of health issues. Helping local authorities to train low cost village doctors and develop school-based health curricula is also part of this program.

Family income

Although economic and social development in China is booming, the rural areas have mostly missed out: many rural families still struggle to survive. However, Plan’s Sustainable Livelihood program is helping women, families and community members improve their incomes through training and a micro-finance lending scheme. The program is providing training in sustainable agriculture; loans to buy farm animals; the resources to grow higher value crops; and loans to open small businesses. Training is also provided on financial management and marketing. And vocational courses are offered to young people  

Water, sanitation and the environment

Many of the children and their families where Plan works live in areas that are affected by drought and have little or no basic sanitation.  Plan’s Water, Environment and Sanitation Improvement program provides training, resources and technical support to communities so they have the means to set up clean water and sanitation systems. Community members including children also promote environmental sanitation and good hygienic behaviours.

Education

Children living in rural areas often do not have access to quality education compared to their big city cousins. Plan’s Education program aims to improve education by supporting local education authorities to develop effective teaching and learning methods. This also includes improving teacher training, ongoing support to schools and providing opportunities for children and parents to participate in how their school is managed. The program also aims to help set up more pre-schools, which are presently rare in rural China.

Child protection and child participation

Children, especially vulnerable children in difficult situations such as orphans, children of migrant workers, children affected by HIV and AIDS and disabled children do not have adequate protection and support.  Rural communities and especially children all over China, often do not have the opportunity to participate in making decisions that affect their lives. Plan’s Advocating for children’s rights program aims to provide children with the skills to improve their own lives, to participate in social development, and to access relevant information and have their views heard. Through this program, Plan also aims to raise awareness of and advocate for a legal protection network against child abuse and neglect and campaigns for birth registration of all rural children.

Country Facts

Country	China	Australia
Flag
Population	1.3079 Billion	19.9 Million
Language	Chinese	English
Capital	Beijing	Canberra
GDP per capita (USD/year)	1,490	$29,000
Life expectancy	71.9	80.3
Access to safe drinking water	77%	100%
Literacy	90.9%	100%
Source:	United Nations: Millennium Development Goals Report 2006