Poverty Alleviation by Red Cross Society of China

　　【Overview】The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), is a humanitarian social relief organization. As the government’s right-hand force in the field of humanitarian assistance, over the years, the RCSC has carried out a series of disaster relief and reconstruction work in the disaster-prone areas and provided large-scale medical aid and education assistance to impoverished areas. Taking "protecting human life and health" as the tenet, it has continuously carried out the activity of "Love of Red Cross to Ten Thousand Families", participated in the construction of rural cooperative medical system, made unremitting efforts to improve the living conditions of vulnerable groups in poverty-stricken areas, and provided sustained and effective assistance to help needy masses in disaster areas and poor regions to recover the production and life and improve their living conditions and health level, making a contribution to the maintenance of social stability and protection of people's health, and has become an important force for building a socialist harmonious society.

　　"Poverty due to disasters" is a typical characteristic of poverty and backwardness of many places due to lack of timely disaster recovery and reconstruction after being hit by disasters. Disaster preparedness and relief work is the first basic function mentioned in the "Red Cross Society of the Republic of China" and an important part of the poverty alleviation work of RCSC; due to financial and technical constraints, the agricultural production and daily life in poor rural areas are mainly dependent on the weather and these regions have extremely weak disaster prevention and mitigation capacity. To change the backwardness of these areas, RCSC strived for foreign capital to support the enhancement of their disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities.

　　【Implementation of post-quake restoration and reconstruction projects】 In 2009, the Red Cross societies at all levels actively participated in the post-Wenchuan Earthquake restoration and reconstruction, helped these regions to build Boai New Village, Boai Hospitals (health centers), Boai Schools and rural welfare facilities in the disaster-hit areas. To make the post-quake restoration and reconstruction work better meets the needs of disaster areas, RCSC developed scientific programs of reconstruction and working principles to support the entire village reconstruction or house building of needy rural households whose houses collapsed or severely damaged in the disaster, the reconstruction and building of village-level clinics and villagers’ activity rooms, the construction of township hospitals, township schools and communities’ disaster prevention and mitigation facilities.

　　As of October 20, 2009, the Red Cross Society of China and the Red Cross societies coordinated by the RCSC (including overseas Red Cross organizations and some provincial Red Cross societies), the allocation of a total of 4.67 billion Yuan of post-disaster reconstruction funds was determined in Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Ningxia, Yunnan and other areas hit by Wenchuan earthquake. The projects covered 62,274 rural houses, 741 schools, 873 hospitals, 2,573 health care stations, some rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, welfare homes, the villagers activity rooms, township drinking water projects, disaster preparedness warehouses., etc, Among them, 72% of the houses, 47% of the schools, 38% of the hospitals and 45% of health stations have been completed, and other projects are being constructed orderly. Local Red Cross societies also provided assistance for the post-disaster reconstruction of the affected areas through counterpart support, fixed-point donation and construction aid according to the reconstruction priorities identified by RCSC.

　　In addition, in 2009, RCSC also carried out many health projects in the earthquake affected areas, including psychological aid, disaster prevention and hedge knowledge popularization, water pipeline and toilet improvement, health education, etc. It supported the CDPF and the National Population and Family Planning Commission to carry out projects to serve the disabled and vulnerable groups in the disaster area. Jet Li One Foundation of RCSC implemented anti-poverty program by Jiang embroidery in Wenchuan County, Mao County and Li County to help the masses in disaster areas to regain their livelihoods skills. By 2010, according to the plan, it would train 2,000 embroidery women, help 660 families in self-sufficiency through production and gradually establish the Jiang embroidery industry.

　　【"Community-based" disaster preparedness projects in Guangxi】Through the coordination of the RCSC, Australian Red Cross has been conducting "community-based" disaster preparedness projects in Guangxi since 2004 and a total of 4.8 million Yuan of relief fund was received in 2010.

　　Through the construction of small-sized disaster preparedness projects and project management trainings and disaster preparedness skills trainings for project management personnel and volunteers in the cities, counties and villages, it strived to build the ability of local areas to respond to disasters and the ability for disaster resilience so as to reduce the vulnerability of rural communities in face of natural disasters. Meanwhile, it has set up grassroots Red Cross organizations in a few projects to expand the influence of Red Cross in rural areas.

　　The project being constructed in 2010 is designed to be completed in three years (July 2009-June 2012) and has been implemented for one year. The Australian Red Cross will continue to invest aid funds of 2.7 million Yuan. The project focuses on strengthening the village-level disaster preparedness exercises and carrying out the home health and sanitation competitions in the project villages. As for the management, it will gradually establish the city and county-level Red Cross project responsibility system and project supervision system.

　　【"Community-based" disaster preparedness projects in Sichuan】Based on the experience in pilot projects launched in Guangxi, the Australian Red Cross began construction of its three-year community-based disaster preparedness project in Neijiang of Sichuan in August 2009 with total investment of 4.5 million Yuan. So far, a total of 1 million Yuan of donation in cash was allocated.

　　In addition to learning from the experience of Guangxi for the continuous implementation of small-scale disaster reduction project and the publicity and training of disaster preparedness knowledge, based on local situation of drought, the disaster preparedness projects focused on water storage. At the same time, it carried out the assessment of vulnerability and capacity in local areas. Through the assessment of the RCSC and the joint association, it will then introduce the concept of community-based risk reduction project, including the establishment of voluntary village self-help groups, spreading Red Cross knowledge in the counties and villages and organizing community-based first aid trainings for villages as well. Meanwhile, with the technical support of the Australian Red Cross, it will further strengthen the assessment of vulnerability and capacity.

　　The implementation of these disaster preparedness projects has, to some extent, enhanced the ability of disaster prevention and mitigation of above poor areas and provided useful help for local normal production and life.

　　【Participate in the new rural cooperative medical care】To achieve the ambitious goal of solving “three rural issues”, establishing the new rural cooperative medical system, improving farmers’ living standards, narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas and building a well-off society put forward by the State Council, as a humanitarian aid organization, in response to the government’s requirements, RCSC participated in the construction of the new rural cooperative medical system and carried out medical relief work in rural areas, making a contribution to the improvement of farmers’ situation of falling into poverty due to illness and the enhancement of rural medical conditions.

　　In 2009, Red Cross societies at all levels participated in the new rural cooperative medical assistance and medical relief work, carried out the "Red Cross Angel Plan," "Anti-poverty Action of Heart Protection", "Love Project", "Children's Catastrophic Medical Assistance Fund" and the comprehensive prevention and control of local "fluorine arsenic hemp" disease in Guizhou to with the main contents of improving the medical and health conditions of poor rural areas and helping the leukemia patients, congenital heart disease patients, etc. It has trained more than 50,000 rural doctors to help more than 7,600 leukemia patients, more than 130,000 congenital heart disease patients and nearly 80,000 cataract patients.

　　Meanwhile, the hospitals and health centers aided by RCSC have improved the backward medical conditions of project villages and solved the problem of difficulty in seeing a doctor of the villagers, promoted the standardized management of village-level epidemic prevention, health services, maternal and child health care, etc and had a profound effect on the protection of villagers’ physical and mental health. The improvement of medical conditions has also reduced the medical costs of villagers and enhanced the living standards of the villagers, which promoted the economic development in rural areas.

　　【Donation of medical facilities】 Since its inception, the Red Cross Poverty Reduction Service Center has respectively donated to Shanxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Guangxi, etc 13 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) the articles for daily use, medical apparatuses, drinking water facilities, various books and computers, and aided the construction of Boai Hospitals, Boai primary schools and rural highroads, etc. It donated two X-ray machines to Shanxi Hunyuan County Red Cross Society, one Jinbei ambulance to Shouyang County People’s Hospital, one semi-automatic analysis instrument and one black-and-white B supersonic diagnostic set to Henan Zhumadian City Maternal and Child Care Service Center, six ambulances and 21 drinking water machines to the provincial Red Cross Society, B supersonic diagnostic set working station software to Bijie City of Guizhou Province, 3 million books and ten sets of 12S-ECG diagnostic equipment to the provincial Red Cross Society, one ambulance to Guizhou Yufuyuan Sub-health Recovery Center, five electrophoresis apparatuses to Hainan Red Cross Society and books worth 1.65 million Yuan to Jiangxi Red Cross Society. Meanwhile, it donated funds to Ji’an Poverty Alleviation Office for the construction of one rural highroad and one Boai clinic; donated ten sets of 12S-ECG diagnostic equipment to some hospitals in Ji’an and Ganzhou, donated for the reconstruction of one primary school – Shangrao Sanqing Shanzhong Village Primary School, donated one ambulance to the hospital affiliated to Jinggangshan University, one ambulance, 80,000 disposable syringes and 1,000 quilts to Kucong people of Simao City, Yunnan Province; one ambulance to Lahu Nationality of Zhenyuan County, two ambulances and two computer therapy devices to Yongda Hospital in Yongsheng County of Lijiang City; one fully automated electrophoresis instrument and one set of 12S-ECG diagnostic equipment to Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; one blood analyzer and one EEG to Foping County Hospital of Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province; two sets of  12S-ECG diagnostic equipment and 20,000 disposable syringes to China Leprosy Control Association, and donated for the construction of environmental friendly water pipeline improvement projects for Xiaqian Village, Longquan Town, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province; donated 2,000 sets of children's clothing to Beijing Children's Welfare Institute; one ambulance to Beishan Nursing House in Da County of Sichuan; 50 computers, 300 ceiling fans and 18 Fukuda ambulances to Guangxi Dahua Yao Autonomous County; books valued 1.38 million Yuan to 17 primary and secondary schools in Chongli County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province and books worth 500,000 Yuan to Hengshui Jizhou Xindu School, and set up Red Cross public book stacks for 17 primary and secondary schools in Chongli County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province; donate 1.2 million Yuan in cash to 1200 needy students in 135 colleges and universities of nine cities including Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing, Xi'an, etc; and implemented surgeries for free for the cleft lip and palate children from 78 poor families; and donated quilt, quilts, cotton-padded clothes and cash to 100 poor families in remote rural areas of Beijing, etc. The above donations are equivalent to more than 36 million Yuan.

　　Red Cross Poverty Reduction Service Center has also cooperated with Beijing Shiji Jinco Medical Equipment Company to carry out paid anti-poverty activities in Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Fujian, etc, 21 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities). More than 1,000 gross-roots hospitals across the country obtained the financial assistance of the paid anti-poverty activity, which was equivalent to indirect fund raising of 150 million Yuan for poverty relief work.

　　【Health education】It conducted water and toilets renovation projects in the poor areas of Guangxi and Hunan, helped rural areas build toilets, spread health concept and helped local masses develop good health habits. Meanwhile, it conducted the popularization of knowledge of AIDS prevention in Xinjiang, Tibet and Yunnan. For example:

1. AIDS prevention and care project in Xinjiang. The Australia Red Cross Society began to support the AIDS prevention project in Xinjiang in 1999 and has provided a total of nearly 7 million Yuan. Through holding trainings and other activities suited to local conditions, the project spread AIDS prevention knowledge to the vulnerable groups to enhance the care ability of AIDS infected patients and their families; through peer education, home visits, community mobilization and theatrical performances, the project aims to reduce the discrimination on AIDS infected patients and their families in project communities; and large-scale propaganda activities were organized in Red Cross Day, AIDS day and other special holidays. Meanwhile, the project trained a number of backbone volunteers for local Red Cross Society and enhanced the relevant knowledge and skills of the volunteers and staffs of Red Cross Society through various trainings and exchange activities.

　　According to the state’s assistance strategy, the Australian Red Cross will withdraw in June 2011 the financial support for Xinjiang, but it promised to continue to provide project technical support.

2. Voluntary blood donation and AIDS prevention in Tibet. The Australian Red Cross began to support this project in 2003. To 2010, it had provided aid for seven years. At the beginning, the project only involved voluntary blood donation. In 2007, the Red Cross proposed to increase HIV prevention work. The project aid funds amounted to nearly 2 million Yuan.

　　Voluntary blood donation program mainly promotes the clinical use of blood in big hospitals of Lasa through carrying out trainings, publicity and recruiting blood donation volunteers by cooperating with the blood center of the autonomous regions. AIDS prevention project, through cooperating with Lasa Red Cross, holds all kinds of trainings and publicity activities to enhance increase AIDS prevention knowledge and awareness of the target population.

　　Project agreement will expire at the end of 2010. The Australian Red Cross plans to hold the project proposal meeting for new project agreements signed with the Red Cross at the end of June.

　　【Poverty alleviation activities to save the heart】In China, 150,000 children are born with congenital heart disease every year. A considerable number of poor families cannot afford the expensive medical treatment and the children lose the best opportunities for treatment, resulting in growth retardation and even death. Their medical condition is worrying. On July 28, 2005, RCSC and the Armed Police General Hospital jointly held a grand launching ceremony for the activity of “Poverty Alleviation to Save the Heart - Action of Red Cross” in the Great Hall of the People. In May 2006, at the news conference for “curing 200 heart disease patients” in the poverty alleviation to save the heart, the president Peng Peiyun personally went to the hospital to visit the 200th patient receiving the surgeon. On May 9, 2007, at the news conference for “curing 500 heart disease patients” in the activity of “hand in hand, health forever”, relevant hospitals issued free permanent physical examination cards for 500 patients and selected 20 of them to be the love delivery messengers, through whom they would like to pass love to more needy people. Over the past two years, the “office of poverty alleviation activity to save the heart” received more than 20,000 patients for consultation or treatment and the patients from more than 30 provinces and municipalities came for medical treatment. Relevant experts were successively organized to provide free medical services in more than ten impoverished mountain areas in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Jiangxi. More than 520 patients received the heart surgery, more than 130 patients received cardiac intervention treatment and the hospital saved more than 6 million Yuan of medical expenditure for patients through controlling medical costs.

　　【Red Cross Angel Program】 "Red Cross Angel Program" was launched in August 2005, mainly concerning about the lives and health of poor farmers and children. It widely mobilizes social resources at home and abroad to raise funds and medical supplies and support poor farmers and children to participate in the new rural cooperative medical system, provides medical assistance for poor farmers and children suffering serious illness, assists government to improve the medical and health conditions in impoverished villages, donate to construct rural Boai hospitals and train rural medical service staffs to promote the healthy development of the medical industry in rural China.

　　Since the launching of the project, its contents have been increasingly enriched and the project has become one of the most famous charity brands in China. In 2009, “Red Cross Angel Program” was initially formed, including contents in three aspects: assistance for the construction of rural Boai hospitals (health care centers), training rural doctors and providing assistance for the poor farmers and children suffering serious illness; and two models: direct donation and aid, and free medical treatment through donating medical devices to fixed hospitals. Serious illness aid covers leukemia, congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate, blindness, cancer, etc.

　　In April 2008, "Red Cross Angel Program" won China's highest government award in charitable field - 2007 "China Charity Award" for the most influential philanthropic project.

　　Since 2005, the Chinese Red Cross Foundation has issued a total of 1.387 billion Yuan of funds. "Red Cross Angel Program" aided the construction of 154 Boai (healthy) new villages in China and 1946 Boai hospitals (health centers), trained for free 1104 rural doctors, provided financial aid for 18,807 children suffering from leukemia, congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate and poor cancer patients, developed 115 designated hospitals for the disease treatment and donated medical devices and medicines worth 166 million Yuan to medical agencies and pilot counties for new rural cooperative medical system.

　　In 2009, "Red Cross Angel Program", the backbone project of the Chinese Red Cross Foundation, continued to show a good development trend. Throughout the whole year, it received donation of 152 million Yuan in total, newly launched 157 Boai hospital and health center projects, held five rural doctor training courses and trained 500 rural doctors. New progress was made in serious illness treatment and the financing and subsidizing work of Angel Sunshine Fund, Run Angel Fund, Yan Ran Angel Fund, Charity Fund, etc. In 2009, it provided salvation services for 3807 leukemia patients, patients with congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate patients, deaf patients, physically disabled patients, patients with myasthenia gravis, subsidized 4921 poor tumour patients and designated ten more hospitals for serious illness treatment.

　　【Red Cross Light Poverty Alleviation Fund Project】To promote the spirit of the Red Cross of humanity, love and sacrifice and protect human life and health, the Red Cross Poverty Alleviation and Development Service Center and Shenzhen Fangzhongtian Network Technology Co., Ltd jointly founded the Red Cross Light Poverty Alleviation Fund to carry out the project of seeing light again. It mainly provides assistance for the cataracts patients’ surgery to help them see light again. Meanwhile, it carried out environment protection bag projects to promote environment protection and resource recycling and help the poor achieve re-employment. In 2009, the Red Cross Light Poverty Alleviation Fund successively carried out children concert for assistance to children with autism, conducted surgery for free for 121 cataract patients in Aba Tibetian Qiang Prefecture of Sichuan and donated for the reconstruction of houses for 107 families in Caopo Town of Wenchuan.

　　【Western Women Sunshine Program】As a humanitarian social relief organization, RCSC mainly concerns about the relief for vulnerable groups. Among them, women and children are usually the most vulnerable people. RCSC has set up "Western Women Sunshine Program", which attaches importance to women's reproductive health and cervical cancer prevention, and helps the women in western regions to carry out some basic reproductive health screening so that they can enjoy the most basic medical services.

　　【Poverty alleviation by education】1. Love Grant Program for needy students. "Love Grant Program" is designed to help improve teaching conditions in poor rural areas and subsidize children from poor families to go to college, including four aspects, namely: aid for the construction of Boai primary schools; donation of Boai computer classrooms; donation of “Red Cross Library”; and the establishment of Boai student subsidies to help needy children to go to university, etc.

　　From 2005 to 2009, the "Love Grant Program" for needy students received a total of 21 million Yuan of donations, aided the construction of 276 Boai schools nationwide, donated 1,375 “Red Cross Libraries”, trained 300 rural teachers for free for western regions, subsidized 1,327 needy university students and donated sports equipment to 27 schools. More than 9.95 million people benefited from the program.

　　The "Love Grant Program" for needy students was effectively promoted in 2009. In the whole year, it received a total of 35.8761 million Yuan of donations, aided the construction of 7 Boai schools, donated 406 “Red Cross Libraries”, trained 100 rural teachers and subsidized 195 needy students.

2. Red Cross Poverty Alleviation Dynamic Fund for Needy Students. In order to mobilize social resources to fund poor students to complete their studies successfully, the Red Cross Poverty Alleviation Center and Dynamic Network Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd jointly initiated and established the Red Cross Poverty Alleviation Dynamic Fund for Needy Students. It subsidized 1,200 needy students during the period from September 2006 to August 2007 with total investment of 1.2 million Yuan, 1,000 Yuan for each, covering 136 universities in 9 cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xi'an.

3. Red Cross Cultural Poverty Alleviation Study Program. In order to serve the construction of new socialist countryside and improve the cultural quality of the masses, especially the masses in the western regions, the Red Cross Poverty Alleviation Center and Beijing Shengde Zhongxing Culture Development Co., Ltd jointly implemented the Red Cross Cultural Poverty Alleviation Study Program and established the Red Cross Public Welfare Library. Through social forces, it raised books worth more than 20 million Yuan and donated them to the relatively backward regions. In addition, the Red Cross Poverty Alleviation Center held the Love Drawing Activity together with Beijing Wufang Garden Virescence Co to raise money and materials for the reconstruction of Shanzhong Village Primary School of Sanqing, Shangrao City, Jiangxi.

　　【Activity of "Love of Red Cross to Ten Thousand Families"】 The activity of "Love of Red Cross to Ten Thousand Families" is a brand project for RCSC to provide humanitarian assistance for poor people and has been constantly implemented nationwide for 11 years. Over the 11 years, RCSC has invested 46.18 million Yuan and local Red Cross societies have raised more than 700 million Yuan in cash or in kind to benefit more than 4.8 million needy families.

　　In 2009, RCSC carried out warm activities for needy people in the provinces not covered by the activity in recent years and the pilot counties for new rural cooperative medical system, and sent relief supplies to 25,000 poor families in Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Anhui , Henan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Local Red Cross societies also actively conducted donation activities and raised 266 million Yuan of funds to benefit 1.33 million families.

　　【Community poverty alleviation of RCSC】Community service work of RCSC is based on community relief. Especially after the eighth National Congress of the RCSC, the community service of RCSC has been gradually expanded from big cities to medium and small-sized cities, the service providers have developed from the members of Red Cross to volunteers of Red Cross; the service targets have been expanded from the elderly, women and children to the disabled, laid-off workers, destitute families affected by illness or other vulnerable groups, the contents of the services have been expanded from simple service to fund-raising assistance, advocacy, training, consulting, health care, etc, and the range of services has been gradually expanded from urban areas to rural areas. For example, Chongqing Red Cross carried out "five one hundred project" (funded 100 people with disabilities, 100 dropout students, 100 poor college students, 100 laid-off workers and 100 senior people over the age of 80 old); the Shanghai Red Cross launched the activity of "ten million people to help one thousand families"; Fujian Red Cross carried out the activity of "saving two lives for a happy family" (funded lying-in women from poor families in poverty-stricken areas).

　　In 2002, RCSC and the Ministry of Civil Affairs jointly issued the "Notice on Carrying out Red Cross Service in Communities". Red Cross organizations in various regions carried out a series of community service activities with social services and relief donation as the main content. They gradually increased the content and expanded the range of the work, and standardized the services. In 2009, RCSC mainly conducted social services and relief donation activities in communities.

1. Social services. In some provinces and cities, the Red Cross societies used urban community health stations to provide favorable health care services for urban families covered by the minimum living security system and rural poor households according to the characteristic of poor health conditions in rural areas.    

2. Relief donation. In some provinces and cities, the Red Cross societies established the “donation stations”, “Boai supermarkets” or “Love supermarkets” to sell the collected clothes, quilt, grain and oil as well as other daily necessities at low price to the needy families with “shopping card”. Shanghai Red Cross carried out the activity to raise clothing and quilt. After washing, disinfecting, ironing, sorting and packing them, the Red Cross delivered them to the victims in disaster-hit areas. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Red Cross Society established the “Red Cross Medical Station” in the pasturing area to provide medical assistance and health care services for the pastoralists. Shandong Red Cross Society advocated in the province: “donate five Yuan to rescue a poor farmer and donate 50 Yuan to rescue a needy family”, aiming to solve the medical insurance problem, which was welcomed by rural poor and responded by the masses. So far, it has raised more than 8 million Yuan of relief fund for rural cooperative medical care. Following the mutual fund activity for hospitalized infants and young people in Shanghai, Red Cross Society of China Beijing Branch used the city's schoolchildren and infants’ hospitalized medical mutual aid payments to solve the problem of hospitalization of infants and young children from poor families; Heilongjiang Jiamusi Red Cross solved the livelihood difficulty of a petition family through organizing donations, which solved a difficult problem for the government. The disaster preparedness projects in rural communities of Jiangxi, Henan and Hebei and the community service projects in Yunnan aided by Hong Kong Red Cross have been basically completed, which was welcomed by local governments and the masses. The construction of these projects played an important role in addressing the problem of drinking water, irrigation, flood control and disaster mitigation problem of the residents in poverty-stricken areas and was welcomed by local people.

　　The implementation of community services of RCSC has reduced a burden on the government and effectively solved practical problems of poor people, making a contribution to maintaining social stability and unity and building a socialist harmonious society.