Guizhou pushes private companies to help alleviate poverty

Since 2016, Southwest China's Guizhou province has called on private companies to participate in targeted poverty alleviation measures and organized various poverty alleviation activities.

So far, 5,849 companies have invested 23.68 billion yuan ($3.66 billion) in helping 6,914 impoverished villages, benefiting 1.66 million poverty-stricken people.

Guizhou's federations of industry and commerce at all levels organized 22 overseas Guizhou chambers of commerce, 64 Guizhou chambers of commerce in other provinces and 85 business associations in Guizhou to join the targeted poverty alleviation campaign.

Meanwhile, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce organized 310 private companies to help 328 villages in Bijie's Zhijin county, implementing 579 poverty alleviation projects with a total investment of 773 million yuan.

Suzhou's federation of industry and commerce in East China's Jiangsu province encouraged 236 companies to invest in Tongren city and organized 150 companies and 58 business associations to help Tongren's impoverished villages.

The companies alleviated poverty through industrial development, commercial development and employment opportunities. They also assisted graduate students, returned migrant workers, veterans and young people in starting businesses.

By the end of 2019, private companies' targeted poverty alleviation measures covered 68.42 percent of Guizhou's severely impoverished towns and townships and 38.7 percent of the province's severely impoverished villages.