Harnessing power to help people
By Tan Weiyun |
October 16, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MORE and more nonprofit organizations or NPOs are getting registered in the Pudong New Area, where they fill a need for social services. A society unites, nurtures and coordinates them, reports Tan Weiyun.
Nonprofit social welfare organizations are increasing rapidly in the Pudong New Area, providing a range of assistance, such as free tutoring and music lessons for children of migrant workers, caring for the elderly, providing legal services and helping juvenile offenders.
The number of privately funded nonprofit organization or NPOs (one kind of nongovernmental organization or NGO) soared from 147 a decade ago to 963 today, according to the annual report of the Pudong Social Organization Department.
There are two main kinds of nonprofit social organizations in China - the NPOs and foundations. All must register with a relevant local government department and be supervised by that department,
It's not easy to get registered, since many government departments consider registration and management to be extra work for them (the less trouble, the better, the thinking goes) and definitely a headache if the NGO is poorly run.
It's an uphill road to demonstrate their effectiveness and win government trust, but many groups are succeeding.
The district government is trying to build a healthy environment for NPOs. In 2009, the government-appointed Society for the Promotion of NPO Cooperation in the Pudong New Area was set up and it now has 30 members. It is believed to be the first such platform for NPO coordination on the Chinese mainland.
"Each NPO is weak and tiny, but if we unite them, they become something really big. This will also make the best use of the resources among each member," says Lin Yiqiong, secretary-general of the society.
It helps NPOs register with the government, win approval for their charity projects and get help with various administrative procedures.
It operates as an open platform for underdeveloped NPOs, providing them office space and public space for events, at reduced rental prices.
All members are nonprofit and not associated with the government. They provide after-school classes and homework help for migrant workers' children, daily care for elderly people living alone, hospice care, free legal advice and legal work for the needy.
"They are all set up by groups of young, energetic people, who have great ambitions and a caring heart," says Ding Yuyu, office director of the Social Organization Management of the Pudong New Area Civil Affairs Bureau. "They are doing things in areas where government efforts might not have reached yet. They are a strong public power, supplementing the government work."
Shanghai Lequn Social Work Service, established in 2003, is one of the first private social services providers on the Chinese mainland.
It reaches out to migrants' children, solitary elders as well as juvenile offenders in more than 20 communities and towns.
Its latest project is helping minority ethnic groups in Shanghai get acquainted and integrated. Social workers hold noodle-making contests to get people to socialize, help minorities register a grocery or snack bar and establish a contact list for their fellow villagers.
"As newcomers, minority people were not very cooperative at first but now they have made friends with our social workers. They feel more accepted and integrated in the city," says secretary general Lin.
NPI, or Nonprofit Incubator, another kind of NPO, brings together various social welfare organizations and is one of the earliest members of the society.
It provides crucial support to newly established NPOs, such as free office space and shared facilities, capacity building programs, micro-grants and assistance and help with government registration and fund raising. Multifaceted assistance helps the organizations develop independently and sustainably.
Today more than 40 NPOs have "graduated" from the incubation stage. NPI now has offices in Beijing, Shenzhen in Guangdong Province and Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
Huang Weiping's Hand in Hand Life Care and Development Center joined the NPO society early last year. It is the city's first nongovernmental organization offering hospice care to patients with terminal ailments in hospitals, nursing facilities and seniors' centers.
In 2009 Huang established the group with his partner Wang Ying, who quit a well-paid advertising job. It is comprised of around 40 people, including psychologists; most are over 30 years old and have a stable job.
Volunteers take a one-month course before they begin hospice work. They learn how to win patients' confidence, how to begin the very first conversation, how to work with family members and help them when a loved one dies - and how to take care of their own mental health when a patient passes away.
"Everybody is welcome, as long as he or she has a caring mind - that's the one requirement," says Huang, adding that he personally thinks that people older than 30 are more suitable because they have more life experience.
"Sometimes young people cannot realize the true meaning of the work," he says.
Today, with the help of the society, the center has been operating effectively; there's a core of volunteers and more are joining.
"It's like seeing a little kid grow step by step," says Ding from the civil affairs bureau. "NPOs have a sharper and keener perspective on this country. We should loosen their restraints and let them fly freely. What the government should do is give them enough faith and let them stand on their own two feet.
"Supervision is a must," adds Ding.
"An NPO's first challenge is to win trust and acceptance and demonstrate that its projects are valuable and sustainable. Once it's accepted, it can surely get full support from the government."
Nonprofit social welfare organizations are increasing rapidly in the Pudong New Area, providing a range of assistance, such as free tutoring and music lessons for children of migrant workers, caring for the elderly, providing legal services and helping juvenile offenders.
The number of privately funded nonprofit organization or NPOs (one kind of nongovernmental organization or NGO) soared from 147 a decade ago to 963 today, according to the annual report of the Pudong Social Organization Department.
There are two main kinds of nonprofit social organizations in China - the NPOs and foundations. All must register with a relevant local government department and be supervised by that department,
It's not easy to get registered, since many government departments consider registration and management to be extra work for them (the less trouble, the better, the thinking goes) and definitely a headache if the NGO is poorly run.
It's an uphill road to demonstrate their effectiveness and win government trust, but many groups are succeeding.
The district government is trying to build a healthy environment for NPOs. In 2009, the government-appointed Society for the Promotion of NPO Cooperation in the Pudong New Area was set up and it now has 30 members. It is believed to be the first such platform for NPO coordination on the Chinese mainland.
"Each NPO is weak and tiny, but if we unite them, they become something really big. This will also make the best use of the resources among each member," says Lin Yiqiong, secretary-general of the society.
It helps NPOs register with the government, win approval for their charity projects and get help with various administrative procedures.
It operates as an open platform for underdeveloped NPOs, providing them office space and public space for events, at reduced rental prices.
All members are nonprofit and not associated with the government. They provide after-school classes and homework help for migrant workers' children, daily care for elderly people living alone, hospice care, free legal advice and legal work for the needy.
"They are all set up by groups of young, energetic people, who have great ambitions and a caring heart," says Ding Yuyu, office director of the Social Organization Management of the Pudong New Area Civil Affairs Bureau. "They are doing things in areas where government efforts might not have reached yet. They are a strong public power, supplementing the government work."
Shanghai Lequn Social Work Service, established in 2003, is one of the first private social services providers on the Chinese mainland.
It reaches out to migrants' children, solitary elders as well as juvenile offenders in more than 20 communities and towns.
Its latest project is helping minority ethnic groups in Shanghai get acquainted and integrated. Social workers hold noodle-making contests to get people to socialize, help minorities register a grocery or snack bar and establish a contact list for their fellow villagers.
"As newcomers, minority people were not very cooperative at first but now they have made friends with our social workers. They feel more accepted and integrated in the city," says secretary general Lin.
NPI, or Nonprofit Incubator, another kind of NPO, brings together various social welfare organizations and is one of the earliest members of the society.
It provides crucial support to newly established NPOs, such as free office space and shared facilities, capacity building programs, micro-grants and assistance and help with government registration and fund raising. Multifaceted assistance helps the organizations develop independently and sustainably.
Today more than 40 NPOs have "graduated" from the incubation stage. NPI now has offices in Beijing, Shenzhen in Guangdong Province and Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
Huang Weiping's Hand in Hand Life Care and Development Center joined the NPO society early last year. It is the city's first nongovernmental organization offering hospice care to patients with terminal ailments in hospitals, nursing facilities and seniors' centers.
In 2009 Huang established the group with his partner Wang Ying, who quit a well-paid advertising job. It is comprised of around 40 people, including psychologists; most are over 30 years old and have a stable job.
Volunteers take a one-month course before they begin hospice work. They learn how to win patients' confidence, how to begin the very first conversation, how to work with family members and help them when a loved one dies - and how to take care of their own mental health when a patient passes away.
"Everybody is welcome, as long as he or she has a caring mind - that's the one requirement," says Huang, adding that he personally thinks that people older than 30 are more suitable because they have more life experience.
"Sometimes young people cannot realize the true meaning of the work," he says.
Today, with the help of the society, the center has been operating effectively; there's a core of volunteers and more are joining.
"It's like seeing a little kid grow step by step," says Ding from the civil affairs bureau. "NPOs have a sharper and keener perspective on this country. We should loosen their restraints and let them fly freely. What the government should do is give them enough faith and let them stand on their own two feet.
"Supervision is a must," adds Ding.
"An NPO's first challenge is to win trust and acceptance and demonstrate that its projects are valuable and sustainable. Once it's accepted, it can surely get full support from the government."
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