The visiting party expressed the deepest level of appreciation to Amity on improving  the livelihood and community development of  over the past 8 years.

 Longshan County, located in the northwestern border of Western Hunan and hinterland of Wuling mountains, consisting mainly the groups of ethnic minorities- the Tujias and  the Miaos. The county has a total area of 3131 square kilometers, the total population of 580,000. It is a poverty-stricken area according to the national statistics and part of the ’Western Development’. According to Mr.Yu, the Amity Foundation had begun poverty alleviation and rural community development projects since 2004. The statistical assistance of project funds reached 7.29 million yuan to carry out the rural infrastructure, heritage protection of minority cultures, the digester construction and environmental protection. There were also emphasis on farmers’ capacity building and skills enhancement projects to benefit the masses up to 80,000 people. Through the implementation of Amity projects, it did not only improved the living conditions of local productivity, it also contributed towards the improvement of the quality of local rural communities. Amity implementation of the project focus on sustainability and post-project maintenance and management, promotion and implementation of local government provides a good model and the similar types of poverty alleviation projects.

Classes on producing traditional fabric of the Tujias in Longshan.

Rural households are now using biogas digesters for domestic purposes.

Rural household biogas digester construction.

Mr. Yu wished that Amity can continue to support the development of social undertakings in Longshan County, giving the community support in the following areas: agricultural infrastructure and rural medical and health conditions to improve farmers’ capacity building and improve the quality of the traditional culture of minorities and minorities heritage protection, caring and training of rural women, rural micro-credit support for agriculture development.

Mr. He reiterated that Longshan county and United Front Development will make every effort to assist Amity to implement successful projects, so that local people could benefit to the most.

Mr. He Wen, head of the Amity’s Project Management Centre, said that Amity colleagues would begun to the field survey, in-depth understanding and minorities local needs. They would evaluate the possible circumstances to fight for social resources, and to jointly explore local projects, working together for the rural developments and to improve living standards of the people.

The average rainfall in most parts of Yunnan Province has been averaging 20-50mm since December 2011.  In the mid-northern region, it has recieved less than 20mm of rain fall, 50% to 80% less than the usual average. Areas in the eastern, central, northern and western Yunnan have expereienced a rapid development of severe drought. The situation is more severe than the previous drought in early 2011,  and it covers smaller surface area compare to the 2009/10 dorught. Weather forecast for Yunnan remain sunny and not expecting sufficient rainfall. This drought is likely to carry through March or  even April, and will continue to trouble livestocks and drinking water in the region.

According to the Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department on 16th February, the persisting drought has resulted in 13 cities and 91 counties (cities, districts) including: Qujing, Chuxiong, Wenshan, Zhaotong, Dali and Lincang, 6.3 million people were affected. There are 242.76 million people in need of drinking water, and 2.31million are experiencing hardship and require government bailout, as well as 150,000 livestocks are experiencing drinking water shortages.

The National Disaster Relief Committee, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs had hoisted the Grade 4 alert for disaster emergency response on 17th Feburary. They have sent teams to the regions where they are worst affected by the drought, providing guidance and carrying out relief work.

The Amity Foundation is working closely with its project sites in Yunnan, and paying close attention to the development of this drought. Amity will ensure its provision will be meeting the demand from the locals, and provide adequate humanitarian aid in the region.

The Amity Foundation / EED assistance to community-based AIDS prevention projects launching ceremony was held on 9th February, 2012 in Menglian County, Yunnan Province. The ceremony was attended by esteem guests including: Liang Lin, former executive vice chairman of Yunnan Province CPPCC and honorary chairman of the Foundation for Poverty Alleviation of Yunnan Province;  He Wen, Assistant to the Secretary-General of the Amity Foundation and Head of the Project Management Center; Mr Wen’s deputy, Zhao Jingwen; Ye Xiaoxiang, President of the Foundation for Poverty Alleviation of Yunnan Province Pu’er City; CPPCC Menglian County leaders and relevant department heads and representatives from the villages and project areas.

 The project aims to provide AIDS prevention and implementation of community development projects, to effectively control on the spread of AIDS and drugs addictions, improving reproductive health and living conditions of the general public, as well the gradual establishment of AIDS preventive system to create a harmonious, stable and healthy community. The three-year project which has started  from this month, due to complete at the end of December 2014. The main project activities relate to basic health care and disease prevention, agricultural production and infrastructure development, community capacity building.

Ye Xiaoxiang, President of the Foundation for Poverty Alleviation in Yunnan, gave a brief introduction on Amity’s work on poverty alleviation in Yunnan. Dao Feng, Mayor of Menglian County and Li Shengfu, Municipal’s CPPCC Vice Chairman expressed their appreciations to the work of Amity in the region, and mobilize participation of quality and high standards with  adequate implementation.
                    
Later, the directors of Amity and the Foundation for Poverty Alleviation in Yunnan Province signed a collaborative partnership agreement.

                     
  After the ceremony, all participants attended the official opening of the Amity Project Centre. In the afternoon, staff and all guests participated in the project management training.  Amity’s Du Ying gave a video to demonstrate the work of The Amity Foundation and to share expereience on financial management and reporting in projects .

On February 1, 2012, “People’s Daily” ‘s column on governance featured an interview with Amity’s  vice chairman and secretary general, Qiu Zhonghui.  With the title “When heart and love walking together”, the intereview focused Mr. Qiu’s experience in philanthropy over the past 26 years., to enhance the dedication and hard work of the general public to engage in philanthropy.

In order to explore Chinese History of the past hundred years, one must go to visit Shanghai, as for its history of the past millennium, go to Beijing; go to Xi’an for its history of the past five thousand years, and finally, for its history of eight thousand years – one must  to go to visit Gansu!

 Located in the northwest hinterland, ancient Gansu is like a lonely old man came slowly, through a thousand years the Silk Road’s servant dust, with the Yellow River flows deep wavefront.

History is like a heavy armour, although retaining structure for the fighters, but also tied their hands and feet. Gansu is a block in the eyes of archaeologists, treasure, but was regarded as a closed culture. How to respect the historical context of rational and effective realization of cultural heritage and development.

Responding to the needs in many institutions in Gansu, Amity have been sending foreign teachers and young volunteers to Gansu on a long term basis, as Amity is committed to enhance the proficiency of English teaching and to promote inter-cultural exchanges.

 (See details of the end the 2011-12 Amity Education and International exchange institution, program distribution list, “Gansu”)

 Approved by the United Front Work Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, Amity’s Department of Education and International Exchange Conference, ” was held in Lanzhou City. Amity Foundation 2012 Annual Meeting of foreign teachers,” a total of number of 22 foreign teachers/ young volunteers and Amity staff attended the annual meeting and  visiting local Amity projects.
On January 8th, participants visited the city’s ‘Stone Mountain’ Church to its congregation. With a good proportion of our foreign volunteers are Christian. By participating in the local liturgy and conversation exchanges with the local congregation, they have a better and more positive understanding towards churches in China. The participant contributed in the worship with singing the hymn “Amazing Grace”.

 After the Worship, the participants visited the Mosque of Lanzhou City, off the west side and spent a pleasant afternoon there. The Venerable Imam Ma, the Imam led us in the visit their worshiping venue, and details of the development of Islam in the local situation. Part of the foreign teachers in China talking about different religions with harmonious coexistence had deeply surprised them, after listening to Imam Ma share his experience during their inter-faith dialogue, which they have gained a more profound understanding. Although from different religious and cultural backgrounds, we respect each other, seek common ground and work towards creating a win-win situation, and this is precisely reflecting our Chinese sentiments.

 The next day, participants visited Guanghe County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture visited the Amity Rural Community development projects. Guanghe is a predominantly agricultural county, township 6 under the jurisdiction of three towns and 102 administrative villages, agricultural population (198,000) accounted for the total population (207,000) of 95% of arable land per capita is only 0.93 acres. Coupled with poor mineral resources, natural disasters, is a country column, the column of provincial poverty alleviation and development focus of the county. A highly populated county with ethnic minorities, the Hui, Dongxiang and other ethnic minorities make up of the total population of 97.9%. Repeated many times based on field research and demonstration, Amity initiated infrastructure development, virus-free potato planting, livestock breeding, farmers’ training and a series of projects in the region. After four years of hard work, we began to witness the result.

 It is worth mentioning when Amity first came to give farmers training, the training school was in full swing, the well known noodles here is to carry out a free skills training division. A “Gansu-ian” slogan of “five As”: a river – the Yellow River, a cave – Mogao Grottoes, one way – Silk Road, a book – “Reader” magazine, a bowl of noodles – Lanzhou noodles. The fragrant aroma of a bowl of Lanzhou noodles should have “a clear (soup) and white (surfaces) three green (parsley garlic) four red (chilies) five pieces (beef),” the feature, not a day stress in labour. One hear the sound when the case of noodles hit the metal plate Pilipala, Karin – the young teacher eager to have tryout, that even the most basic dough process also have her sweating profusely. The master told her, Lanzhou noodles has a total of nine types, each has its strictest requirements. All in all, the reputation of Lanzhou noodles are second to none!

 We thoroughly enjoyed the local custom in spite of this very brief visit to Guanghe. In the eyes of foreign guests, the innocent children playing frolic, Muslim girls with pink hijab a Dongxiang old man and  wearing a white cap, together with the dome minarets of mosques and Islamic style of small restaurants, are no longer just an abstract cultural symbols; on local people, these foreigners blonde high roman nose, just as they pile the fields of straw, the foot of the yellow earth, so true to Lanzhou, at your fingertips.

The Inagural International Forum on Social Media for Social Good jointly organised by the Beijing University, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Tencent and Baidu Community Foundation. The Amity Foundation’s Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Qiu Zhonghui was invited to attend the forum and to share Amity’s experience on  ”using social media to promote universial philanthrophy”.

 The Forum follows after the first social welfare summit which was held in New York in September 2011,  and  the African New Media Public Forum in Tunis in November. This is only the third time internationally to have such forum taken place, but it is also China’s first public forums on social media. In this forum, Tencent, Sina, Baidu, RenRen, Alibaba and  several Internet companies, signed the “Beijing Declaration” to promote the public welfare to be more open and transparent in China, to achieve a goal with a solgan “Information technology to change philanthrophy”, and with public organizations to promote the sustainable development of China’s public welfare.

 The Amity Foundation was established 26 years ago as a public service organization, has been concentrating on its own capacity building, and transparent philanthrophic service efforts. We are willing to cooperate with the internet platforms to jointly promote philanthrophy,  with greater transparency and further sustainable development.

 In August this year, Amity welcomed 12 new YAP volunteers to China:  nine from Germany, one from Switzerland, one from Holland and one from the United States.  After three months in China, these volunteers shared their first impressions of their life and work with Amity.

 Arrival at their placements

 “We felt like this was a big adventure. Everything seemed so unreal. The landscape was just like in an old Western movie: Miles and miles of dusty roads in the middle of the desert. All these strangers, who didn‘t understand a word of what we were saying, kept talking to us, and I had nothing else to do than give a thumbs-up and a smile.”

 “The first impression of this place was just positive, and I was very impressed by the location.  Actually, when I got out of Jiuquan, I noticed that I am located right in the Gobi desert.”

 Volunteers report receiving an overwhelmingly warm welcome from their host schools in Gansu.  And, for some of the volunteers, they immediately moved in to accommodation that was large and spacious and fully equipped for their needs.  However, for others, things did not go quite so smoothly: some had to stay in hotels or temporary accommodation for a period before finally being allocated a more permanent home; some found their new homes dirty, with facilities broken and basic equipment missing; and others were placed in accommodation so brand new that the electricity and water supplies still didn’t function correctly, leading to them having to wash in public bath houses and also to realise the “ridiculous amount of electronic devices” they possessed which temporarily could not be charged up.

 Building relationships

 “Actually, discovering lovely facets of Chinese culture is very easy, Chinese people’s friendliness and cordiality struck me not only in the first days.  The way you are treated as a foreigner is almost unimaginable in many other countries.”

 “I go to school. On my way, a lot of people say hello or just stare at me. As a foreigner, I am a rarity and also an attraction in Jiuquan.”

 “I‘ve never heard so many ‘Wow‘s’ and ‘Ohhhs’ before as when I walk around the school. Wherever you go, the people know who you are and what you do.

 With very few other foreigners in their placements, most volunteers report enjoying “superstar” status at their schools and around their host towns.  They have started to make local friendships through sports, by frequenting local restaurants and bars or the school canteen, or just by practising their growing Chinese skills on people they encounter as they go about their daily lives.  One volunteer talks of going out for a simple bowl of noodles and soon being invited to share the meal of a party at the next table, who were intrigued by how tall he is.  Other volunteers describe how their game of cards on a long train journey attracted the enthusiastic attention of nearly all the other passengers in the carriage. 

 However, though interacting with local people is not that difficult, building up deeper friendships, especially with school colleagues, proves more challenging.  While all volunteers report that their colleagues are very friendly and helpful, the colleagues are also incredibly busy with their own work and family lives, leaving little time for socialising with the volunteers.

 Language learning

  “One of my biggest goals before I came to China was to study as much Chinese as I can during my volunteer year in China. I think, so far, I am well on my way and often receive compliments from my Chinese teachers or my neighbors about how fast I have progressed in the first few months.”

 “It is still enormously difficult and requires much more work than any other language I have ever studied, but I have a good feeling that it will be possible.”

 Volunteers come to China with different expectations concerning their Chinese language study.  Some just want to learn to speak, while others are tackling Chinese characters and reading and writing too.  Some report rapid and satisfying progress, while others are more frustrated with their efforts so far.  Most report that trying to use what they have learned and combining this with friendly body language and smiles goes a long way towards successful communication.

 Interestingly, one German volunteer reports that, because she is teaching low-level English learners, using simple words and and slower speech in class each day, her own English level is gradually deteriorating too, and she finds it harder now to speak with higher-proficiency or native English speakers.

 Teaching

 “Chinese students and the Chinese school system is quite different compared to the German one.”

 “It seemed to be a big challenge for me to be a teacher in a middle school, since I recently graduated from high school myself.”

 Having little or no teacher training or experience, most volunteers report having felt a certain apprehension before giving their first lessons.  For some, this dissolved in to the relief of discovering that they not only can teach but also enjoy it; for others, they still struggle with specific teaching challenges.

 Most volunteers have encountered the following specific difficulties: how to teach and practice spoken skills to huge classes of 50-70 students per class; how to work with very low-level or shy students; how to cater to both low-level and higher-level students in the same class; how to deal with certain pronunciation problems.  For some volunteers, difficulties have been somewhat alleviated by large classes subsequently being divided in to smaller groups by the school.  Several volunteers mention feeling quite “exhausted” by the demands the above teaching difficulties make on them.

 One volunteer also noted that he was struggling with the discipline measures frequently used by his Chinese colleagues, as corporal punishment is still fairly common in his school.

 Cross-cultural and other adventures

 “Everything is new and exciting. Every step out of the door leads to unique adventures, adventures you would never expect to encounter.”

 “Each day is a challenge, and I enjoy each day anew.”

 “It seems sometimes, when you try very hard, and you actually only have the best of intentions in mind, there can still be misunderstandings, especially cultural ones.”

 Within the space of only a few short months, all the volunteers had numerous stories to tell of things they had found strange, unusual, exciting or difficult during their time in China so far:

 One volunteer talks of how she was about to begin teaching her first lesson when, suddenly, all her students ran out of the classroom.  She frantically tried to enquire what was happening, thinking she herself had done something wrong or insensitive, only to discover that this was a weekly ritual whereby the whole school assembles outside to hear speeches and salute the Chinese flag.

 Another volunteer talks of confusion at her school when it was announced that some VIPs would be visiting at some point, though nobody seemed to know exactly when.  She was then suddenly called to come immediately to teach an extra lesson for the benefit of the visiting VIPs, who only stayed in her lesson for five minutes to take pictures before moving on.

 On learning that her Chinese colleagues engaged a local woman to come and cook for them regularly, one volunteer asked if she could join them occasionally.  She at first received no response, then was told that the headmaster had denied permission as the cook was from outside the school and he was worried about the food quality and hygiene.  In the end, it turned out the main concern was from the cook herself, who was worried she would lose her job if the “foreigner” didn’t like her food.

 On the subject of food, two volunteers described how being in China had led them to try buying and cooking a whole fish for the first time in their lives, while another volunteer claims that “most of the time, (Chinese food) is even better than western food”, and extols the virtues of Chinese banquets. 

 Meanwhile, another volunteer voices her frustration at attending a Chinese drawing class and expecting a certain level of freedom and creativity in an “arts” environment, only to then discover that Chinese art follows somewhat rigid and inflexible “rules”.

For all the volunteers, travelling has also been a highlight and adventure during their time in China so far: experiencing hours of “standing room only” on overnight trains, 13-hour taxi rides in blizzards, the incredible natural beauty of places like Jiuzhaigou, Dunhuang and Urumqi, as well as the incredible assistance of local people when one volunteer suffered a potentially serious accident while travelling.

Conclusions so far

  “After having spent a couple of months in China, I can say now that I have a second home and I am starting to understand the Chinese culture.”

 “My impression of China is very positive. I am impressed about the level of development, especially in the western parts China. I expected it to be much lower developed but, for example, here in Jiuquan, I can see the progress of modern China.”

 “After having passed the first three month here in China, I can inevitably say that I feel like I made a very good decision to come to China.”

 “Happiness does not come from having things, it comes from being part of things.”

 “After nearly three months in China my feelings about it are mostly ambiguous. This ambiguity is mainly due to some things that I do not understand about Chinese culture and way of thinking.”

 “However odd some things seem to me here, I still am really glad to be here, because I am looking forward to getting to know this ancient culture better and then understanding the things that right now puzzle me.”

 “The answer to the question of whether or not I enjoy myself here in Yumen is definitely ‘yes, yes, yes, thank you’.”

The Amity Foundation’s “U for Girls Project” 2011 Gathering was held in Guizhou University on October 16th 2011. There are 10 new recipients for the 2011/12 academic year. The gathering included a presentation from Mr. Anthony Tong, the executive director of the Amity Hong Kong office. Mr.Tong shared the future direction of this project and feedbacks from students’ learning experience; there were group games, cocktail party and lunch between students and donors.

The gathering provided a meeting opportunity between the recipients and donors, which the project supports 90 female students. Donors could have a more in-depth understanding of  the recipients’ student life in university and to establish relationships beyond sponsorship. During the gathering, many students said learning English was one of the main difficulties since enrolled into university, and also adapting to college life; students also recieved advices from donors during the gathering sessions.

In addition, the project wished to take this gathering as an opportunity for recipients to share their learning difficulties and experiences in life with one another, to create a positive environment through mutual assistance. Through this gathering enabled students to have better understandings on college life and learning methods, and the bonding amongst the recipients, to enrich their sense of belonging to this project.

Amity Foundation will continue to accept donations for this acdemic year before November, for Guizhou female students most in need of help. At the same time, the project will continue group visits and gatherings between recipients and donors. Please pay attention for future press release.

Donation form is available here