Non-government organizations (NGOs) are playing an increasingly important role in alleviating poverty in China.
A seven-year poverty-reduction project between 1993 and 2000 has culminated in Chinese NGOs pouring at least 30 billion yuan (US$3.6 billion) into helping the country's poor, while the central government has allocated another 130 billion yuan (US$15.7 billion), according to He Daofeng, executive-director of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), which was set up in 1989.
He said the figure was a fairly conservative estimate.
Some experts have gauged the figure at around 50 billion yuan (US$6.05 billion), He said.
Last year, the foundation raised 54 million yuan (US$6.5 million) for 320,000 people in dire need. China has made remarkable achievements in fighting poverty, but because of the size of its population the number of poor is still quite large. Last year, there were still 30 million people who could not feed or clothe themselves adequately.
Hundreds of other NGOs have contributed to bridging the gap between the rich and the poor by working alongside He's foundation.
The CFPA is sponsoring an international conference about NGOs' experiences in alleviating poverty between October 28 and 30. It will be held in Beijing.
The poverty relief office of the State Council and international institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme have lent support to the conference.
Chinese NGOs are particularly active in the drive to eliminate poverty, according to Kang Xiaoguang, a fellow at the Center for China Study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
While the government's role is vital in the anti-poverty drive, NGOs have their own advantages.
"Compared with government departments, NGOs are closer to donors and recipients," Kang said.
One of the toughest challenges facing NGOs is the lack of domestic financial support.
In a research project Kang and his colleagues are currently carrying out, Chinese NGOs are divided into three categories: those with a government background, with a private background, or with an overseas background.
(China Daily 06/11/2001)
