Eight CSO projects received funding to help earthquake victims

October 29, 2008, Beijing - In the recently-concluded 2^nd China Development Marketplace, eight post-earthquake recovery projects initiated by local civil society organizations (CSO) received grant funding from implementation.

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Wenchuan on May 12, 2008, CSOs around the country organized various activities to provide relief and support to the affected areas including Sichuan and neighboring Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. With the initial donation from Music for Relief and Ticketmaster, a special award was created under the 2^nd China DM to support the best projects to help earthquake victims. Within a month, 105 project proposals were submitted by CSOs from the earthquake-affected provinces as well as from Beijing, Shanghai and Yunnan. 17 projects entered the final competition and came to Beijing to present their projects on October 21-22.

Among the eight winning projects were training programs for CSOs and community leaders on disaster social impact assessment and community disaster management; helping left-behind women (whose husbands migrated to the cities to work) repair housing and restore livelihood; seeking and preserving indigenous Qiang culture through school and community education; rehabilitation of an earthquake-damaged boarding school and psychological counseling for students; medical services for the poor and training for medical workers in the affected rural area; demonstrative ecological habitat and community reconstruction; on-campus social workers to help affected children; and development of an e-learning center for volunteers who want to help the earthquake victims.

Sponsors of these projects are Music for Relief and Ticketmaster, Narada Foundation, KPMG and Lenovo Group.

Initiated by the World Bank, China Development Marketplace is a competitive grant program that selects and funds innovative projects initiated by Chinese CSOs to reduce poverty, address various development challenges and contribute to a harmonious society.  The 2^nd China DM awarded a total of 50 projects.