Gansu Yishan Yishui Center for Environmental and Social Development

Gansu Yishan Yishui Center for Environmental and Social Development (hereinafter referred to as YSYS or the center) is a non-profitable organization attached to the Lanzhou Universtiy that was established in January 2008 and approved by the Civil Affairs Deparment of Gansu Province. Key area the sister agencies focus on is the integrated development of rural communities, including disaster management, ecological restoration, livelihoods improvement (poverty alleviation), capacity building of public institutions, consultation of domestic and international development agencies, environmental and social impact assessment and the promotion of the development of local public institutions.

Currently, the Center has 10 full-time staff, 5 part-time staff, and more than 500 volunteers. The staff education levels of the Center are all above junior college. The director of the center, Dr. Ding is a professor at Lanzhou University. Dr. Ding is also a committee member of Gansu Provincial Disaster Reduction Committee. What’s more, Dr. Ding is often invited to provide project management consulting services for international institutions such as the UNDP, GEF, UN Women and government departments such as the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Environmental Protection, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology, Gansu Provincial Civil Affairs Department, Gansu Provincial Disaster Reduction Committee, Gansu Provincial Department of Environmental Protection and Gansu Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Dr. Ding has more than ten years of experience in development area. Nowadays, the Center has established a good cooperative and interactive relationship with both international and domestic foundations and some influential NGOs. With the establishment of a good public development network in the northwest area of China, the center starts its leadership of the northwest's most influential non-governmental disaster relief team, Gansu Non-Profitable Relief Union. In addition, the center has formed a strategic partnership with Yibang Cooperative and some other social organizations aimed at promoting the sustainable development of social organizations.

So far, as one of the most influential NGOs in China, the center has implemented more than 100 projects funded by the domestic and international development agencies, with a project funding more than RMB30 million.

The center adheres to the TAI (Transparency, Accountability, Impact) management principle.

Transparency: Transparent management, transparent finance, transparent project operational procedures.

Accountability: Accountability to donors, accountability to the beneficiary, and accountability to the brand of the center.

Impact: Maximizing project benefits with minimal project costs. Aimed to implement influential projects, demonstrate and promote replicable and valuable mechanisms and modes, build good communication and orderly development platforms for communities, all levels of government and public development agencies.

Our Beliefs
People-oriented and harmonious development calls for equitably to meet the needs on livelihoods and environment of vulnerable communities.

Our Mission

Through the implementation of integrated community development projects, the capacity building of public institutions and interdisciplinary research, the center devotes to exploring the modes, mechanisms and theories of equitably meeting the vulnerable communities’ development.

Our Focuses
1. Explore the community-based disaster risk management, ecological restoration and livelihood improvement integration mode.
2. Climate change addressing in rural communities.
3. Environmental and social impact assessment of development projects.
4. Capacity building of NGOs
5. Gender-sensitive researches of development projects.
6. Consulting services for domestic and international development agencies
7. The hatch development of local NGOs

Main Support Organizations
1. Kadoorie Charitable Foundation (Hong Kong)
2. Shih Wing Ching Foundation (Hong Kong)
3. UN Women
4. MISEREOR Foundation in Germany.
5. Save the Children
6. The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
7. China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA)
8. One Foundation based in Shenzhen, China
9. SEE Foundation based in Beijing, China
10. The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance.
11. Local Enterprises