InfluentialNon-governmentalThinkTank
Scientificdecision-makingandthesocialdemandforamoreopenmarketplacehavespurredaproliferationofnon-governmentalthinktanks.
YishanYishuileadsthistrendbyvirtueofitsmultifacetedstudiesoncomprehensivecommunitydevelopment,publicpolicy,andrelevanttheories.Inrecentyearsthecenterhasbecomeaninfluentialnon-governmentalthinktank.Itsfocusisonprovidingascientificbasisforgovernmentdecisionmaking,raisingsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitydevelopmentschemes,andsupportingtheoreticalresearchwithconcreteevidence.InNovember2015,theNationalFederationofSocialSciencesCirclescommendedthecenteronitscontributionstobuildinganewtypeofthinktank.
Aveteranofglobaldevelopmentpro-grammanagement,Dingcontributeshisideasandeffortstowardsstrategicplanning,consultationondomesticandinternationaldevelopmentagencies,andnon-governmentalorganization(NGO)capacitybuilding.TheStateEthnicAffairsCommissionofChinaandtheUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme(UNDP)haveinvitedhimtocontributehisexpertisetotheUNDP鈥檚ChinaCultureandDevelopmentPartnershipFramework.HehasalsobeenengagedinthemonitoringandevaluationofWorldBanksustainableagricultureprojects,andinthepreservationanddevelopmentofculturalheritage.TheAsianDevelopmentBankhasmoreoverinvitedDing鈥檚inputonsocialdevelopmentissues.
DingandhisteamhavemadesignificantpovertyalleviationachievementsinGansuProvince.Andintheprocesstheprovincialgovernmenthasgainedvaluableexperienceinimplementingpovertyreliefprojectsthatencompasseveryvillageandhousehold.Dinghasalsoraisedseveralproposalstotheprovincialgovernmentonnaturalsreservemanagement,lawenforcement,andsupervisorymechanisms,amongothers.Thesehavebeenadoptedbyrelevantadministrationswithaviewtoimprovinggovernmentalworkstrategies.Inadditiontoallthat,Dingiscallingforenhancedpublicparticipation,especiallyfromwomen,inlegislationandpublicpolicymaking.ThisproposalhasreceivedhighcommendationfromtheLegislativeAffairsCommissionofGansuProvincialPeople鈥檚CongressandUNWomen.Furthermore,Ding鈥檚evaluationoftheimpactofhigh-speedrailwaysongrasslandecologyintheHexiCorridorhasarousedwideconcernsamongthepublicandgovernmentofficialsalike.Thisappraisalhaspromptedmodificationstotheconstructionofhigh-speedrailwaysintheprovinceineffortstopreserveitsecologicalenvironment.
PovertyAlleviationEndeavor
PromotingcommunitydevelopmentthroughindustrialprojectsisanotherYishanYishuimission.ThecenterhasexpendedconsiderableeffortsoneconomicandsocialprogressandenvironmentalprotectioninChina鈥檚westernregions.
DinghasobservedthatNGOsinChi-naseldomlaunchruralcommunitydevelopmentprojects.Insomewaysthisisunderstandable,asprojectsofthiskindpresentachallengeinrequiringsubstantialandsustainedcontributionstopoorruralareas.Dingandhisteamhaveneverthelessconcentratedtheirenergiesinthisfieldfor10ormoreyears.
SincereturningfromCanada,DinghaspaidcloseattentiontoprogressinpoorruralareasofGansuProvince.Havinggrownupinapoverty-strickenvillage,Dingknowsalltoowellthemiseryofbeingpoor.Meantime,hisaccumulatedresearchovertheyearshasexpandedhisunderstandingofthepovertyissue.Basedonhisstudyandpracticein50ormoreinternationalprogramsonecologicalanddisastermanagementandpover-tyrelief,Dinginitiatedthe鈥渄isasterriskmanagement鈥揺cologicalrehabilitation鈥搇ivelihoodimprovement鈥漨odel;andalsothatof鈥渃ognition鈥搈itigation鈥揳daptationtoclimatechange.鈥滲othfittheactualcircumstancesinChina鈥檚aridandsemi-aridregions.
鈥淥urresearchhasshownalinkbetweenpovertyandenvironmentaldegradationasacauseoffrequentnaturaldisasterswhich,inturn,worsenpoverty,鈥滵ingsaid.Onthebasisoftheirfindings,Dingandhisteamhavedevelopedaguidelineonfacilitatingcommunitydevelopment.Itentailsmakingcomprehensiveplansthatincludepovertyalleviation,environmentalprotection,disastermanagement,capacitybuildingofruralcommunities,andsystematicallyenhancingthesesectors.Itsaimtoliftmorepeopleoutofpoverty,YishanYishuithusnotonly鈥渢ransfuses鈥漛utalso鈥渕akes鈥漛loodforpoorareas.Developingprofitableindustrialprojectsandprovidingfinancialsupportarethemainmethodsofmakingthe鈥渂lood鈥漷hatwillenableYishanYishuitorealizesustainabledevelopmentofthecommunity鈥檚economy.Thecenterhasraisedfundsthroughvariousgovernment-sponsoredprogramsthathelppoorareasinitiatepovertyreliefprojects.
YishanYishuicarriesoutpovertyreliefandecologicalrestorationprojectsfittingtheactualcircumstancesinaridandsemi-aridregions.PromotingcommunitydevelopmentthroughindustrialprojectsisanotherYishanYishuimission.
Since2012,YishanYishuihasgainedfundsfromthedemonstrationprojecttosupportsocialorganizationsthroughthecentralgovernmentbudgetforthreesuccessiveyears.JointlylaunchedbytheMinistryofFinanceandtheMinistryofCivilAffairs,theprojectisthecountry鈥檚firstschemeencouraginggovernmentpurchasesofsocialservicesfromsocialorganizations.YishanYishuidrewonfundsithadreceivedtotalingRMB1.3milliontosupportneedygroupsanddevelopmentprojects.Overthisthree-yearperiod,morethan1,300impoverishedfarmersinthreetownshipsofPingliangCity,GansuProvincehavedoubledtheirincomes.Atthesametime,projectstorestorethelocalecologicalsystemhavebeencarriedout.Forinstance,theplantingoffuelwoodforestsandgrasshasturnedbarrenhillsgreen,andatthesametimecontrolledwaterandsoilerosion.
Throughmakingfulluseofhisaccumulatedexperienceandresourcesgainedfrommanaginginternationaldevelopmentprojects,DinghasraisedmorethanRMB150millionfromothersocialorganizations,includingtheShihWingchingFoundationandKadoorieCharitableFoundation.Hehasusedthesefundstoconstructinfrastructuresuchasroads,villagehealthclinics,andpotablewatersystems.Hiscontributionshavebenefitedover20,000localresidents,andalsolentnewimpetustoprovincialpovertyalleviationplans.
Somefarmersinpoorareasoftheprovinceareilliterateandfindlearningnewtechnologiesachallenge.YishanYishuihasconsequentlyfocusedontrainingforlocalpeopleandprioritizedthecapacitybuildingofruralcommunities.YishanYishuiteammembersorganizeactivitieslikedramas,competitions,andprizedistributiontoencouragelocalstotakepartinthesetrainingcourses.Sofar,around65,000farmersinGansuProvincehavetakenpart.Theyhavethusexpandedtheirknowledgeofnewtechnologiesandabilitytoenhanceproductivity.Youngerfarmerscanalsoobtainthelatestagriculturalinformationthroughtheirsmartphoneapps.DingWenguang(sixthleft,firstrow)andhisstudents.YishanYishuiencourageslocalresidentstoselectpovertyreliefprojectsandbringinmanagementsystemsaccordingtotheirownwishes.
RotationalBeefCattleBreeding
TodealwiththeadversenaturalconditionsinChina鈥檚aridandsemi-aridregions,YishanYishuihasinitiatedanewpoverty-reliefmodel鈥搑otationalbeefcattlebreeding.
Inacknowledgmentofthebenefitsofparticipatorydevelopmentasespousedbyitsglobalcounterparts,YishanYishuiencourageslocalresidentstoselectpoverty-reliefprojectsandbringinmanagementsystemsaccordingtotheirownwishes.Tomaximizefundefficacy,beneficiariesaredividedintotwoorthreebatches.Theneediesthouseholdsgetacowfirst.Aftertheyhavecalved,thecowsaremovedontothenextbatch.Inthiswayonecowmaybenefittwoorthreehouseholds,sodoublingortriplingfundefficiency.Farmerssuperviseandapprovetheentirerotationprocessandorder.Transparentmanagementreducesconflictsandpromotesharmoniouscommunitydevelopment.
Affiliatedecologicalrestorationplansarecarriedoutatthesametime.Eachhouseholdfundedisrequiredtoplantatleast0.13hectaresoffuelwoodforestandatleast0.13hectaresofalfalfa.Inthisway,onecowmaygenerateprofitsforthreehouseholdsandatthesametimeimprovethenaturalenvironmentoveratleast0.8hectares.Moreimportantly,thecenteradvocatesmutualhelp,somotivatinglocalsnottobepassiveoroverlyreliantonsubsidies,orconstantlyexpectaid.Thisvictim-likeattitudeisonereasonwhypovertyhasprevailedinpoorareas.
Therotationalbeefcattlebreedingmodelhasbroughtencouragingresults.In2014,theMinistryofEnvironmentalProtectionandtheStateCouncil鈥檚PovertyAlleviationandDevelopmentOfficeinvitedDingtoaseminarinBeijingtosharehissuccessfulexperience.Theteamhascontinuedtoexploreandinnovate.鈥淲ehavealsodevelopedamicro-loanschemetohelpthepoorinruralareas,鈥滵ingsaid.
YishanYishuiadvocatesinfusingenvironmentalawarenessintopovertyreliefprograms.Inadditiontodevelopingaffiliatedecologicalrestorationplans,thecentersharesitsnational-patenttechnologyfreeofchargewithfarmersinvolvedinpovertyalleviationprojects.Thetechnology,whichisincludedintheMinistryofScienceandTechnologyofChinaApplicableTechnologyManual:South-SouthCooperationonScienceandTechnologytoAddressClimateChange,improvesmethanetanksinsuchawayastoincreasetheirgasproductionwhilereducingcarbondioxideemissions.Italsoguaranteesgasproductionatlowwintertemperatures.WidelyintroducedtootherdevelopingcountriesduringtheUNClimateChangeConferencesinCancunandDurban,thistechnologyhasearnedChinaconsiderablecommendation.
Moreover,thecenterprovidesfreecleanenergyfacilities,includingsolarcookers,solarwaterheaters,andenergy-savingstovestoparticipantsinitspovertyreliefprojects.YishanYishuiisdeterminedtogoalloutinpromotingthecountry鈥檚capabilitytotackleclimatechange.
DevotiontoPublicWelfare
TheyearYishanYishuiwasfoundedalsomarkedtheadventofnon-governmentpublicwelfareorganizationsinChina.YishanYishuitakestheleadinnorthwesternChinaasaprofessionalphilanthropicorganizationcatalyzedbysocialandmarkettransformation.Itstrivestoconnectwithitscounterpartsintheregionsothattheymaygrowtogetherandimprovethesocialpublicwelfareenvironment.
YishanYishuiworkershavealwaysbeenquickoffthemarkattimesofnaturaldisasters.Forinstance,thecenterimmediatelycoordinatedwithvolunteersandotherNGOsindispatchingrescueteamsandreliefmaterialtodisasterstrickenregionsafterthe2008Wenchuanearthquake,the2013Ya鈥檃nearth-quake,andthe2013Dingxiearthquake.
AsalandlockedareainnorthwesternChina,Gansulagsbehindothersinpublicwelfaremanagement.Aleadingorganizationinthisregion,YishanYishuihasmaderemarkablecontributionstothedevelopmentoflocalpublicwelfarebycreatingplatforms,establishingmechanisms,andtrainingprofessionals.
Publicwelfareorganizationsintheprovincehavedevelopedrapidlysincethe2013earthquakeinMinxianCountyofGansuProvincein2013.ThisisapparentintheestablishmentoftheGansuNon-profitableWelfareReliefAlliance,whichwasmainlyinitiatedbyYishanYishui.Thealliance鈥檚regulations,structuresandstrategieshavebeensteadilyimprovedinrecentyears.Asitsmembersbecomemorediversified,theallianceisnolongerlimitedtodisasterrelief.Rather,ithasexpandedtoincludeeducationandenvironmentalprotection.Today,itisknownastheGansuNon-profitableWelfareNetworkAlliance,andcooperateswith87organiza-tions,benefiting13citiesandprefecturesintheprovince.SinceconnectingpublicwelfareorganizationsinGansuProvinceintoanetworkin2012,YishanYishuihaslaidgreatstoreoncooperationwithgovernmentsandthecapacitybuildingofitscounterparts.Ithasfrequentlyorganizeddiversepersonneltrainingcourses鈥揻romlarge-scalelecturestotailor-madetutorials.
DingWenguang(center)isawardedthefirstprizebytheFordMotorCompany鈥檚Conservation&EnvironmentalGrantsin2010.HelpingotherorganizationswithstrategicplanningisanotherofYishanyishui鈥檚commitments.TrainingcoursesthatYishanYishuihasprovidedonsuchskillsasprojectmanagement,monitoring,andevaluation,haveboostedthealliancemembers鈥檆apacitybuilding.Non-profitgatheringshavefacilitatedthecomparingofnotesamongNGOsintheprovince.Furthermore,thecenterhasjoinedinaprovincialprogramthat,incollaborationwith20NGOs,willincubateagroupof20grass-rootspublicwelfareorganizationsandbuildup30nascentNGOs.Bymakingaplatformtoexchangeideasandshareresources,theprogramaimsatpromotingcooperationamongNGOsinvariousfields,andfurtherfosteringthefairdevelopmentofeverycommunity.YishanYishuihasalsolaunchedaschemetoprovidesmallgrantstodevelopingorganizationsaspartoftheprogram.Ontopofthat,ithasinitiatedacompetitiontoselectandsponsoroutstandinginnovativeprojectsdedicatedtopublicwelfare.AccordingtoOneFoundation,China鈥檚firstnon-governmentalfoundation,thepublicwelfarenetworkinGansuisthemoststableandhasthebestadministrationamongthedozensofprovince-levelorganizationsithasworkedwith.
GlobalPartnership
Inadditiontothecountry鈥檚governmentsectorssuchastheMinistryofCivilAffairs,theMinistryofFinance,andtheDepartmentofGansuProvincialCivilAffairs,YishanYishuihasalsocooperatedwithagoodnumberoforganizationsworldwide,includingtheWorldBank,AsianDevelopmentBank,UNDP,GlobalEnvironmentFacility,ChinaFoundationforPovertyAlleviation,HongKongKadoorieCharitableFoundation,HongKongShihWingchingFoundation,MISEREORofGermany,SavetheChildren,OneFoundation,andSEEFoundation,tonamebutafew.
鈥淧ublicwelfarecallsforprofessionalattitudesandqualities,鈥滵ingsaid.Hetookdisasterreliefasanexample:鈥淐ultureandgenderawarenessareemphasizedwhenweprovideaid.鈥漈heViceChairmanofGansuProvinceCharityFederationwenton:鈥淔orinstance,wemustbeawarethatethnicgroupsliketheHuiandTibetanshavespecificdiets.Andthespecialneedsoffemalevictimsmustnotbeoverlooked.What鈥檚more,rescueteamsshouldfollowaunifiedcommandandcarryoutreliefworkingoodorder.ThegoodattributesoftraditionalChinesecultureshouldbecarriedforwardduringdisasterreliefwork.鈥滵ingalsopointedoutthatacharitableorganizationmustdevoteconsiderabletime,workandperseverancetofulfillingitscommitment.
StatisticsrevealtheimpressivedevelopmentofYishanYishui.EstablishedinJanuary2008,itsfull-timestaffhasexpandedfromoneto15,part-timethinktankresearchersnownumber53,whilevolunteerssurpass1,000.Sofar,thecenterhasraisedoverRMB100milliontocarryoutmorethan300programscooperatingwith20plusorganizationsathomeandabroad.Dingremarked,however,thatthishasnotbeenanentirelysmoothprocess.Butwheneverchallengedbydifficultiesorperplexed,Dingandhisteamneverthelesscarryon,becausetheybelievethattheadvancementofNGOsplaysanimportantroleinaharmonioussociety.
Sinceancienttimes,GansuhasbeenatransportationhubforEurasia,andwasalsoanobligatorystopalongthetimehonoredSilkRoad.YishanYishuihascarriedoutfurtherstudieswiththeaimofbenefitingmorepeoplethroughfulluseoftheBeltandRoadInitiative(whichencompassestheSilkRoadEconomicBeltandthe21st-CenturyMaritimeSilkRoad.)鈥淭hecleanenergyanddryfarmingtechnologieswehavemanagedandourexperiencegainedindisasterreliefandfosteringnon-profitorganizationscanbeintroducedtomorecountriesandregionsalongtheroutes.Meantime,wearelookingforwardtoexchangingideaswithpeersfromtheseareasinsuchfieldsaspolicyandtechnologyconsultationandprojectevaluation,鈥滵ingsaid.ZhangYuisvicechairmanofYishanYishui.TrainingcoursesthatYishanYishuihasprovidedonsuchskillsasprojectmanagement,monitoring,andevaluation,haveboostedthealliancemembers鈥檆apacitybuilding.