The World Bank Gave Grants to Support Chinese NGOs

On May 10, the Small Grants Committee of the World Bank Office, Beijing approved five small grants to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, China Charity Federation, Chinese Young Volunteers Association, Green Volunteers League of Chongqing and Zhaowuda Women's Association for Sustainable Development in support of their proposed projects.

International Conference on NGOs in Poverty Reduction

Established in 1989, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation is an NGO devoted to promoting economic and social development and reducing poverty in underdeveloped regions of China by providing assistance directly to the poor and helping them improve productivity and living conditions.

CFPA is organizing an international conference on NGOs in Poverty Reduction in October, 2001.  The objective of the conference is to review Chinese NGOs' experience in the past two decades in poverty alleviation, make policy recommendations to the government, discuss future development direction and strategy and promote cooperation between Chinese and international NGOs.  The World Bank grant will help finance part of the cost of the conference.  

High-Level Forum on Multinationals and Public Welfare

There are 310,000 foreign-invested companies operating in China.  Some of them have contributed to local public welfare and charities and established good cooperation with public welfare organizations.  However, on the whole, there is a lack of communication, understanding and collaboration between the international corporate sector and local public welfare organizations.  

Given this situation, China Charity Federation and more than a dozen other public welfare organizations are jointly sponsoring a high-level forum on multinationals and public welfare in November.  The objective is to bridge up local public welfare organizations with international companies active in China and create conditions for communication, mutual understanding and collaboration by providing more information about local public welfare organizations and their programs, discuss key issues concerning development of public welfare services and promote corporate philanthropy.  The World Bank grant will help finance part of the cost of the forum.

Training Camp of Graduate Student Volunteers to Work in Poor Areas

Since 1994, China Young Volunteers Association has been organizing large numbers of young volunteers, many of them university students, to provide services in areas such as rural poverty alleviation, urban community development, environmental protection, disaster rescue and public welfare. In 2001, CYVA is organizing a group of 200 graduate student volunteers to support basic education in poor rural areas.  Before sending them off to work, CYVA will organize an intensive training camp for the young volunteers to improve their knowledge about poverty reduction and development, teaching methodology, social work skills, practical skills such as treatment of common diseases, adaptability and teamwork ability.  The World Bank grant will be used to finance part of the cost of the training camp.

Environmental Training Workshops for Primary and Middle School Teachers

Green Volunteers League of Chongqing is an NGO devoted to environmental protection.  Its mission is to mobilize the public and social organizations to be concerned with and participate in environmental protection, carry out environmental education and promote a "green civilization".  It has more than 379 members, mostly teachers, students and journalists.  

There are about 4,000 primary and middle schools in Chongqing Municipality with a total of 4 million students.  GVLC believes that it is necessary to develop a public participation mechanism for environmental protection connecting teachers, students, parents, communities and the whole society, raise environmental awareness of the public and promote environmental protection and environmentally sustainable development of Chongqing.  In 2000, GVLC organized two 20-day training workshops for about 100 teachers.  In 2001, GVLC plans to extend the training to 200 primary and middle schools though four five-day workshops to be held in July and August, with focus on the Three Gorges area in a special effort to help improve environmental awareness and protection in this area affected by the Three Gorges Project.  This activity won support from the environmental protection and education departments of the local government.  The World Bank grant will be used to finance part of the cost of the workshops.

Capacity Building Training Workshops for Poor Mongolian Women

Zhaowuda Women's Association for Sustainable Development is a women's organization in Inner Mongolia.  The purpose of the Association is to mobilize domestic and international resources to provide funding, technology, capacity building, market information and children's education services to local women, especially poor rural women, help develop rural women's self-help organizations and promote poverty alleviation and rural, environmental and women's sustainable development.  

Manihan Township is a poor township with a population of 20,160, mostly Mongolian farmers and herders. One fifth of the households are very poor. Its per capita income in 2000 was only CNY710, equivalent to about $85.  To help poor women in Manihan Township, Zhaowuda Women's Association for Sustainable Development is going to organize a series of training workshops for 500 poor women and enable them to learn one or two farming or animal raising skills, and enhance their self-confidence and ability to engage in productive, income-generating activities.  In the longer term, the Association intends to help create women's self-help and mutual-help organizations and create conditions for possible extension of a microcredit program to Manihan Township if financial support can be found.  The Association believes that the workshops will benefit not only the 500 poor women involved in training but also their families and village communities.