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All-China Women's Federation

http://www.womenofchina.cn/html/womenofchina/report/155663-1.htm

CHINA - ETHNIC MIAO WOMEN STRUGGLE AMIDST DROUGHT

Editor:Wu Linfei - August 20, 2013 

Luo Jinmei, 81, carries 10-kilogram buckets on her shoulders. Both her sons have left home to work and she lives alone. [sxdaily.com.cn]

Women of the Miao ethnic minority group have recently had to shoulder the heavy burdens of family and farming work in southwest China's Guizhou Province this summer as a drought has hit the area.

Many young rural men in Guizhou have gone to the cities to look for jobs, leaving behind women, children and senior citizens fighting against the drought. They are left doing heavy tasks such as washing clothes, cooking, feeding the livestock and farming.

Statistics show that 83 counties, cities and districts in Guizhou have been affected by the drought this summer, including 43 counties experiencing severe drought. More than 16 million people have been affected and about 3 million people face problems with sourcing safe drinking water.

The situation has eased slightly with the rainfall brought by Typhoon Utor. Meanwhile, the government has also taken measures to help the local people.

A 71-year-old woman from the Miao ethnic minority group carries corn stalks home. There is no crop this year because of the drought, so she will use the stalks for fuel. [sxdaily.com.cn]