NEW PROJECT – CAPTIVATING KAILI – ENDING POVERTY FOR 450 FAMILIES

This month has seen Captivating International enter into an historic partnership arrangement with the world famous Heifer International.  Together, we have started working to end poverty for hundreds of minority group families in one of China’s poorest locations.  This project, scheduled to conclude in 6 years, “brings hope and a poverty-free future to 450 families” with family incomes expected to more than double in real terms.  In addition, over 1,000 more families will be impacted with access to improved farming methods and experience being passed on to them from this initiative.  TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Whether great or small, everyone can play an important part of this program to permanently improve the lives of families and children.

Pictured left is the Pan Chenghui family.  Husband, wife, and 3 year old girl and 4 year old son.  Until recently Pan and his wife worked in temporary and inconsistent jobs in the city, leaving their children at home with his father.  But, a short time ago his father passed away.  Returning to the village to bury his father, Pan had no choice but to make the decision to leave his wife and children in the village and return to the city for work.  However, thanks to this initiative the Pan Chenghui family will now remain together in the village living with the hope of creating sustainable income from their soon-to-commence animal husbandry business – a business that will generate ongoing and consistent income for them.  Pan told us that his children don’t know the taste of meat with their only protein coming from an egg they have once a week.  Life is about to change, and with it a greater hope Pan and his wife will see their two children complete high-school and live poverty-free lives.  They’re now all smiles.

THE NEED

• Guizhou Province has long been considered one of China’s poorest provinces and poverty amongst rural farmers and households is still a significant issue.  In remote rural poor locations weak instrastructure, mountainous land mass, a lack of training and guidance to try something new, a concern about taking risks, and no seed-funding to get things started together make progress difficult.

• Duoji and Daxi villages are neighbors and part of the Kaili County.  All villagers are Miao m inority with a third of the population needing to become migrant workers to survive (meaning they leave the village to find heavy laboring work in the cities).  In most cases, this means waiting on the side of the road in a city hoping that a van comes past looking for laborers for that day.  It is not reliable work.  For most families, what they earn away from the village is the only cash the family receives with everything else being barter based.  The average total income (including migrant earnings) is RMB: 1700- per person annually (US/A$285 per year), much les s than the standard dollar-a-day per person poverty benchmark.

THE SOLUTION

• We at Captivating want all children to have the opportunity to achieve their dreams and their potential. Not being able to finish school is a major road-block to that vision.  These villages have the perfect opportunity of addressing this problem permanently by building the capacity of these families to increase their family income – ending poverty for this generation and all those that follow it.

• Heifer International (world experts in rural village development) and Captivating International have partnered together to do this.    Heifer providing the expertise, Captivating International providing the funding.  The solutions are focused on having the families fully involved in their decisions, retaining cultural and ethnic customs, caring for the environment and new skills that last a lifetime.

• Six Self-help Groups (SHGs) have been established and trained by on-the-ground Heifer experts.  These SHG’s have received start-up funds from Captivating International and are now responsible for running a village bank – providing both expertise and small business loans to families wanting to improve their income position.   The focus of solutions will be animal-rearing and agricultural improvement.  Other community development activities will also be incorporated as seen fit by the SHG’s.

• The project will start by assisting an initial 150 families in two villages.  The solutions will vary depending on family physical circumstances but it is expected that many will opt to receive pigs or chickens in accordance with local circumstances, preferences and customs.  A further 300 families will be assisted through recipient families agreeing to pass-on-their-gift (POG) as a key part of the program requirement.  For example, those who receive aid at the beginning of the project will pass equal-valued livestock to new approved families in 2 or 3 years, with these new recipient families doing likewise a few years later. The whole project will be finished within 6 years with the total families helped reaching 450.

WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP! Will you partner with us?

We need a combination of start-up funding partners (people who can give once-only donations of US$1,000, US$2,500 or US$5,000+) as well as people who are able to become ongoing family sponsors.

Will you become a PROJECT PARTNER?

You would be responsible for ensuring we get this project off to a great start.  We need help through our first year of this project – buying us time to engage family sponsors.  By far the first year is our highest year of financial commitment with much of the livestock being supplied to the initial 150 families.  We will recognize all donations above US$1,000 as a project partner on our website as well as give you a 6 monthly update on the project.  For more information, please email andrewc@captivating.org

Will you SPONSOR A FAMILY?

We want to match 150 sponsor families with each of the village families taking part in this project.  Each year we’ll keep you updated on how your family is progressing throughout the 6 year life of this project, including pictures of other families that benefit from your family passing-on-their-gift.  In effect, over the 6 year period of your sponsorship, not just one but three families will see the end of poverty because of your support.  Sponsorship is US/A$40 a month or US/A$480 a year.  Your contribution for the full six years will also enable us to prepare for the next village development initiative.  For more information, please email andrewc@captivating.org

Will you become a CAPTIVATING ADVOCATE and promote this project to your network?

You might not be in a position to personally donate money, but you have a voice and friends and family.  Can you help to spread the word?  Please email andrewc@captivating.org for more details.  We’ll be with you all the way. Xie Xie Ni (thank-you).