China Philanthropy

Links That Make You Go Hmmm…Education News

This week we’re bringing you a special education focused Links That Make You Go Hm.

Education has been a hot topic for quite some time in China. Although the literacy rate is relatively high, there is, by no means, equality of education across the board and in the past several years, statistics show that the access of young children to primary education has dropped. Needs exist across the board from children to women to college students and even college graduates. Below you’ll find a survey of the issues through recent articles on the subject.

Elusive Education Reform: Two opinion pieces came out recently in China Daily exploring the issue of education reform in the country. As “China’s Quiet Education Revolution” explains, much progress has been made, but there are still issues not well addressed such as gender inequality. In another article on China’s “Elusive Education” reform, an educator examines the good and bad of reform efforts by one provincial education bureau.

Chinese Universities are facing “insurmountable debt”: The China Education Blog highlights some of the reasons that Chinese universities are financially underwater with debt totally around 500 billion RMB, or 73 billion U.S. dollars, in 2006. The amalgamation of smaller universities and infrastructure expansion are two of the reasons for these sky high bills.

Graduates in China Fear the Future: In March, New York Times featured the problem of college graduates in China and their slim employment prospects in Room for Debate. A number of experts both in and outside of China weighed in on the matter highlighting the issues for college graduates. Here are a few facts and opinions:

• College enrollment in the early 2000 rose significantly with graduates increasing from 9.5 million in 2000 to a whopping 37.8 million in 2006.
• China currently has around 3 million unemployed college graduates.
• In many cases, college graduates’ salaries barely exceed that of uneducated migrant workers.
• About one quarter of those who study abroad return to work in China and their qualifications usually win out over those who studied in local universities.
• Although there are shining stars, the collegiate education system in general has not produced the skills needed in the business world. The teaching methods have not encouraged creativity or the ability to find new solutions to problems.
• After going to the cities for university, graduates want to stay there instead of returning to less developed areas thus further straining the unemployment issue.
• Graduates are being forced to take lower their expectations and sometimes to take jobs outside of their major.
• Despite the current difficulties, several of those who commented in the article said they believe the middle class will continue to grow and that graduates will be rewarded with good jobs.

Finding a Job after Graduation: The LA Times profiles a recent university graduate as he tries to make his way in the world on $65 a month.

Week End Round Up: Yushu Earthquake

  by  karamibu

This Friday we bring you a number of links covering news, relief efforts, and ways to give following the earthquake that struck Yushu County, Qinghai on April 14.

All Updates: China Daily has a site with up-to-date information including ways to give, photos, and rescue progress.

Day of Mourning: On Wednesday, April 21—one week after the Qinghai earthquake struck—China had a national day of mourning with flags flown at half-staff. Entertainment, including media, movies, and theater was suspended to honor those affected by the quake.

Photos of Yushu Life: China Daily features a slideshow of Yushu as life continues there.

Complicated Conditions Affect Rescue and Survivors: Located at an elevation of 4,000 meters, the mountainous region of Yushu County makes delivering supplies to the area difficult. Some rescuers and rescue dogs have experienced altitude sickness. Additionally, dramatic temperature plunges each night affect the many victims sleeping outside and in tents.

The Public Rallies with Donations: Millions of RMB have flooded into Qinghai from all over China and the globe. On Tuesday, April 20, a TV fundraiser brought in 2.175 billion RMB (319 million USD.)

Eyewitness report from a relief worker: A member of the Sichuan Quake Relief team gives an update after an aid-delivery trip to the remote community of Longbao Town. He shares about the smooth coordination among various NGOs due to prior experience from the Sichuan earthquake, as well as the “incredible” governmental response and the speed of military mobilization.

Are All These Earthquakes Connected?: NPR talks with a seismologist to find out if this year’s string of devastating earthquakes is a pattern.

Organizations Working in the Area
As we have not evaluated all of these organizations and their work in Yushu, please give with caution. Also, in view of our recent post, consider how you can give thoughtfully.

Mercy Corps: Donations can be made online. Mercy Corps is working alongside a local organization in Yushu.

Amity Foundation: Medical supplies and daily necessities have been shipped and are being distributed by Amity relief workers.

Save the Children: Working with local authorities to distribute much needed relief aid.  Online donations are being accepted.

Sichuan Quake Relief: As Sichuan borders Qinghai, many from that area have volunteered their support, including SQR with whom SVG has worked in the past.

UNICEF: Discusses the current situation and offers a way to donate.

World Vision: Has already dispatched a group to the area and continues to raise funds to further help.

Yushu Earthquake Response: a small coalition of grassroots NGOs located in Qinghai province that has pooled their resources to offer aid. Their site has information on their current relief efforts.

Yushu Earthquake Relief: Two NGOs working together to offer relief to the people of Yushu. Their site features updates on the teams they have sent to the region. 

  by  karamibu 

Responding to the Yushu Earthquake

The news keeps coming in, and the death toll keeps rising from the Yushu earthquake on Wednesday. The latest count says around 700, but with the number of collapsed schools and with the clock ticking on the immediate rescue phase of the people trapped under the rubble of collapsed structures, the toll is expected to climb higher. In the face of this grave tragedy, I thought I'd share some thoughts here for our readers and donors on how to think about donations and giving in the wake of a natural disaster of this magnitude in China. For background on the dynamics of disaster relief and recovery in China, please read our previous blog post overview on the subject.

In a year that has been earthquake tragedy-filled globally, the potential for compassion-fatigue or simply not knowing how to respond is natural.  An impactful yet thoughtful response is needed. I believe it is helpful to think about involvement into the Yushu quake in three stages: short, medium and long term assistance.  

Qinghai Earthquake--Hundreds Dead, Thousands Injured

At 7:49 this morning, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Yushu County in Qinghai Province. Located in a plateau region, Yushu has a much smaller population than the region affected by the massive earthquake that hit Sichuan province two years ago; however, 400 deaths have currently been reported and more than 10,000 injuries. Estimates say that approximately 85% of the buildings, traditional Tibetan structures made of stones and soil, have collapsed.  

Links That Make You Go Hmmm…for the week ending April 9

Links that Make You Go Hm…for the week ending April 9

• Tobacco companies deceiving consumers says NGO: The Beijing Cigarette Factory has employed new techniques to sell cigarettes include lightening the color of packaging and introducing Traditional Chinese Medicine into cigarettes. Wu Yiqun of the NGO Think Tank Research Center for Health Development (an organization frequently speaks out against tobacco use), commented, “That's unlikely to help consumers make informed decisions."

• 97% of China’s wealthy contribute to charity: The Hurun Report, which publishes statistics on China’s wealthy citizens, says only 3% of China’s high wealth individuals do not participate in some sort of charity work.
  

• Zhang Ziyi’s charity faces fraud charges: For the past several months, famed Chinese actress of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has been under fire for fraud in regards to donations she received in 2008 for victims of the Sichuan earthquake. Zhang maintains her innocence and has admitted that her lack of experience in the charity sector contributed to the misunderstanding.

Links That Make You Go Hmmm…for the week ending April 2

• As Charities Grow In China: From the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a brief assessment of China’s charity growth in light of Oxfam’s recent removal.
  
  
• Shanghai Tweets for Charity: Tweeters and non-tweeters alike gathered this week for Shanghai Twestival 2010, an event to promote charity. Organizer Peter Davison explains the concept, “Twestival (@Twestival) is a way to be able to use our online connections on Twitter to help charities raise funds for the excellent work that they're doing around the world. Amanda Rose (@amanda) is the driving force behind the idea that has now spread to over 200 cities. It builds on the notion that each of us can contribute and have an impact.”
  
  
• Listen before you give: A new podcast to help “empower and educate donors” has started up called “Think Before You Give.” First up they discuss “administrative costs” in charities. We’re all ears!

• Social Venture Group in German: We’ve officially gone trilingual (well, that’s a slight exaggeration), but we were recently profiled on the Goethe Institute website for German-Chinese cultural exchange. In the article our managing director Grace discusses SVG’s work as well as her opinions on the state of Chinese foundations, corporate philanthropy in China, and her philosophy for success. The article is available in both German and Chinese.