Within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals Fund, a project to train women entrepreneurs in business development created culture-based economic opportunities for ethnic minorities and young women in several provinces of China. The project provided local populations provided with sustainable revenues that helped them take their first steps out of poverty.

The geographical scope covered Guizhou Province (Leishan and Congjiang Counties), Yunnan Province (Longchuan County and Luxi Municipality), Qinghai Province (Hualong County) and the Tibet Autonomous Region (Linzhi County).

 As a result, local artisans, with significant creative capacities gained market exposure through their participation in fairs, such as the 2010 Shanghai Expo and UNESCO’s Award for Excellence. To ensure sustainability community leaders were trained in culturally appropriate gender empowerment and 168 local stakeholders were trained in community-based cultural tourism approaches.