How to better protect women and children's rights? What can be done to help the elderly and the underprivileged?

Gan Weiwei, 50, has come up with many inspiring solutions with her passionate enthusiasm towards these causes.

A division chief of the Social Welfare and Social Affairs Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Gan is in charge of the supervision of the nation's welfare lottery proceeds. She suggested that a larger part of the proceeds go to social welfare projects designed for the elderly, disabled, orphans, waifs and destitute children.

Thanks to her efforts, a national programme  the Starlight Project  was initiated in 2001 and implemented until 2004.

Through the project, which mainly focused on the well-being of elderly Chinese, more than 32,000 community welfare service centres for senior citizens have been established across the nation using lottery money.

During the three years, a total of 13.5 billion yuan (US$1.68 billion) was earmarked for Starlight Homes for the Seniors and resulted in the setting up of a large number of entertainment centres, libraries, healthcare centres, and schools for the aged nationwide.

"We expect the welfare service centres for senior citizens to spring up all around China," says Gan.

China has become one of the world's fastest growing aging societies. "Elderly people should not be sidelined in the society. Despite of their age, they should have places where they can go for fun and get the extra help they need in their daily lives," she adds.

 The project was well received by senior citizens both in urban areas and in the countryside, "and now you can see the nameplate of Starlight Home for the Seniors everywhere."

According to Gan, the Tomorrow Project, another programme run by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is also in the pipeline.

A total of 600 million yuan (US$74.7 million) is projected for investment in the programme over three years (2004 - 07) to help handicapped children across the nation who are in hospitals waiting for proper surgery and recovery treatment.

As a liaison person of the Ministry of Civil Affairs with the AIDS (Acquired Immure Deficiency Syndrome) Prevention and Treatment Working Committee of the State Council since 2000, Gan has also visited a large number of high AIDS incidence areas in China, such as Mawei in Yunnan Province and Shangcai in Henan Province. This has given her valuable insight into the general situation of women and children suffering from AIDS in these areas.

"I visit local healthcare stations to get a general idea of issues, and supervise the function of local guiding centres on the spot, ensuring every penny earmarked is used where it is needed most." Gan adds.

 Whenever Gan visits the welfare organizations or care centres, she always frequents the living rooms for the seniors and children.

In areas where there are no orphanages, temporary care centres have been established, such as the "Sunshine Home" in Henan for orphans or those abandoned by their HIV positive parents.

"It is my job to collect first-hand information about the development of women and children's well-being on the one hand, and on the other hand, I must visit the high AIDS incidence areas for field study," she says.

 Gan, then a director in charge of affairs of assisting the homeless, witnessed the reform of the former assistance system for vagrants and beggars in 2003 when the government drafted more caring measures to tackle the problem.

"My part in drafting the new measures took me nearly two months, without any holidays," she recalls.

According to Gan, more government-funded shelters especially for abandoned youngsters and vagrants will be built in county-level areas, as part of the 11th Five-Year Programme (2006-10).

Gan is also seen as an inspiration by her colleagues because of her attitude towards life.

For years, she has been assisting one of her old schoolmates, who was handicapped by a working accident, financially and psychologically.

"I am glad when I can help the needy. I do not expect returns from it; I just do it," says Gan in earnest.

It is no doubt that Gan is a strong woman in her work, but how about her roles as a wife and mother?

Her family was the only one in the Ministry of Civil Affairs  to win the "national-level model family" award in 1997. And the laurel stuck her family four consecutive years from 2002 to 2005.

 In addition to housework, she also cares for her father-in-law who is 88 years old.

"Everyone has to find a balance between job and family. I think it is my obligation to set up an example to care for children and the elderly."