Charity begins at ‘home’ is new credo
Print Edition
WHEN it comes to donations, most people think of help for the poor, the disabled and even disaster survivors in remote areas.
But what about Good Samaritan deeds closer to home?
To foster more local philanthropy the Jing’an District has spearheaded the creation of a foundation devoted to providing social organizations a channel for suggesting new charitable projects and supporting those efforts.
The district government assigned itself the role of “philanthropy incubator” starting in 2013. Every year, the government allocates about 3 million yuan (US$442,778) to nurture selected public welfare projects.
It’s a good effort, but not good enough.
“We hear of many brilliant ideas every year, but many of them fail to come to fruition,” said Lu Ying, deputy director of the Jing’an Social Construction Work Office. “We just fund projects for one year. Lack of subsequent financial support often means the projects wither away after that.”
The solution, she said, is to introduce new ways of fundraising.
In August, the new foundation was formed to solicit contributions via various avenues.
An online crowdfunding event in September and a charity bazaar this month collected about 50,000 yuan for worthy causes. In addition, 13 companies have contributed 700,000 yuan to the philanthropic pool.
“We want to build a bridge linking willing donors and good projects,” Lu said. “It’s a way of complementing government funding.”
The China arm of Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceuticals has pledged 200,000 yuan in support of an elderly-care project in the Jiangning Road Community.
“This is the only way to allow this community to grow better and develop in ways that benefit residents,” said Wu Yan, a senior official.
Breakthrough
So far, 68 charitable projects have been funded and implemented in the district, extending help to the elderly, the disabled and children’s education.
Of that number, 24 were initiated and operated by social organizations from other districts. That was a “breakthrough,” according to Gu Weimin, director of the Jing’an Social Organization Association.
“We used to be too conservative, but now we are open-minded,” Gu said. “We welcome well-established social organizations from everywhere. We’ve found that they are very professional and skilled, which helps us to better serve people.”
Every year, about 20 from 70 applicants were chosen, after careful assessment, for funding. Those chosen receive not only money but are also given access to a full range of support services.
“Jing’an not only provides a platform for them to raise funds, but also gives them the opportunity to learn how to operate a project,” said Xia Ying, whose organization uses music therapy to comfort senior citizens and soothe the stress of teachers suffering from work-related anxiety.
In China, where government used to dominate all aspects of public services, the notion of nonprofit charitable organizations is still in its infancy.
Jing’an wants to make up for lost time, by seizing the opportunities that nonprofit groups offer and finding ways to help their development.
The district is approaching this effort in a business-like manner, taking stock of what needs exist and what services need to be developed to meet those needs.
“We used to totally rely on government for social services,” Gu said. “But Jing’an is reaching out to engage organizations to help people. They are being encouraged to design programs to address public needs.”
It’s all a bit like mobile phones and computers, he added.
“We never knew we had a need for such equipment, but once we have it, the equipment becomes essential in our daily lives,” he said.
Want to donate?
Individual or companies interested in charitable donations should contact the Jing’an Social Organization Service Center on 5191 5360. Here are three projects awaiting funding:
The Shanghai Hygiene Vocational Skills Training Center wants to build a database and evaluation system to monitor the health data of 300 white-collar workers in Jing’an over 10 months.
The Xinzhaung Industrial Park Pioneer Environmental Protection Service Center wants to place garbage recycling bins on school sites and educate about 10,000 students on their use.
The Shanghai Beyond Autism School wants to train teachers from kindergarten and primary schools and help social workers find ways to include the autistic in community activities. It also wants to operate a summer camp for autistic children. The year-long project seeks to benefit 114 children.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
