Non-government organizations (NGOs) have poured at least 30 billion yuan (US$3.6 billion) in a seven-year poverty-reduction program between 1993-2000 to help the country's poor, officials with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) NGO revealed.
He Daofeng, executive-director of the foundation, which was founded in 1989, said that apart from the amount of fund from NGOs, the central government has allocated another 130 billion yuan (US$15.7 billion) for the purpose, Monday's China Daily reported.
China has made remarkable achievements in fighting poverty, but because of the size of its population the number of the poor is still quite large. There were some 30 million people who could not feed or clothe themselves adequately last year, according to the newspaper.
Hundreds of NGOs have contributed to bridging the gap between the rich and the poor by working along with CFPA.
While the government role is vital in the anti-poverty drive, " NGOs are closer to donors and recipients," said Kang Xiaoguang, a fellow at the Centre for China Study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
An international conference sponsored by CFPA will be held in Beijing between October 28 and 30, in a move to review the foundation's experiences in alleviating poverty, the China Daily reported.
(People's Daily 06/11/2001)
