MAPUTO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A thematic event under the African Mothers' New Farm project was held Monday in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, with cooperation planned in areas including skills training, agricultural production, entrepreneurship and employment to help local women enhance their development capacity.
The Women's Federation of central China's Hunan Province and the Office of the First Lady of Mozambique will work together to advance the project.
Wang Junshou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Hunan Provincial Committee and secretary-general of the committee, and Wu Jinjia, chargé d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Mozambique, attended the event.
Mozambican First Lady Gueta Chapo said women play an important role in the country's agricultural production, family life, and economic and social development, expressing hope that the project will help translate knowledge, technology and productive capacity into tangible development opportunities accessible to women.
"We do not only want to provide women with what they need today, but also help them acquire the knowledge, capabilities and means of livelihood that will enable them to build their own future," she said.
Wang said he hoped platforms such as the African Mothers' New Farm project would facilitate exchanges between women from Mozambique and Hunan, including government representatives, women's organizations and women entrepreneurs, to share experience in women's development, discuss opportunities and challenges, build consensus through dialogue, and share the benefits of cooperation.
Yang Lanying, president of the Women's Federation of Hunan, said the project focuses on women's empowerment and poverty reduction and promotes women's employment, skills training and family development through a mechanism involving government facilitation, technological support, corporate participation and broader social collaboration.
The project was launched in Madagascar and Kenya last year, providing employment opportunities and training for more than 1,000 women, according to Yang.
"We hope the project can provide practical assistance to African women, helping them acquire skills, find jobs and increase their incomes while enabling their families to reduce poverty and improve their lives," she said. "Through these efforts, we hope to advance poverty reduction with a stronger focus on gender equality." ■