May 2O1O

Emergency: Earthquake in ChinaOn 14 April, a massive earthquake hit the northwest at 7:49am. At 3am, on 17 April, Oxfam arrived with supplies. Based at Oxfam Hong Kong’s office in neighbouring Gansu Province, Aman Yee reports. He also took the photo (above) of children in a temporary camp in Jiegu, Qinghai Province.

Two Years after the "5.12" EarthquakeNew roads, earthquake-resistant schools, gender-sensitive ways of working… The changes are many. Oxfam has assisted hundreds of thousands of people in about 200 impoverished communities since that day, 12 May, 2008.

THE BUSINESS EDITIONOne Person in CSR – Woo Pat-NieMeet the person behind one of the first Sustainability Reports to use Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) in Asia.

CSR in Hong KongOxfam Hong Kong launches its second survey on the CSR efforts of 42 Blue Chip companies in Hong Kong.

CSR in Mainland ChinaOxfam and an institute of the Ministry of Agriculture research CSR practices of large agricultural/food corporations.

Poverty and Wealth in Hong KongPoverty is a relative concept in many cities, and must be seen alongside wealth, writes Professor Hui Po-Keung.

O.N.E May 2O1O 2

OXFAM in QINGHAI

Sun, 18 Apr, Oxfam Live (in Qinghai), Al Jazeera TV

Aman Yee in an Oxfam tent on 22 April, Earth Day

When I left Oxfam Hong Kong’s Lanzhou office for Qinghai, the

information coming in was that people’s basic requirements would

mostly be tents, blankets and food. Yet, that is for physical needs. When

I reached Yushu, I met people who had become so emotionally fragile by

the earthquake that they remained too shocked and afraid to leave their

tent once they were provided one. Too afraid to go out, some people are

having difficulty receiving enough supplies.

I interviewed a woman named Lang Jie suffering from a severe condition

of anxiety and panic. She had frequent nightmares, and a deep fear of

leaving her tent, which she shared with her 9-month-old baby, elderly

mother, and husband. She and her family were initially provided instant

noodles and rice by the local temple.

The kind of food aid is another matter. A massive amount of instant

noodles has been donated, but as I talked with survivors, I learned that most

of them would prefer roasted barley, butter and other basics in the Tibetan

diet. Oxfam Hong Kong is working closely with local groups to respond

appropriately. Ren Qing Da Wa, President of Jiang Yuan Development

Association, says, “We will make good use of the donated food, but it is

very important to provide healthy food to survivors.”

Lang Jie says it is painful to think about the families who didn’t survive

the earthquake. When I parted with her, she seemed optimistic. We did not

say ‘goodbye’ but ‘cai yan’ which means ‘long life’ in the local language

in Yushu.

Aman Yee is Deputy Programme Manager of the Rural Development and Disaster Management Team of Oxfam Hong Kong. He is based in Lanzhou, in Gansu Province, China.

NOTES FROM AMAN YEE

14Earthquake strikes at 7:49am

Oxfam prepares response with NGOs and government units in China

15

Oxfam plans to initially spend HK$2m (US$258,000) on response

173 am Oxfam’s first relief team arrives in Jiegu, Yushu, Qinghai

early morn Oxfam delivers relief (quilts, blankets, etc) to 2,000 people in Jiegu camp

Sichuan Airlines sponsors a flight of supplies from Kunming to Xining

18

Oxfam arrives in Shiqu, Sichuan, 4,600m high, with supplies for 4,000 people

19

Oxfam delivers aid for 2,000 people in 3 remote areas west of Jiegu, 4,300m high

Oxfam plans public health work in Jiegu to reduce risk of disease

20

Oxfam delivers tents in Zhaxike, Yushu, especially for migrant workers

21

Flags at half-mast in Hong Kong and across Mainland China

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

Fri, 16 Apr, Oxfam Live on CCTV

Oxfam supplies for remote communities 80 km west of Jiegu town

16

O.N.E May 2O1O �

A MAN AT CENTRAL: WOO PAT-NIEBy Madeleine Marie Slavick

Woo trained as an accountant and

could have stayed in that profession

life-long, but in 2005, he decided

to join the family business: Central

Textiles Group, called ‘Central’ for

short. He is now a Director.

Centra l was s tar ted by h i s

grandfather, Vincent Woo. Actually,

it is the second textiles company that

Vincent set up. The first, Dai Chung,

located near Shanghai, had to be

abandoned during the war: Vincent

left the city on the last plane out, and

started up again in Hong Kong with

just one loom. Nine years later, Central

would open its first spinning factory.

The factory was in Tsuen Wan,

where the headquarters remain.

In the 1980s, when I lived there,

the neighbourhood was filled with

factories and I will always remember

a dye factory (of another Hong Kong

company) that once stood at the

corner of my street. It polluted the

stream so badly that the air also stunk.

It is gone now.

These days, Central is a leader in

sustainability: social, environmental

and for the business. “We’re in this

for the long term,” Woo Pat-Nie said

a few times during the O.N.E magazine

interview. “The previous business

model was obviously unsustainable,

but Central is a family business,

and families last. My grandfather

worked so hard to build up Central

and I see myself as a steward for this

generation.

“Central has always put an

emphasis on the welfare of our staff

members. The previous CEO is now a

consultant and has served for a total

of 50 years. The current CEO got his

first job at Central and has been with

us for about 30 years now.”

In the five years he has been in

the family business, there have been

many signs of sustainability. In 2005,

Central began using certified organic

cotton; in 2008, Woo Pat-Nie founded

the Sustainable Fashion Business

Consortium; and in 2009, Central

became the first spinning and weaving

company in Asia to issue a Global

Reporting Initiative report. The next

challenge is getting his factories in

Mainland China certified Fair Trade.

Woo sighs. “The textiles industry

is very tough. Very tough. Very

competitive. Margins are squeezed

to the extreme. Many people in the

business have given up, gotten out.

They say to themselves, why not buy

property and live off rent – it’s a lot

less stressful.” In the five years Woo

has been with Central, he says two of

the four other spinners have closed

their factories.

When I ask him what his grand-

father might have thought about all

of this emphasis on sustainability and

corporate social responsibility, he says

that even though Vincent was from a

different era, he would have thought

it worthwhile.

Woo Pat-Nie was in conversation with Wong Kwok-Ho, who works on Corporate Social Responsibility with Oxfam Hong Kong, and Madeleine Marie Slavick, editor of O.N.E.

Central Textile Group is the first Asian spinning and weaving mill to issue a Global Reporting Initiatives report.

Issued in March 2009, the report received an award from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Woo Pat-Nie addressing colleagues about CSR reporting, November 2009.

Oxfam Hong Kong co-hosted this seminar at Clothing Industry Training Authority.

O.N.E May 2O1O �

Oxfam Hong Kong Survey Shows Size Matters on CSRHang Seng Companies: Big Market Cap, Small CSR By Wong Kwok-Ho and Thomas Lau

“If you are the biggest, you are

also expected to be the strongest.”

That is the public expectation of big

corporate companies when it comes to

corporate social responsibility (CSR).

This makes sense, as large companies

generally have more resources, and

can institutionalise CSR throughout

their operations, including their supply

chain. Yet, are these companies really

good enough to be a role model? In

April, Oxfam Hong Kong released the

findings of its CSR survey on forty-two

Hang Seng Index (HSI) constituent

companies.

The HSI or Blue Chip companies

were rated in six areas: 1) CSR Strategy

and Repor ting ; 2 ) Stakeholder

engagement ; 3 ) Workplace ; 4 )

Environment Performance; 5) Supply

Chain, and 6) Community Investment.

They were ranked into three groups:

1) Leaders (60-100 points) – 29%, 2)

Mainstream (40-59 points) – 45%, 3)

Laggards (below 40 points) – 26%.

The Hong Kong Blue Chip Index

is the main indicator of overall

market performance in Hong Kong.

Of the 42 constituent stocks, 25 are

headquartered in Hong Kong, 16 in

Mainland China and one in England.

They span 10 industry sectors, and

represent over 60 per cent of total

market capitalisation of the Hong

Kong Stock Exchange. Collectively,

these companies have enormous

impact and influence on the economy

as well as on environmental, social and

governance issues. They also account

for a very large workforce, with 31

per cent of constituent companies

each employing over 100,000 people.

It is therefore crucial to understand

their behaviour with regard to their

contribution to poverty alleviation.

Transparency is an essential

criteria for these blue chip companies

to achieve a high score on our

survey. Our latest survey findings

indicate that there is a strong linkage

between companies who responded

to the survey and inclusion with the

leader (with a score of >=60%) and

mainstream (40-59%) categories. Of

the 31 companies listed in the leader

and mainstream categories, 29 of them

returned the questionnaire. For those

companies that did not respond, our

research consultant CSR Asia, would

then gather information from public

documents, such as annual reports, as

to complete their questionnaires. Only

two non-respondents had enough

publicly available information to make

it out of the laggard (<40%) category.

How well do companies report their

CSR practices? From our survey it

shows that 57 per cent of them

have, on their own, published a CSR

report, but only 40 per cent use the

Global Reporting Initiative, the most

widely used sustainability reporting

framework worldwide. Among these,

only half of them score well enough

to ensure them a place in the leader

category.

Supply chain management is

another area that remains largely

neglected. Thirty-six per cent have

no dialogue with their suppliers

regarding CSR issues. This reflects that

almost a third of the HSI companies are

not introducing CSR into their supply

chain; ten companies scored 24 per

cent or less while seven scored zero.

The situation didn’t fare any better

for companies which have a supplier

code of conduct in place, including but

is not limited to, the request for their

suppliers’ compliance on fair labour

practices and good environmental

standards. Our findings show that

69 per cent of companies actually

already have this code of conduct,

but only 36 per cent implement it

across all of their operations. This is a

serious implication on ethical practices

because of the extensive nature of

these big companies’ supply chains.

In the area of workplace quality, we

looked into some corporate practices

beyond statutory requirements.

Paternity leave, for instance, has

yet to be enforced by legislation.

Only 23 companies in the survey

provide this entitlement for their

employees, neglecting the caring duty

of fathers. It appears that to leave the

companies to their own devices is not

To read the full report: www.oxfam.org.hk/fs/csr/HSI2009_en.pdf

To read the report from 2008: www.oxfam.org.hk/public/contents/47872

Kalina Tsang coordinates Oxfam Hong Kong's private sector engagement efforts.

O.N.E May 2O1O 5

Rank Name of Company Total Score Percentage

1 HSBC 80%

2 CLP 77%

3 China Mobile 76%

4 Cathay Pacific 74%

5 MTR Corp 71%

6 Hong Kong and China Gas 69%

6 Foxconn 69%

8 Swire Pacific 67%

9 Hang Seng Bank 66%

10 HK Exchanges & Clearing 63%

10 Sun Hung Kai 63%

12 Li & Fung 61%

13 HK Electric 56%

14 Tencent 56%

15 Sino Land 53%

16 New World Development 52%

17 China Resources Enterprise 51%

17 Esprit 51%

17 China Shenhua 51%

17 Henderson Land Development 51%

21 Sinopec 48%

21 China Construction Bank 48%

23 Ping An 47%

24 China Unicom 46%

25 Bank of East Asia 45%

26 Bank of China (Hong Kong) 44%

27 China Resources Power 43%

27 Hang Lung 43%

29 PetroChina 42%

30 ICBC 41%

31 Bank of China 40%

32 CNOOC 38%

33 China Overseas 33%

33 China Merchants 33%

35 Bank of Communications 31%

35 China Life Insurance 31%

37 Aluminium Corp of China 30%

38 Hutchison Whampoa 29%

39 CITIC Pacific 25%

40 Wharf Holdings 20%

41 Cheung Kong Holdings 16%

42 COSCO Pacific 13%

effective enough for them to adopt

comprehensive CSR practices. This

necessitates the public authorities to

enforce some mandatory measures to

make it happen.

On the environmental side, it

was encouraging to see that 43 per

cent of the companies are setting

reduction targets on, at least, one of

four items: greenhouse gas emissions,

energy, water and paper. However,

performance varies significantly.

Only the leading companies have set

reduction targets on all four items.

Group- or division-wide tangible

reduction targets are less likely to

occur in companies, leaving much

room for improvement.

In the first survey in 2008, our

findings indicate that the majority

of the HSI companies contributed

generously for charity causes. In this

second survey, we investigated their

community investments as a long-term

strategy. The survey found that only 19

per cent of the companies align their

community investment goals with the

UN Millennium Development Goals

or national development goals. Only

29 per cent have systems to measure

the impact of their investments. This

indicates that many companies have

failed to adopt a strategic approach

to community investment.

All said and done, we find that the

biggest companies are not necessarily

the strongest, when it comes to CSR.

Commitment to create board level

responsibility for CSR and develop

CSR policies based on international

standards offer a valuable starting

point for those companies lagging

behind.

In addition to calling on blue

chip companies to improve their

CSR policies and practices, Oxfam

Hong Kong also calls for stronger

regulations on them by the Hong

Kong SAR Government and the Hong

Kong Stock Exchange, leveraging on

the ongoing Companies Ordinance

Rewrite effort to strengthen the

disclosure of non-financial corporate

data based on the GRI standard. As

far as listed companies are concerned,

Oxfam Hong Kong recommends

that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange

should require companies to publicly

disclose their CSR or sustainability

performance as a mandatory listing

principle. Oxfam Hong Kong believes

both voluntary efforts of companies

and mandatory measures imposed by

regulators would create – and sustain

– the momentum for bringing CSR to

a higher level in Hong Kong.

Wong Kwok-Ho works on Corporate Social Responsibility with Oxfam Hong Kong; Thomas Lau is a member of the Communications Team of Oxfam Hong Kong.

At A GlAncePublish an independent CSR Report 57%

Use Global Reporting Initiative 40%

Set environmental targets 43%

Offer paternity leave 55%

Code of Conduct with suppliers 69%

Community investment aligned with national or Millennium Development Goals

19%

System to measure impact of Community investments 29%

Stephen Frost, Executive Director of CSR Asia, a consultant for the survey

O.N.E May 2O1O �

We Do Not Stand Alone: CSR in ChinaText and photos by Cai Rui

Adherence to Corporate Social

Responsibility standards has a direct

and substantial impact on small

producers’ livelihoods. This applies

in any context – in a garment factory

or on the land. Recent research on

the agricultural/food industry in four

provinces of China indicates a tenuous

situation, with fledging CSR policies

and basic contractual agreements

being the exception rather than the

rule.

For the past two years, Oxfam

Hong Kong and the Research Centre

of Rural Economy of the Ministry of

Agriculture have been researching

the profit mechanisms between

farmers and large agricultural/food

corporations (known as ‘Dragon Head

Firms’) in Hebei, Inner Mongolia,

Liaoning and Sichuan. The companies’

CSR policies and practices were also

assessed. The 39 corporations primarily

process pigs, chickens, fruit, seafood

and dairy cows. On the producer

side, the research included interviews

with 43 livestock/dairy farmers, and

workers at 24 breeding bases and five

farming cooperatives.

In general, the study reveals a weak

partnership between agricultural

corporations and farmers. In Inner

Mongolia, for instance, merely 30 per

cent of the surveyed dairy farmers

have a contract with the company:

the majority falls outside of legal

protection. In the face of the toxic

milk crisis in 2008, some affected

companies tried to recover losses by

delaying payment to dairy farmers,

lowering their offered prices, and

cutting down purchases by raising

standard requirements. Some dairy

farmers had no way out but to dump

their milk, with some even killing their

cattle to reduce their loss. Conversely,

when the supply of milk is low and

prices should theoretically surge,

most farmers told Oxfam that they

still sell their milk to corporations at

the normal price. Yet, there are also

positive examples. Despite being hit

by the global financial crisis, many

companies are still paying contractual

prices to ensure farmers’ income.

One company opened a separate

HEBEI PROVINCE: Farmers checking their pay from an agricultural/food company.

O.N.E May 2O1O �

impacts of their supply chains; should

publicise their CSR assessments,

and should engage stakeholders in

constructive dialogue. This applies

to multinational food corporations

too, not only Chinese ones. In the

context of globalisation, multinational

c o r p o r a t i o n s ’ i n v e s t m e n t s i n

developing countries can influence

local government decisions, farmers’

livelihoods, and rural community

development. We are seeking dialogue

with companies to ensure that farmers

in China and around the developing

world all have an equal ground for

development.

Oxfam does not stand alone.

We can not walk alone. We need

the participation of domestic and

multinational corporations , the

Chinese and foreign governments,

and society as a whole. We believe

that change is coming, one step after

another.

Based in Beijing, Cai Rui is Programme Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility with Oxfam Hong Kong. The agency has been advocating Corporate Social Responsibility in Mainland China since 2006, with the business sector, government departments, civil society, and the general public. A current emphasis is on the agricultural/food industry.

BEIJING: 9 April 2010, Oxfam Hong Kong workshop on CSR: participants of the workshop included officials from the Ministry of Agriculture as well as academics, NGOs and corporate executives.

HEBEI PROVINCE: A cow breeding facility visited by Cai Rui (right), Oxfam Hong Kong's Programme Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility.

bank account for each partner dairy

farmer to make timely payments in

a transparent manner. Some farmers

who keep their cows in breeding bases,

larger farms or breeding associations

are given partner companies’ stock

options, thereby sharing both profits

and risks with the corporations.

One might ask, is this transfer

of risk simply a marketing ploy?

The answer i s ‘no’ i f one sees

farmers and corporations as being

the interdependent parties that

they are. A company with a healthy

strategic vision does not follow the

‘profit comes first’ business model,

but one that fosters the mutual

and sustainable development of

all stakeholders. Even corporations

badly hit by the financial crisis can still

protect farmers’ interests, guarantee

stable purchase orders, and abide by

the contractual prices: this will ensure

quality products for the company and

will secure farmers’ income too: a win-

win situation.

In China, these ‘Dragon Head Firm’

receive subsidies and preferential

policies from the government to

stimulate the economy; at the end

of 2008, there were 81,500 such

companies. With such an arrangement,

the government is certainly in a

position to leverage on this and to

urge the companies to protect the

livelihoods of farmers and workers.

With the support of the Ministry

of Agriculture, Oxfam commissioned

research to look at these companies’

CSR practices, such as mechanisms

for monitoring, transparency, and

s takeholder engagement . The

research also worked to identify

potential intervention and policy

improvement areas regarding food

safety, smallholders’ access to market

benefit s . Oxfam presented the

research to Ministry officials and

businesspeople from Dragon Head

Firms in Beijing in April 2010.

Oxfam Hong Kong believes that

business should be accountable for

the social, ecological and economic

O.N.E May 2O1O �

Poverty and Affluence Must be Studied TogetherBy Prof. Hui Po-Keung

Hong Kong schools have shown a

recent interest in encouraging students

to explore their local communities as

part of their Liberal Studies or civic

education classes, hoping students

could learn through v iv id l i fe

experiences outside of the classroom

and the textbook. On poverty issues,

teachers may take students to low-

income neighbourhoods or to a

‘rich vs. poor banquet’ to help them

understand poor people’s everyday

life.

Giving students the opportunity to

engage with a low-income community,

if not done too superficially, does help

students with a relatively privileged

social background to broaden their

horizons. Focusing on poor people’s

material life in this kind of poverty tour,

however, imposes a non-traversable

limit of cognition, because poverty

is largely a relative concept in high-

income cities such as Hong Kong.

As pointed out by sociologist Jean

Baudrillard (1981), in modern capitalist

society, poverty is not determined by

objective biological imperatives such

as calorie intake, but by capitalist

society’s most fundamental logic of

operation. In the process of capital

accumulation, most wealth and

resources flow toward rich people,

while the residue defines the basic

needs of low-income groups.

In contemporary Hong Kong, high-

profit luxury homes have always been

the first priority for land developers.

Our best land and other resources are

hence reserved for wealthy luxury

home-buyers; the residue is then

channelled to meet poor people’s

basic needs, such as constructing

public health facilities and low-income

housing. In other words, the needs

of poor people are determined by

the logic of capital accumulation and

reproduction: poor people can only

consume leftovers from rich people,

instead of securing basic inputs

(defined by biological imperatives)

for survival.

Baudrillard reckoned that modern

consumerism is governed by the logic

of difference. By constructing linguistic

signs, modern capitalism’s production

and consumption systems create

differences (e.g. classes and genders)

among everything in the society.

Individual “needs” form only after a

system of signs distinguishing such

differences emerges. For example, the

symbol of “luxury homes” demarcates

its class differences with “public

estates”, generating our needs for

“first home buying” and “upward

purchasing” (i.e. buying larger and

more expensive homes). In other

words, consumers’ personal needs are

being produced and summoned by the

operation of capitalism.

Baudrillard denied the existence of

“real” or “essential” needs, asserting

that needs are not inherent but

determined by differences specified

in the capitalist system of signs. As

different societies possess distinctive

logic of differences, their “basic

needs” differ. For example, clothing

can be an expression of taste, not

merely a display of wealth or the

lack of it. Thus, the meaning that a

sign signifies is not universal. Needs

are created by the entire capitalist

/ photo: Madeleine Marie Slavick

production and consumption system,

and our necessities and desires are

constructed by signs.

Thus, it is impossible to isolate

poverty as a subject of research

because poverty is not a separated

and autonomous entity. Poor people’s

“basic needs” are defined by the

residue of the wealthy class. The

formation of poverty is also at the

same time the construction of luxury

consumption. Therefore, poverty and

affluence must be studied together;

visiting poor people should also be

complemented by understanding

the formation of the rich’s opulent

lifestyle.

Reference:Baudrillard, Jean (1981): ‘The Ideological Genesis of Needs’ and ‘Towards a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign’ in For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign, translated by Charles Levin. Telos Press, 63-87 and 143-163.

Hui Po-Keung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cultural Studies at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Translation by Bonnie Kwok of Oxfam Hong Kong. This article first appeared in the March 2010 edition of MoKung, Oxfam Hong Kong's Chinese-language magazine.

O.N.E May 2O1O �

TWO YEARS ON

THE 3-KILOMETRE VILLAGE ROAD, BEFORE AND AFTER, IN JINNIu, SICHuAN

Qin Yongzheng, 25, (bottom photo), lives in Jinniu Village with her husband and child (pictured). ”My husband worked 12 days for free to build this road,” She says. “We want our son to walk on a good cement road, instead of the muddy road before. We knew that it would be so much easier to bring our vegetables, pigs and chickens to sell in the town centre, so we were happy to work for free. We even contributed our own money.” Oxfam provided 657,053 Yuan in funds while Jinniu residents themselves raised 15,000 Yuan to build the road. (Photo: Li Hong /Oxfam Hong Kong)

Donations from Individuals HK$79,007,674.86

49%Corporate Donations HK$30,027,115.72

19%

Oxfam Affiliates (Oxfam Australia, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Germany,

Intermon Oxfam, Oxfam New Zealand) HK$4,677,616.58

3%

Hong Kong SAR Government Disaster Relief Fund HK$3,510,000.00

2%

Fundraising Appeal in 2008 by the Home Affairs Bureau,

Hong Kong SAR Government HK$44,255,188.30

27%

Financial Resources (as at March 2010)

SHAANXIRelief Projects: 2

Rehabilitation Projects: 8

GANSURelief Projects: 5

Rehabilitation Projects: 30

SICHUANRelief Projects: 15

Rehabilitation Projects: 50

Total Number of Oxfam Projects: 110

SHAANXIHK$3,869,637.20

6%

GANSUHK$16,337,804.43

26%

SICHUANHK$41,885,960.81

68%

Total expenditure: HK$62,093,402.44 (From May 2008 to 31 March 2010)

The earthquake of 12 May 2008,

with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter

Scale, affected hundreds of thousands

of people across western China: 4,834

communities officially designated as

impoverished were hit by the disaster.

Oxfam Hong Kong has assisted more

than 750,000 people in about 200

of these impoverished communities.

In its five-year strategic plan from

2008-2013, Oxfam Hong Kong plans

to allocate HK$90 million in Sichuan,

and about HK$71 million in Gansu

and Shaanxi.

people to restart their means of a

livelihood. These projects have been

implemented alongside 54 partner

organisations.

To read the full ‘Two Years On’ report, please visit: www.oxfam.org.hk

The agency ’s 110 relief and

rehabilitation projects to date include

building new schools, village roads,

and water supply systems; running

training sessions in gender sensitivity,

participatory models, and financial

management; and enabling poor

O.N.E May 2O1O �

O.N.E May 2O1O 10

tWO YeARS OnOxfam Hong Kong Partner Organisations

GOVERNMENT UNITS• Anxian County Office Sichuan Qianfo Mountain Conservation Zone

• Chengdu Women's Federation

• China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation

• Guangyuan Lizhou District Committee of Communist Youth League

• Hui County Poverty Alleviation and Development Office

• Langzhong City Poverty Alleviation Office

• Longnan City Poverty Alleviation and Development Office

• National Population and Family Planning Commission of China

• Bureau of Civil Affairs of Kang County, Longnan City, Gansu

• Pingliang City Bureau for Ethnic Minority Affairs

• Population and Family Planning Commission of Wudu Prefecture, Longnan City

• Post-Quake Rehabilitation Office of The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP)

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Leading Group Office of Ningqiang County

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Chencang District, Baoji City, Shaanxi

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Cheng County, Gansu

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Kang County, Gansu

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Liangdang County, Gansu

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Luojiang County, Deyang City, Sichuan

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Lushan County

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Wudu District

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Yanting County

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Zhongjiang

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Zi Tong County, Mianyang City, Sichuan

• Poverty Alleviation through Food for Work, Lixian County, Sichuan

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Anxian County

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Baoxing County, Yaan City

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Chaotian County, Guangyuan Prefecture, Sichuan

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Jiange County, Guangyuan Prefecture, Sichuan Province

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Lizhou County, Guangyuan Prefecture, Sichuan

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Nanjing County, Bazhong Prefecture, Sichuan

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Santai County

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Wangcang County

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Youxian District, Mianyang City

• Poverty Alleviation Office of Yuanba District, Guangyuan City

• Poverty Alleviation Office on Lueyang County of Shanxi Province

• Qingchuan County Poverty Alleviation Office

• Qinzhou District Education Bureau, Tianshui City

• Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of Xihe County, Gansu

• Program Office of Anding Educational and Sport Bureau

• Wenxian County Poverty Alleviation and Development Office

• Zhen Yuan County Education Bureau, Qing Yang Prefecture, Gansu Province

UNIVERSITY / RESEARCH INSTITUTES• Department of Sociology, College of Humanity and Development, China Agriculture

University

• Lanzhou University Community Development Center

• School of Ethnological Studies, Southwest University for Nationalities

• School of Huaxi Public Health of Sichuan University

LOCAL NGOS• Donghua Women's Health Education Centre, Huating County, Gansu

• Gansu Yixin Psychological Counselling Centre

• Global Village of Beijing

• Shaanxi Mothers' Environmental Protection Association

• Shaanxi Provincial Research Association for Women and Family

• Service-Technology Service Center for Rural Women in Shaanxi

• The Youth from Red Cross (YFRC)

• Western Rural Development Center

• Institute for Civil Society, Department of Anthropology, Zhongshan University

NEW SCHOOL, HuAXIANXI, GANSu

Education for children has been a priority for Oxfam in Gansu. When the Huaxianzi Primary School in Anding District was so damaged that it was no longer safe for the 208 students, Oxfam allocated 429,898 Yuan to rebuild the school to meet safety standards (pictured).

“Before, during the winter, it was freezing in the classroom,” a student says. “The icy wind blew right through the crevices in the mud wall. Now, it’s warmer in the brand new classroom.”

Principal Wang Hong says, “The new school is very safe, so the parents no longer worry about the security of their children. And our school is near the village, so parents would rather their children be here than anywhere else. Hence, this semester, we have ten new students in kindergarten; before we had only three.” (Photos: Sha Lei / Oxfam Hong Kong)

TRAINING WITH PARTNERS, CHENGDu, SICHuAN

Su Yunzhi, 44, (left in left photo) and Li Chunrong (standing in right photo), 30, attended Oxfam Hong Kong’s seminar on Participatory Management Methods and Project Management Training.

Su is an accountant with the Poverty Alleviation Office in Luojiang County. She says, “I learned a lot about financial management from Oxfam’s finance officer. He clearly explained how to monitor projects, as well as Oxfam’s ways of working. We will follow these procedures to meet Oxfam’s requirements.”

Li Chunrong, a leader of Weixing Village in Sichuan, says, “We [the village government] apply the participatory approaches in our work, but after this, I understood why we need to appeal for participation. I see that villagers have fewer complaints if they take part in every aspect of the project. It definitely helps my work of communicating with people in my village.”

O.N.E May 2O1O 11

52

MOKUNGThe focus of the March edition is on attitudes,

commitments and values while shopping, especially when

purchasing items connected to various causes.

In Chinese, MOKUNG means both 'infinity' and 'no

poverty' – there are so many things to be done to stop

poverty and its injustice.

Published by Oxfam in Traditional Chinese, MOKUNG is

available for free at various locations across Hong Kong, by subscription for delivery to

any Hong Kong address for HK$20/year, and on-line at Oxfam Hong Kong website.

To subscribe: www.oxfam.org.hk/public/bookstore/?lang=big5

Every day, Oxfam Hong Kong works alongside hundreds of groups

around the world, from small NGOs to international bodies, from

government departments of developing countries to community groups

based in Hong Kong. Here are 25 ‘partner organisations’ that we are

supporting for the first time.

N E w PartnerOrganisations

CHINA Beijing • School of Civil, Commercial and Economic Law, China University of Political Science and Law

• Gender Equality Policy Advocacy Group

• Research Center of Journalism and Social Development, Renmin University of China

• Global Call to the Action against Poverty (GCAP)

• Beijing Mu Lan Culture Center

Guangdong • HANDA Rehabilitation & Welfare Association

Guangxi • Department of Ethnic Affairs of Donglan County, Guangxi Autonomous District

• Department of Ethnic Affairs of Lingyun County, Guangxi Autonomous District

Guizhou • Chinese Communist Youth League of Puan County

• The Science Association of Weining Yi, Hui & Miao Minorities Autonomous County

Hebei • Qianxi Women’s Law Service Center

Henan • Luohe Women’s Federation

• Population and Family Planning Commission of Henan Province

Shaanxi • Poverty Alleviation Office of Lueyang County

Sichuan • Poverty Alleviation Office of Wangcang County

Yunnan • The People's Government of Xundian County

• The People's Government of Jianshui County

• The Peoples Government of Dongchuan District

• The People's Government of Wuding County

• Nanhua County Poverty Alleviation Office

• Chuxiong Municipal City Poverty Alleviation Office

• Xiangyun County Poverty Alleviation Office

• Midu County Poverty Alleviation Office

Zhejiang • Hangzhou Grassroots Education and Advisory Services Center

VIETNAM • Quang Tri Department of Planning & Investment

In this edition of O.N.E, we highlight HANDA Rehabilitation and

welfare Association

Established in 1996, HANDA is a non-governmental, non-

religious, and non-profit community organisation registered with the

Department of Civil Affairs of Guangdong Province and supervised by

the Department of Health of Guangdong Province. It also functions

as a branch of the International Association for Integration, Dignity

and Economic Advancement (IDEA), with which Oxfam Hong Kong is

also associated.

HANDA focuses on assisting people with Hansen’s disease, or

leprosy. It helps patients through an approach that merges the social,

psychological, physical and economic. It also works to eliminate the

stigma that patients face, and the discrimination.

While HANDA is based in Guangdong in the southeast, the project

carried out with Oxfam’s support is in a village in Yunnan, a considerably

poorer province in the southwest. The village of Ma Liutang is a

community for Hansen’s Disease patients where HANDA has been

working since 2006, primarily by offering residents there interest-free

loans. The land is not very fertile, resources have been limited, and

trading difficult due to inaccessibility.

Funds pooled from HANDA and Oxfam Hong Kong helped set up

a new community development fund to support various community

development activities, such as road repair and training on raising

livestock. The project period continues until December 2010.

For more information on HANDA: www.handa-idea.org/en/

ONEOxfam News E-magazine is published monthly, at www.oxfam.org.hk/ONE.

To receive a copy in your inbox, please subscribe – it is FREE.

www.oxfam.org.hk/one/subscribe.html

O.N.E (Oxfam News E-magazine) is published monthly by Oxfam Hong Kong, 17th

Floor, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong. The publisher

does not necessarily endorse views expressed by contributors. For permission to reprint

articles, please contact us; normally, we grant permission provided the source is clearly

acknowledged. O.N.E is available free to all, in both an HTML and PDF version, and in

Chinese and English.