CREATING NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS
China’s migrant workforce is one of the major drivers of the country’s economic rise. In Beijing alone there are 4 million migrant workers. Over the past decade, China has seen the development of micro-loans to support rural development, but very few banks lend money to migrant workers. With support from the Boeing Company, the Foundation developed the "Social Innovation Fund" for migrant workers in Beijing, to facilitate the integration of migrant workers into their new urban communities by building social support networks and creating new and enhanced economic opportunities through the loans as well as skills training. Loan projects provide them a remarkable opportunity to start or expand their own businesses, such as setting up a bookstore for other migrant workers and recruiting more migrant workers to expand their garment businesses.
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER APPROACHES TO CLEANER PRODUCTION AND REDUCING WATER POLLUTION
China faces the challenge of continuing its economic development while at the same time protecting the environment. Chinese official statistics show that 90 percent of rivers running through the country’s cities are polluted. The combined costs of air and water pollution for China’s economy at $US100 billion a year -- about 5.8 percent of the country’s GDP, according to the World Bank. In Guangdong province. the Foundation is working with local economic development and environmental protection policymakers, enterprises, industry associations, suppliers, local experts and communities to reduce the quantity of heavy metals discharged to the Pearl River. Through international and domestic study tours, data collection and monitoring, training workshops and implementation support, the project is introducing cleaner production models to the pilot industries and area.