China Philanthropy

A 5 Minute Guide to Mental Health in China

In the past year new information has emerged concerning the state of mental healthcare and the mentally ill in China. According to the World Health Organization, mental illness supersedes heart disease and cancer as the most taxing health concern in China’s healthcare system. An estimated 100 million people in China have some type of mental disorder although some say this number is likely higher due to the dearth of information available and the lack of public awareness regarding mental illness. Xinhua reports that “twenty percent of all ailments and injury-led disabilities in China” are caused by mental illness. Dr. Huang Yueqin, director of the National Center for Mental Health, told Telegraph that she estimates only about 5 percent of those with illnesses are aware of it and receive treatment. (It is important to note the range of illnesses covered under these statistics, which include anxiety and Internet addiction as well as depression and schizophrenia.)

A 5 Minute Guide to China's Disaster Relief and Prevention

In 2008 China experienced two natural disasters: snowstorms that halted mass transportation across the nation, leaving millions stranded and the Sichuan Earthquake that left thousands dead and entire cities leveled. Since then much has been done in the country to improve the disaster response and prevention. As one person said, China is disaster prone with earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, typhoons and droughts a regular occurrence. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu admitted, “the disaster reduction situation is still arduous as various natural disasters are frequent in China.” In recent history, the government has shown consistent dedication to reform the nation’s disaster plan. Here, I take a look at new initiatives and, in particular, the effects of the Sichuan Earthquake on China’s disaster relief strategy.

Download: A Look at China's Philanthropic Landscape

This week Grace participated in a joint Give2Asia/Social Venture Group conference call in which she discussed the current state of philanthropy in China including the impact of the Sichuan earthquake, the role of social enterprises in China, and the current opportunities/needs in China's grassroots nonprofit sector. Listen to the presentation in full below.

Click here to listen or download the call

--Georgia

One Year After the Earthquake

On Monday, PRI's The World (a radio news magazine) featured a piece assessing the Sichuan Earthquake, specifically the enduring effect on charitable giving, volunteerism, and community in China. The clip also just happens to feature our own very own Grace.

China earthquake one year later (5:30) | PRI's The World

--Georgia

The "5-12" Sichuan Earthquake: One Year Later, A Look Back

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake, which struck at 2:28pm on May 12th, 2008.  The 7.8 magnitude earthquake caused enormous damage and loss of life and has forever changed the face of civil society in China. 

The Earthquake Toll at a Glance

- 68,712 total dead, official

- 17,921 still missing

- 5,335 children

- 15 million displaced

Adventure Philanthropy: An Interview with China Charity Challenge’s Vinny Ng

This fall, thirty bicyclers will traverse 330 kilometers of China’s most beautiful terrain throughout Yunnan and Sichuan provinces as part of China Charity Challenge’s (CCC). Organized in groups of two, the riders will raise money to pay for their trips and to support the efforts of Roots and Shoots to encourage sustainable living in the regions. The ride will be the first “adventure philanthropy bicycle rally” in China and as CCC’s inaugural ride. We spoke with project director, Vinny Ng about the nuts and bolts of CCC.

Conference Takeaways- "Investing in China: The Role of Philanthropy"

Back in the saddle now in Shanghai and heading off again tomorrow to Taipei for 2 weeks.  First I wanted to share some takeaways from the fabulous Give2Asia conference last week in Beijing.  Dien and her staff pulled off an excellent and informative inaugural conference, and I met some terrific people there.  I hope there will be many more such events in years to come.  

For me there were 2 main focal points of the various speakers and panels:

From Movie Star To A Philanthropist

Jet Li as Philanthropist in Time Again!

Recently, I came across a feature story in Time Magazine, about the well-known Chinese movie star Jet Li (Li Lianjie) and his One Foundation. Different from other foundations which are either government-backed, such as China Charity Foundation, or established by wealthy individual entrepreneurs, the One Foundation is one of the few private foundations in China which has approval from the government to fundraise from Chinese citizens.

Dispatches From Sichuan

This article is also in SVG's recent newsletter, which can be downloaded at www.socialventuregroup.com.

Six months after the May 12th earthquake that hit Sichuan, I had the chance to return to Chengdu and conduct research there for a period of time on behalf of an SVG client.  Being not as seriously damaged by the earthquake, Chengdu has quickly recovered from the disaster and there are now no obvious traces of the earthquake in the city.  However, residents are still talking about and sending assistance to the nearby affected areas.  It seems that almost everyone I talked to is is trying to contribute in some way, either through volunteering or through donations.  The most tangible change is that that many nonprofit NGOs have emerged, including international NGOs, government-run organizations, NGOs from other parts of China and new grassroots disaster relief groups in Sichuan.  Most of these organizations are using Chengdu as their base of operations and are providing different earthquake relief or reconstruction efforts in Sichuan.

The Impact of the Earthquake on Volunteerism and Giving

Graham Thompson alerted me to this article in yesterday's South China Morning Post detailing some of the changes we are beginning to see in attitudes towards volunteering and giving, post 5-12 earthquake.  

I would agree with the sentiments expressed here, and the picture in my mind is of small green grass shoots sprouting up after a winter freeze.  We are beginning to see the start of what we hope will be the springtime of grassroots charity and NGO work in China.  The earthquake has certainly catalyzed public interest in the sector.  What remains to be seen is the long term effect that the quake will have on giving.