“With the 20,000 Yuan entrepreneurship loan, I have solved the capital turnover problem in my bookstore finally” Du Chunyan, the 34-year-old Nanchong native, said with excitement when she accepted the 20,000 Yuan loan check at the entrepreneurship loan issuing ceremony for Chengdu Migrant Young Women Workers. This project was jointly conducted by Plan China, Royal Bank of Scotland and Qingyang District (Chengdu) Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Centre.

“When many migrant workers have grasped some skills, they all hope to start their own business and make money. However, due to insufficient capital and experience, their dreams hardly come true. Now with the loans, I believe more migrant workers can take the path to business starting and prosperity.” Du Chunyan said with excitement.

In January 2009, Plan China cooperated with Royal Bank of Scotland and Qingyang District (Chengdu) Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Centre to initiate the entrepreneurship project for migrant young women workers. Through the 3-month training including gender awareness, economic skills and laboring skills, this project aims at helping the migrant young workers improve their entrepreneurship capacity and competitiveness. In this way after selection and examination, the trainees will obtain seed capital so as to develop their own business, improve their life and enhance their sense of belonging to the city. After training and investigation, all the women migrant workers between 18 and 35 years old who have lived or worked in Qingyang District for more than one year and whose family income is less than 12,000 Yuan, can apply for the entrepreneurship loan ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 Yuan.

In addition this project has set up an entrepreneurship expert team which consists of the successful entrepreneurs in Chengdu. Through the monthly “one-to-one” entrepreneurship tutoring, this team tries its utmost to solve these migrant workers’ problems, offer opportunities and reduce difficulties in their early-stage entrepreneurship to guarantee the maximum success in their business and provide the all-directional service for women migrant workers who apply for loans.

Liu Zhongliang, the Sponsorship & Grants Support Manager of Plan China, expressed at the ceremony that the entrepreneurship project for migrant young women workers attempted to improve the development ability and living standard of youth, women youth in particular, who are in inferior situation, thus better facilitating women migrant workers to include in the city life.