China Philanthropy News
March 2010
Issue 022
Click here for PDF version of this publication
China Philanthropy News is produced by Grantmakers Without Borders (Gw/oB) for grantmaking organizations, donors and individuals interested in philanthropic engagement with China. It provides current news on giving, links to useful research, books reviews and other resources to provide a better understanding of the landscape of philanthropy in the country. For more information about Grantmakers Without Borders, visit www.gwob.net.
REGISTER TODAY!
Grantmakers Without Borders' 10th Anniversary Conference
June 7th to 9th, 2010
San Francisco, CA
CONTENTS
Current NEWS
Philanthropy and Civil Society
1. Forbes' Heroes of Philanthropy
2. Grassroots groups taking root in China
3. Government gives financial support to disabled NGOs for the first time
4. Some positive signs in China's media landscape
5. Hong Kong's younger generation pushing for change
6. China tells colleges to cut ties with Oxfam
7. Journalists issue open letter against Hubei governor
8. China boosts power of rural voters
9. China tightens restrictions on NGOs
10. Teachers forced to give away salaries to charity
Human Rights
11. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei makes Internet his medium
12. China sentences quake activist Tan Zuoren
13. Apple finds child labor violations at suppliers
14. Google pulling out services from mainland China
15. US criticizes China's domestic, economic policies
16. Protester nabbed in Hong Kong for pro-Tibet sit-in
17. Chinese poet Liao Yiwu blocked from going to German festival
Environment
18. Dam plans open gates to tough choices ahead
19. Wringing China dry
20. One man's battle against pollution
Health
21. 94 people in SW China found to have lead poisoning
22. China vows moves on property prices and health care
23. Vice premier calls for expanding medical reform
Population
24. China: Debating hukou reform
25. Millions of Chinese rural migrants denied education for their children
Useful RESOURCES
26. Report: China releases first national pollution census
27. Report: U.S. released the State Department's annual Human Rights report.
28. Study: The HIV Epidemic in Yunnan Province, China, 1989-2007.
29. Study: Environment and Health in China: an introduction to an emerging research field
30. Video interview: Sustainable development in China
VOICES of China
31. Liu Mu, the Secretary General of Gansu Wenxian Association for Post-disaster Reconstruction and Poverty Alleviation
Current NEWS
Philanthropy and Civil Society
1. Forbes' Heroes of Philanthropy
This is the third annual Heroes of Philanthropy issue from Forbes, which includes a list of 48 leading givers-- Four from each of twelve Asia-Pacific countries. These aren't always the biggest givers, but a varied group of generous people. The global financial crisis is hammering fortunes all over Asia, but the past year was still a good one for philanthropy as tycoons and more modest donors tried to maintain their charity commitments. Many opened up their checkbooks to help the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and the Myanmar cyclone in May. Many more donated to health, education, cultural and other causes. See the full list at: http://www.forbes.com/global/2009/0316/054_philanthropy.html
2. Government gives financial support to disabled NGOs for the first time
The authorities will allocate 3.7 million yuan ($0.54 million) to 63 private service institutions for disabled people this year to help with their operations, which is the first time the government has supported non-governmental organizations on a large scale. The money will come from both the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation (BDPF) and the Beijing municipal government. As reported by Global Times at: http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/metro-beijing/update/society/2010-02/505255.html
3. Grassroots groups taking root in China
Chinese civil society is coming increasingly to the fore as wealthy tycoons create big charitable foundations and grassroots organizations form networks of their own. Their swift reaction to the devastating Sichuan earthquake saw grassroots organizations improve their image among Communist Party officials and the wider public. Meanwhile, new regulations have encouraged charitable foundations as part of China's drive for a "harmonious society". As reported by IPS as http://ipsnews.net.news.asp?idnews=50490.
4. Some positive signs in China's media landscape
Few foreign observers consider China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) as genuinely democratic institutions that can represent the interests of the Chinese people. And while many dismiss the Chinese media as being equally restricted in its democratic functions, there are nevertheless some positive signs in the media landscape. As reported by China Realtime Report: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/03/06/yiyi-lu-some-positive-signs-in-chinas-media-landscape/
5. Hong Kong's younger generation pushing for change
China's plan to build the world's most ambitious national high-speed rail network set off a wave of protests by a group known as the "Post 80s" generation who are aggressively campaigning for reforms and a greater say in how Hong Kong is run, unnerving the authorities in the money-hungry city. The potential influence of the "Post 80s" movement was highlighted when thousands of protestors staged days of demonstrations against the multi-billion-dollar Hong Kong link for China's rail network. As reported by Telegraph at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7305694/Hong-Kongs-younger-generation-pushing-for-change.html
6. China tells colleges to cut ties with Oxfam
While Beijing is often anxious about NGOs, the British-founded agency Oxfam has been working on the mainland for more than two decades in co-operation with the government. However, China's education ministry has ordered colleges to cut ties with Oxfam and prevent it from recruiting on campuses, accusing its Hong Kong branch of a hidden political agenda through supporting the anti-express rail demonstration. A notice attributed to the education ministry said the Hong Kong branch of Oxfam, which oversees operations on the mainland, was a "non-governmental organization seeking to infiltrate" the mainland. As reported by Guardian at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/23/china-tells-schools-ban-oxfam
7. Journalists issue open letter against Hubei governor
Following Hubei Governor Li Hongzhong's outburst at a reporter questioning him at the NPC meetings, hundreds of prominent Chinese journalists, scholars and activists have penned an open letter protesting his actions and calling for an investigation and a public apology. As reported by China Digital Times at: http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/03/journalists-issue-open-letter-against-hubei-governor/
8. China boosts power of rural voters
The National People's Congress ended its yearly session on March 14 with the endorsement of changes to the Electoral Law and acceptance of the government's work report. The report-delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao-sets a target of 8 percent economic growth for this year, it won 2,836 out of 2,909 votes. The deputies also carried resolutions dealing with the national development plan, budgets, and the work reports of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. As reported by VOV News at: http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/China-boosts-power-of-rural-voters/20103/113521.vov
A summary of NPC hot issues can be accessed through CCTV at: http://english.cctv.com/program/bizchina/20100315/101000.shtml
9. China tightens restrictions on NGOs
Chinese government has tightened restrictions on overseas donations to independent domestic non-governmental organizations in what is being seen as a move to impose more controls on them. Under a new regulation that came into effect this March, independent NGOs that accept donations from overseas donors face more scrutiny than ever. As reported by Associated Press at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i-Ot7fFtSy5R_Osfx7STy3jiU64wD9 D6U085
10. Teachers forced to give away salaries to charity
More than 2,000 teachers in Taizhou, east China's Jiangsu province, were allegedly forced to "donate" about 4,000 yuan (US$586) each to a charity fund launched by the local government in a move the authorities claimed would help the poor. The teachers were forced to sign an agreement which authorized the local educational bureau to take 4,000 yuan from their pay for a charity fund defined as "helping the poor". However, the authorities did not specify where the money would go. As reported by China.org.cn at: http://china.org.cn/china/2010-02/10/content_19400806.htm
Human Rights
11. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei makes Internet his medium
Ai Weiwei, one of China's most famous contemporary artists, makes internet his canvas, where the battle lines of free expression in today's China are drawn by bloggers and censors, netizens and patrollers paid to ferret out sensitive commentary. As reported by Reuters at: http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-46686520100305
12. China sentences quake activist Tan Zuoren
Tan Zuoren, a Chinese activist who publicly blamed shoddy buildings for the deaths of thousands of schoolchildren in a 2008 earthquake, was sentenced to five years in jail for "incitement to subversion." Tan had organized an online campaign to draw up a list of all the schoolchildren who died in the Sichuan earthquake, which in several towns destroyed public buildings such as schools while leaving neighboring structures undamaged. That fed suspicions of faulty, possibly corrupt, public works programs. As reported by CSMonitor.com at: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/0209/China-sentences-quake-activist-Tan-Zuoren
13. Apple finds child labor violations at suppliers
Apple has identified 17 "core" violations in an audit of suppliers that scrutinized 102 of the facilities where iPods, iPhones and Mac computers are produced. Apple said its annual supplier responsibility assessment uncovered eight violations involving "excessive recruitment fees," three with underage workers, three relating to hazardous waste disposal by noncertified vendors, and three of "falsified records." The company did not name the offending factories, or say where they were based, but the majority of its goods are assembled in China. As reported by Telegraph at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7330986/Apple-admits-using-child-labour.html
14. Google pulling out services from mainland China
Google went public with Chinese-based hacking attacks and decided to stop censoring online content in the communist country out of "principle," according to comments made by the company's CEO at the annual conference of the American Society of News Editors (ASNE). Earlier this year, officials at Google revealed that the search engine's source code and Web-based Gmail accounts belonging to journalists and human-rights activists in China had been targeted by a series of cyber attacks. After a period of negotiating with the government, Google finally pulled out from mainland China. As reported by RedOrbit at: http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1848061/google_principle_the_reason_for_china_pullout/
15. US criticizes China's domestic, economic policies
The Obama administration accused China of abusing its citizens' rights and maintaining currency policies that cost millions of U.S. jobs, a double-barrel attack that comes amid a growing willingness to confront and even antagonize the Asian power. As reported by Associated Press at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gbr-pWwrLTnLSSQwCJcwabR79UBgD9ECO9580
16. Protester nabbed in Hong Kong for pro-Tibet sit-in
Hong Kong authorities arrested a protester who took part in a small sit-in marking the anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Beijing, drawing criticism from rights activists here who say police are infringing on the territory's Western-style freedoms. As reported by Taiwan News at: http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1202950&lang=eng_news
17. Chinese poet Liao Yiwu blocked from going to German festival
Liao Yiwu, a 52-year-old writer who was jailed for four years after recording himself wailing and reading a poem about the 1989 Tiananmen Square, claims he was blocked from leaving the country for a 13th time as he tried to board a flight to participate in Europe's largest literary festival in Cologne. As reported by Telegraph at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7351771/Chinese-poet-Liao-Yiwu-blocked-from-going-to-German-festival.html
Environment
18. Dam plans open gates to tough choices ahead
In 2003, a consortium of power companies proposed building 13 dams along the Nu, a project that would produce more electricity than the Three Gorges Dam, which spans the Yangtze in Hubei province. The move brought together China's fledgling environmental movement, which launched a vocal campaign to keep the Nu free-flowing. In 2004 Premier Wen Jiabao ordered a halt to the project and a full environmental assessment. However, the assessment was never released to the public. The project was scaled down from 13 dams to four, and preliminary work went ahead despite Wen's edict. Today, the construction of a small dam on a tributary to the Nu, just south of the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), is nearly complete. While environmentalists remain staunchly opposed to damming the Nu, the controversy is not black and white. As reported by IPS at : http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50457
19. Wringing China dry
Reservoirs and hydropower stations are sprouting up all over China, damaging ecosystems and causing conflict. After the year 2000, investment in hydropower was liberalised, leaving both major power firms and smaller private companies free to build hydropower stations. The density of hydroelectric development is shocking: the water outlet from one station feeds directly into the dam of the next. As a result, stretches of river are left without flowing water – they and their tributaries become a series of lakes. As reported by China Dialogues at: http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/3520
20. One man's battle against pollution
Dianchi Lake, located in the provincial capital of Kunming, was once regarded as the "pearl" of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau with its crystal-clear waters. But things started to change in 1992, when investors flooded to the area for the rich mineral resources underground. They brought noisy steam shovels and towering cranes to the tranquil lakeside. Zhang Zhengxiang, a local farmer, became the lone fighter against what he saw as profit-driven groups. His only weapons were his pen and camera. As reported by China Daily at: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-03/05/content_9539996.htm
Health
21. 94 people in SW China found to have lead poisoning
Chinese authorities have ordered the closure of a lead ingot factory in the country's southwest after 94 people, including 88 children, in nearby villages were found to have lead poisoning. Reports of lead poisoning have emerged around the country since last year, highlighting the heavy environmental cost of China's rapid economic development. As reported by Associated Press at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g7wv0eo5eoz5m7jhnU24w4NIk6GQD9EEQ6600
22. China vows moves on property prices and health care
Senior Chinese officials vowed to rein in skyrocketing home prices, make medical services more affordable and improve social security, key issues that have provoked widespread discontent that the government fears could threaten stability. As reported by Associated Press at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGQDE0Z2LbFGRirzDQTs81WGjXlAD9EAIGOG0
23. Vice premier calls for expanding medical reform
Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang Tuesday urged greater efforts should be made to expand medical reform this year. At a meeting of the leading group for furthering medical reform under the State Council, Li said to advance reform and development of medicine and health care cause, priority of work should go to establishment of a basic health care service system accessible to all and improvement of health care service at grassroots level. As reported by China.org.cn at: http://china.org.cn/china/2010-03/17/content_19622686.htm
Population
24. China: Debating hukou reform
Earlier this month, thirteen Chinese newspapers joined forces in appealing to the NPC's 3,000 delegates for social reforms. They attacked China's hukou (household registration system), which severely limits the access of rural migrant workers to basic services in China's metropolises. Yet it did not take long for one of its authors to be ousted. The Economic Observer's deputy editor in chief, Zhang Hong, was removed from his position less than a fortnight after the editorial's release, and the paper's other top editors received harsh warning from the authorities. As reported by Global Voices Online at: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/03/15/china-debating-hukou-reform/
25. Millions of Chinese rural migrants denied education for their children
Chinese children are entitled to a state education, but not all of them get one. And the tens of millions born to migrant workers are among the most vulnerable, owing to the Hukou registration system that divides the country's citizens into rural and urban dwellers, and dictates their rights accordingly. Fifty-eight million children are left behind in the countryside by parents who hope that relatives will raise them lovingly. Another 19 million remain in the cities – where they are, in effect, second-class citizens. Both groups have poorer academic performance and more behavioural problems than their peers. As reported by the Guardians at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/15/china-migrant-workers-children-education
back to table of contents
Useful RESOURCES
26. Report: China releases first national pollution census
China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, the National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Agriculture have jointly released the results of The First National Census of Pollution Sources. The results show that nitrogen oxide emission from motor vehicles accounted for 30% of the total emissions and had a bad influence on urban air quality. According to the census, the major pollution in the agricultural sector comes from poultry breeding. It is said that the oxygen demand, and nitrogen and phosphorus emissions from poultry breeding accounted for 96%, 38% and 56%, respectively, of the total oxygen demand, and total nitrogen and phosphorus emissions from the agricultural sector. As reported by China CSR at http://www.chinacsr.com/en/2010/02/12/7164-china-publishes-census-results-on-pollution-sources/
The Full Chinese version of the report can be accessed through official website of National Bureau of Statistics of China at: http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/qttjgb/qgqttjgb/t20100211_402621161.htm
27. Report: U.S. released the State Department's annual Human Rights report
Use of the document is to inform the public and educate various agencies of the government to understand current State Department analysis of nations. Among many issues highlighted in report that criticizes abuses in other nations is internet censorship. China is accused of increasing its efforts to monitor Internet use, control content, restrict information, block access to foreign and domestic Web sites, encourage self-censorship, and punish those who violated regulations. The full report can be accessed through U.S. Department of State website: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/index.htm
28. Study: The HIV Epidemic in Yunnan Province, China, 1989-2007
This study is conducted to investigate the characteristics and trends in the HIV epidemic in Yunnan province, China, between 1989 and 2007.Conclusion is that the HIV epidemic in Yunnan has progressed to a concentrated epidemic. Future efforts must focus on not only groups at risk for primary infection (injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and FSWs) but also on their low-risk sexual partners. At: http://journals.lww.com/jaids/Fulltext/2010/02011/The_HIV_Epidemic_in_Yunnan_Province,_China,.7.aspx
29. Study: Environment and Health in China: an introduction to an emerging research field
This paper is an introduction to the special issue. It provides an overview of the major environment-related health risks China faces, and a review of some of the responses currently being made by the government and societal actors. The paper concludes with a discussion of the contributions that the social sciences might make to our understanding of these issues. At: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/ftinterface~content=a918908013~fulltext=713240930
30. Video interview: Sustainable development in China
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and several Chinese partners recently organized the International Workshop on Sustainable Food and Agriculture at People's University in Beijing. The largest conference of its kind held in China to date, the Workshop brought together 200 scholars, officials, activists and farmers from China and other countries to analyze and consider sustainable solutions for the future of agriculture in China. IATP's Executive Director Jim Harkness and Professor Wen Teijun, Dean of the School of Agriculture Economics and Rural Development in Beijing, discussed the gathering and sustainable development with Central China TV. At http://www.iatp.org/.
back to table of contents
VOICES of China
31. Interview with Liu Mu, the Secretary General of Gansu Wenxian Association for Post-disaster Reconstruction and Poverty Alleviation
This month, China Philanthropy News interviews Mr. Liu Mu, who is the he Secretary General of Gansu Wenxian Association for Post-disaster Reconstruction and Poverty Alleviation. He and his team have been working in Wenxian and other post-disaster areas after the Sichuan earthquake.
Q: Please briefly introduce the work of your organization.
A: Our organization, Gansu Wenxian Association for Post-disaster Reconstruction and Poverty Alleviation, is a registered social group which is found in 2008. In the past year, with the help and support of World Bank, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, Narada Foundation and many more charity institutions, corporations and individuals, we have organized various projects and activities, including helping build schools and school facilities, providing financial aid to teachers and students in poverty, offering Psychological training to teachers and mental comfort to students, promoting environment protection and so on.
Our council is comprised of local government officers and volunteers; therefore, we can not only carry out our projects basing on the NGO rules, but also win the trust and support of the government. We are capable of organizing charity projects with high efficiency.
Q: What are the major difficulties that you have faced? How did you solve the problems? What kind of help do you need at present?
A: As a service NGO at the starting stage, we don't have a financial guarantee of administrative expenditure, therefore our organizational structure and the development of members' ability are highly constrained; the lack of well-trained staff in turn limits our ability to get financial support, and further constrains promotion of our projects. Therefore, we hope to get special financial support for daily administration and ability training for our members.
Q: According to your observation, what is the current situation of NGOs in the post-disaster area after the Sichuan earthquake?
A: Through my contact with local government and people, I can see that in every county which suffered from the earthquake, the government and people are expecting more social sectors to participate in post-disaster reconstruction continuously. However, many Chinese grassroots NGOs lack fund guarantee for their projects, thus their work lacks continuity. Moreover, neither domestic nor international NGOs know well how to communicate and cooperate with the government; of course, the government also lacks experience to work with NGOs. The working procedures of many NGOs are as follows: investigating needs, making plans, applying for funds, carrying out projects. However, many NGOs cannot get funds after the investigation of needs. Many government staff told me that after the earthquake, a lot of organizations came here to do researches; although the government didn't have enough people working on this, it still spent time and effort to support them. However, very few of the NGOs came back to carry out projects after their investigation. As a result, the government became less willing to actively help NGOs which wanted to do researches. Because of various reasons, fewer and fewer NGOs finally stayed in the post-disaster area.
Q: How have you seen the development of NGOs in mainland China in the past few years? Are there any changes in their structure and the environment?
A: The number of NGOs and people working in NGOs, the quality of their work, and the money used in this sector has been rising in the past few years. The structure of Chinese NGOs and the issues they are concerned with are becoming more diversified. Legal and political environment as well as people's consciousness has been improving. However, wealthy NGOs mostly stay in the sphere of charity, and poor NGOs are struggling for survival. Therefore, there is still a long way to go for mainland NGOs to attract first-class talent, establish brands and achieve large-scale development.
Q: What influence do you think foreign funds and donators are having on the development of Chinese NGOs and civil society?
A: Foreign funds and donators are bringing in new ideas and hope. However, if they want to become an active part of the development of civil society in China, they should at first learn to understand and respect Chinese government and to earn its trust. They should also help domestic NGO members to get a better life and individual opportunities, just as people working in foreign funds do.
Q: What are the major opportunities and obstacles in the development of NGOs in China?
A: Major opportunities include: the need for government to improve people's life; the tendency of government to become more confident and introspective; the rising amount of charity donation. Major obstacles include: service NGO lacking of ability to attract the elite; local government lacking of chances to know about NGOs in depth.
Q: If you could offer some advice to the leaders and members of Chinese NGOs, what will you say?
A: I will suggest mainland NGOs to achieve core competitiveness and their own brands. They should do their work well in a small scale first, and then start considering to expand to a larger scale. I hope the participants of mainland NGOs to maintain a calm mind. NGO is not paradise—there may be no paradise in this world.
Q: In what do you think the government can improve to help the development of grassroots organizations and civil society? What kind of legal or regulatory support is needed?
A: The government needs more opportunities to know better about grassroots organizations and to learn about the concept, the ideology and the values concerning civil society.
Chinese culture in the past thousands of years has shaped a unique society in which rationality is not as important as affection, and legality is even less important. Legal environment is not the vital factor for mainland NGOs to consider when they want to achieve greater development. It is much more important to win understanding from government officials. We would like to welcome foundations and donators to cooperate with educational institutions such as the Management School of Beijing University to provide trainings about civil society to government officials. This is will be a beneficial move.
back to table of contents
ABOUT GRANTMAKERS WITHOUT BORDERS
Grantmakers Without Borders, a philanthropic network, is dedicated to increasing funding for international social justice and environmental sustainability and to improving the practice of international grantmaking. Our membership, currently numbering some 350 individuals from roughly 160 grantmaking entities, includes private foundations, grantmaking public charities, individual donors with a significant commitment to philanthropy, and philanthropic support organizations. Availing of this wealth of experience and expertise, Grantmakers Without Borders provides capacity-building support to international grantmakers both novice and experienced. We offer a space for education, community and collaboration among international social change grantmakers. We advocate before policymakers on behalf of social change grantmakers, and we work to leverage the philanthropic sector to increase funding to the global South. In all our efforts, Grantmakers Without Borders is committed to the ideals of justice, equity, peace, democracy, and respect for the environment. We value and respect the wisdom and experience of local communities in all their diversity, and we are dedicated to amplifying the voice of the global South in international philanthropy.
Grantmakers Without Borders
1009 General Kennedy Ave., #2
San Francisco, CA 94129
P: (617) 794-2253
back to top
Grantmakers Without Borders 1009 General Kennedy Ave., #2 San Francisco, CA 94129 Phone 415.264.4370
Copyright © 1998-2010. All rights reserved.
For more information contact us at GwoB@gwob.net
Please report any problems with this site to the webmaven
Web Design by Lucille
Design |
