Gansu Women's Federation held a ceremony at an elementary school in Tianzhu County, Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, on October 30 to officially launch the Heng'ai Action charity project, for which local charity-minded women are encouraged to produce handmade clothes for rural "left-behind" children (those whose parents have left them alone at their hometown to go to work in far-off cities).

Heng'ai Action, jointly established by the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) and the Hengyuanxiang Group in 2005, provides warm winter gear to impoverished children across the country, many of whom are forced to face the long, cold winter still wearing their light summer clothing. The initiative calls on members of the public, through the women's federations and foundations in various regions, to knit sweaters for the underprivileged children, especially those who are disabled or orphaned.

At the launch ceremony, Vice-President of the Gansu Women's Federation Zhang Xinlan said that the charity initiative had benefited over 40,000 children from poverty-stricken families across 14 cities or prefectures in the province, since it was introduced into the region in 2008, with great support from local women's federations and female enthusiasts. Meanwhile, she called on local women's federations, charity-minded individuals and enterprises to make a better implementation of the charity project and produce more warm clothes for underprivileged youngsters.

Zhu Chengyan, a local representative, said that the efforts would convey more compassion and hope to poverty-stricken children, and further enlighten their hope for life. In the meantime, Wei Ling, a representative of local left-behind children, emphasized that the donated warm clothes and other assistance from the public would increase their self-confidence, self-independence and perseverance in daily life, and encourage them to study hard in school as a way to show their thanks to donors.

Those in attendance at the inauguration ceremony also included Zhuang Wenyun, a representative from Hengyuanxiang; officials from Tianzhu County People's Government; staff members from local women's federations; and representatives of charity-minded women.

(Provided by the Gansu Women's Federation)