Initiative to Rebuild Community Leadership

Beijing Normal University (BNU) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU)

The earthquake on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan, China, caused enormous damage to human lives and properties, paralyzing the local economy with a direct economic loss exceeding RMB100 billion in Mianzhu City alone. It also dealt a heavy blow to the local community leadership capacity: hundreds of local leaders lost their lives and many more were injured. Those who fortunately survived the disaster felt helpless and incapacitated.

Endorsed by China’s Central State Council, Beijing Normal University (BNU) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) jointly formed the Major Disaster Management Initiative, which aims to resolve a key “bottleneck” in post-disaster rebuilding by restoring local community leadership capacity, and cultivating new blood for grassroots NGO development.

The project selected the Hanwang Shelter in Mianzhu as its entry point to map out a strategy for rebuilding community leadership. The Hanwang Shelter, with over 50,000 residents, was the largest of the many which were hastily put up to accommodate thousands of survivors displaced by the earthquake.

The initiative, under the joint leadership of Professor Zhang Xiulan (BNU) and Professor Cecilia Chan (HKU), combined the strength of social work and community development with social research. While seeking to rebuild local leadership capacity, the project team organized workshops on stress management and work-skills training for community leaders and volunteers. Mutual respect between the project team and local government led to trust and collaboration, which evolved into a strong and ongoing partnership. One of the outcomes was the creation of locally-groomed NGOs that have received strong support from the government.

The strong research component of the initiative has led to comprehensive documentation of the reconstruction experience, which in turn provides useful information to both academia and government policymakers on post-disaster rehabilitation. Research results have been well-received at national and nternational conferences on disasters and community rebuilding. Today, the BNU-HKU initiative is a fixture in the local community’s tireless effort to rebuild and redevelop the disasterstricken region. The service center also serves as a training camp for aspiring social work students from both mainland and Hong Kong universities

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PolyU Asset-based Community Rebuilding

China

Just a short distance from the epicenter of the 5.12 earthquake, the entire Yingxiu town was practically leveled. Hundreds of lives were lost. Within days of the earthquake, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) dispatched social work teams led by Professors Ting Wai-fong and Ku Hok-bun to Yingxiu. Joined by their partners from Sichuan University in Chengdu and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the teams spent countless hours assessing the immediate and short-term needs while providing recovery assistance to the victims in Yingxiu.

Farther up north in the mountainous Qingping, villagers sustained heavy losses of property and means of livelihood as a result of the quake and landslides. However, due to its remote location, Qingping was completely cut off from the outside world and in dire need of assistance. Undaunted, Professor Ting led a team of young social workers trekking for hours across treacherous terrains blocked by landslides and collapsed roads to reach the villagers. They immediately set up a temporary service center, which has since become a permanent fixture in Qingping.

Although the earthquake-stricken regions suffered huge human and property losses, the PolyU team and their mainland partners immediately recognized that post-disaster recovery and rebuilding could not, and should not, rely on external assistance alone. They helped villagers take stock of local resources to rebuild their lives by assisting with the re-establishment of various means of livelihood in the communities, such as by helping local people with the design, production and commercialization of traditional handicraft items, providing training on ecotourism management, and connecting local bed-and-breakfast establishments with city residents for weekend trips.

Meanwhile, the PolyU social service center in Qingping became the “village hall” where displaced villagers, young and old, found solace and support. Activities and group gatherings reconnected the villagers and fostered a strong sense of community. The project team paid particular attention to elderly villagers and those with limited mobility and earning ability, while also offering counseling services and cultural activities. Local volunteers were organized to document the history of the communities.

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People's Giving Behaviours (2007-2009)

Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Hong Kong

In 2007, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) piloted a survey to gauge Hong Kongers’ giving behavior. A collaboration with the University of Hong Kong, the survey revealed thought-provoking findings and basically confirmed what was suspected about how and why Hong Kongers donate to charitable causes.

Recognizing the instructional and informative values of such a study, ZeShan provided funding to the HKCSS for two follow-up surveys in 2008 and 2009. Such a longitudinal study provided not only additional evidence on Hong Kong people’s giving habits, but also stimulated a discussion on how citizens may be involved in their communities by taking on a more proactive approach. This study led to the creation of “Charity Savings Account” for individual donors who are only able to give a small sum at a time, and who often feel their charitable gestures may not make much of a difference. To date, HKCSS has signed on over 100 individuals who deposit into their accounts on a regular basis.

It is heartening to learn that Hong Kong citizens are extremely generous. They rise to calls to help victims of major disasters and donate to help the less fortunate in the community. Almost 90% of those surveyed made charitable donations in the survey year (2008). Close to 80% of those surveyed did not reduce their donations to local charities as a result of giving to disaster relief. It is also a strong reminder that donors care greatly about an organization’s reputation, degree of transparency and effectiveness of services rendered.

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Liberal Arts Education

Lingnan University, Hong Kong

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ZeShan Foundation believes in the impact of liberal arts education on young people, and has been a long-time supporter of Lingnan University, a liberal arts college in Hong Kong.

In 2006, ZeShan established the ZeShan Foundation Scholarship for students to participate in exchange programs abroad.  As of the academic year 2014/15, 107 students have benefitted from the scheme.

In April 2009, ZeShan supported Lingnan in organizing the “Coming-of-Age for Liberal Arts Education in 21st Century Asia-Pacific” Conference. It provided a platform for discussion on the long-term development of liberal arts education in the region. The two keynote speakers were Professor David Oxtoby, president of Pomona College in the United States, and Professor Peter McCagg, dean of international affairs at International Christian University in Japan.

In 2010, ZeShan supported Lingnan’s expanded Integrated Learning Program, designed to encourage students to embrace new ideas, acquire skills in learning and communication, appreciate different cultures, and develop a good physique. This co-curriculum program has developed a rich set of contents with consistently high quality to complement the formal curricula.

In 2014, twenty students were awarded scholarships to go on exchange programs in ten countries. Scholarship recipients of last year shared observations and reflections of their exchange experiences with members from the Foundation and this year’s awardees. ZeShan is keen to see transformation in the students through the experience.

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