A group of 14 women in Beijing is challenging themselves and the wider Beijing community to help level the playfield by raising funds to help educate girls in rural China.

One group hosted a movie night on March 7 with all proceeds going to the Educating Girls in Rural China (EGRC) program, a restaurant is donating part proceeds from a drink on its menu and a baking business is offering 15 percent of all sales between March 8 and 26, to list a few.

The women call their initiative #ChoosetoChallengeBeijing, inspired by the #ChooseToChallenge theme of International Women's Day (IWD) 2021.

"The idea is that people will get involved in the community and do it in the name of the charity to raise awareness about the charity and raise funds for the EGRC program," said Delisa McPherson, a British educator who has called Beijing home for over five years. The fundraiser, which was officially launched on social media at midnight on Sunday, is her idea.

The beneficiary of the #ChoosetoChallengeBeijing campaign, EGRC is dedicated to helping girls and young women in western China access high school and university education as a vehicle out of poverty.

Fundraising your way

While it is not uncommon for people to put on activities to celebrate IWD, #ChoosetoChallengeBeijing has pushed the envelope even further by making their activity monthlong instead of a day. Also, in the spirit of empowerment, participants get to choose how they raise funds.

"The group is asking people to do whatever they want (to raise funds)," McPherson said.

So far, the feedback has been positive. Regular people are organizing activities with their friends and family, and groups and businesses are also getting involved.

According to the organizer, no activity is too big or too small. The aim is to empower both the fundraiser and the recipient. One of the organizers, Maria Renee Cruz, is hosting a brunch at her home and a women's talk to raise funds for the challenge.

"About 20 businesses have come on board so far," McPherson told CGTN Digital on Monday. "All the businesses have the EGRC logo on what they are doing and a special QR code for direct payment."

Ending the cycle of poverty through education

Founded 16 years ago and registered both in China and Canada, EGRC had sponsored 1,400 female students as of February 2021 and boasts a student graduation rate of 99 percent.

Also, 100 percent of its university graduates have found jobs, with 50 percent gainfully employed in their home provinces. All the associated families have also been lifted out of poverty.

"In remote rural areas, most female students do not have the opportunity to enter high school because of poverty, gender bias and traditional customs, which affects the education and development of the next generation," Zhang Nan, director of program development in Beijing, told CGTN.

"Educational development of female students is one of the most important interventions to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty," she said.

Almost 100 percent of the EGRC sponsorship to support girls in high school and university comes from donations, which is why support from activities like #ChoosetoChallengeBeijing are so helpful.

"Fundraising is even harder than before because of COVID-19," she said. "Our sponsorship is not just one year. Every girl selected into our program, we will sponsor them to finish three years of high school or four to five years of university education."

According to McPherson, this is a part of why #ChoosetoChallengeBeijing chose EGRC as its beneficiary.

"It is directly linked to challenging the lack of opportunity in rural China," she said. "The charity does that by actioning. They, through helping the girls, are not just helping them; they are helping their families."

"They are helping to give women in rural China the same opportunities that IWD is asking the world to challenge, equal access to education."

Why a day to celebrate women is important

For McPherson, "International Women's Day is important because it is a celebration of us being who we are, and that's women, and it is an opportunity for us to remind the world that gender equality is still yet to be achieved worldwide."

"It is also an opportunity to celebrate how far we have come as well and potentially where we're trying to get to," she said. "It is a chance for reflection. It's a chance for celebration, and it is a chance to hope for a better future."

(Cover: While it is not uncommon for people to put on activities to celebrate International Women's Day, #ChoosetoChallengeBeijing has pushed the envelope even further by making their activity monthlong instead of a day. /Getty)