Because of increasingly high proportion of women and elderly in the rural villages, programs were implemented to assist women to acquire new knowledge and living skills and senior citizens to acquire healthy life style and skills of self-care, and to extend preventive health education in the rural villages. Other support systems were also provided for the women, the elderly, and the disabled to ease the burden of families.

1. Life-long learning for rural women

The COA’s mission in the rural women focuses on nutrition and health, aging with health, aging with dignity in local setting, support of families with foreign spouses, family care, and financial management. The Council continues assisting the rural home-maker groups to improve their functions, and providing learning opportunities for the rural women to acquire life-management skills. During the year, there were 2,476 classes of various types with 59,133 woman participants, 9,304 trainers who received home economics training so as to train others, and 308 women received family-care training so as to care for the sick and aged in the families. Six classes of nursing aide training were also conducted with 172 graduates receiving certificates, and 55 of them had found jobs in the related field.

2. Care of the rural elderly and disabled

Efforts were taken to assist the elderly to manage their own lives and to improve their adaptability to changing environment. In this regard, 239 classes on life improvement for the elderly were conducted and 12,655 senior citizens received living support services of various kinds. Thirty one farmers’ associations in remote areas have established living-support centers, recruited and trained 610 volunteers regularly visited 759 disabled families and cared for those elderly who live alone, and provided services on information, counseling, and referral.