On the 6th of June, it was announced in the conference of the provincial social organisations involved in deep poverty alleviation in impoverished counties that the Sichuan civil administration has arranged funds of 45 million RMB from 2018 to 2020 for a “seed fund” specifically to be used in projects for the alleviation of deep poverty in 45 counties. This year 35 provincial social organisations with the appropriate capacities, in a “one to one or one to many” (一对一或一对多) matching scheme, will take on specific projects within areas of deep poverty, and get involved in work to alleviate poverty in said areas.
According to the relevant personnel from the provincial civil affairs department, social organisations across the province have quick access to information, flourishing talent, are well informed, have good contacts, and are resource rich; they are the main force for poverty alleviation in the province. In order to guide social organisations for province-wide poverty alleviation, the provincial civil affairs department drew up the “Sichuan province civil affairs department work program to guide the involvement of province-wide social organisations in poverty alleviation in 45 counties with deep poverty”, agreeing that from 2018 to 2020 with the provincial public welfare lottery fund, 15 million RMB every year for a total of 45 million RMB over three years will be arranged as a “seed fund” specifically to be used for projects for the alleviation of poverty in the 45 counties.
This year, the civil affairs department chose 35 provincial social organisations with the appropriate capacity to launch poverty alleviation activities in impoverished areas, and to get involved in the hard work of alleviating deep poverty in these areas. The main purpose of the conference was to organise and launch the social organisations relying on the “seed fund” in the “one to one or one to many” matching scheme for specific poverty alleviating projects. Through technical guidance, talent cultivation and organisational training, a team was formed that can lead the social organisations and talented local citizens to win the fight against poverty.
It must be noted that the “seed fund” can only be used on projects for the alleviation of poverty, including the training of workers involved in the projects, purchase and production of materials and the establishment of necessary office facilities. It cannot be used for the work, travel and accommodation expenses of the staff in county (districts), township (towns) and village (communities) branches of the social organisations.
The provincial civil affairs department expressed that the involvement of social organisations in poverty alleviation is first of all to support poverty alleviation projects, secondly to standardise the use of poverty alleviation funds, thirdly to actively develop poverty alleviation work, fourthly to provide timely reports on the situation of their work, fifthly to guide emphasis on the true impact of poverty alleviation, and lastly to take care of personal safety. Civil affairs offices at various levels are committed to the guarantees made to the social organisations involved in the alleviation of poverty, and the provincial civil affairs department will work with charitable organisations, give accreditation of public recruitment, employ the services of social organisations, select public welfare projects and organisations and give assessments. This will give social organisations involved in poverty alleviation important support.
At the conference, the clean service industry association of Sichuan, the Chengdu city Tonghang centre for social work and the Sichuan Tongxin charitable foundation made statements representing respectively social groups, social service associations and foundations, expressing that they would use their full abilities and resources to wholeheartedly work for the alleviation of poverty in the province.
