多背一公斤

版权声明：转载时请以超链接形式标明文章原始出处和作者信息及本声明
http://1kg.blogbus.com/logs/38254779.html

来源：http://english.cri.cn/7146/2009/04/17/2041s475673.htm

Anchor: You can turn to a business incubator for help if you want to start an enterprise but don't where to begin. There is now a non-profit incubator in place to provide critical support for newly established NGOs and Social Enterprises. Our reporter Zhou Jing takes a closer look.

Reporter:
Lu Xiaoya initiated the Youth Hotline for psychological counseling early in 1991. After having retired from her work as a journalist, Lu Xiaoya took an ambitious step forward in her social work career to establish Growing, an NGO for the well-being of children.

"Before, I was just involved in a charity project; but I wanted to start an organization. Though I have been a social worker for almost two decades, I have no experience running an NGO. And since I started Growing, I've really found myself stuck in various detailed affairs and I have a lot to learn."

Lu Xiaoya turns to Non-profit Incubator, or NPI for help. In addition to Lu and Growing, other 19 grassroots organizations from Beijing have so far sought incubation in NPI.

According to Lv Zhao, director of NPI introduces, only five of them will be selected for incubation.

"In general, we have three criteria to judge an NGO. First, we'll review whether an NGO has a clear observation and understanding of the social problem it focuses on and whether it has a creative solution. Second, we'll see the initiator of a NGO and his or her team. Third, we'll evaluate its potential of attracting resources. Among the above three, the first one is the most crucial."

NPI was established in Shanghai in January 2006 with an aim to provide critical support for newly established NGOs and Social Enterprises. So far it has already successfully incubated five grassroots organizations in Shanghai including the well-known "1KG MORE" which advocates an innovative concept of travel, encouraging every traveler to help local rural communities where they travel.

Yu Zhihai thought why not get each traveler to bring one extra kilogram with them when they travel?

"NPI has served as a strong support for us. It provides us with a work place and facilities and helped us build our team and train our ability to manage an NGO. What's more important, it has introduced us to Lenovo Venture Philanthropy and secured us the money."

Global experience shows that during periods of social transformation, innovative and social entrepreneurs are needed to work together with the government and the private sector. This is especially true in areas where both administrative and commercial measures fail to make an impact. Lv Zhao says China has yet to reach a point where NGOs and social enterprises prosper.

He hopes the large number of grassroots NGOs today will help to change this reality.

"Currently these grassroots organizations are just like China's private companies of 30 years ago. They are not recognized. But in the future these organizations will be the backbone of China's public service industry because they are more self-motivated and creative. So far China still lacks a system to support these start-up NGOs. NPI is here to fill the blank."

With three branches in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, NPI plans to cultivate around 20 NGOs a year in the coming 5 years.

For China Drive, I'm Zhou Jing