[attachment=1741]
转帖：
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=426970&type=HangzhouTHE grassroots charity Spring Gifts donates books to poor rural children, sets up libraries and gives financial support to needy kids. Xu Wenwen reports. The Chinese Lunar New Year marks the coming of spring, a time of growth and renewal, and this is a special season of giving for the four-year-old Spring Gifts grassroots charity.
Spring Gifts is a volunteer organization that donates books to primary schools in poor counties of Zhejiang Province, helps schools set up libraries and donors send funds to needy children. It does not directly channel funds itself.
The group was started in March 2006 by Xia Jiafeng, a 33-year-old Taobao vendor, and his friends.
"What we are doing is gaining happiness by helping others who might not get help elsewhere," says Xia.
Spring Gifts has set up three libraries in Chun'an, Lishui and Fuyang counties; each has 3,000 to 8,000 books. It has provided financial aid to 105 students.
This year the aim is to set up two new libraries.
Across China, most school-age children are in school since the central and provincial governments have promoted compulsory education and waived all elementary and junior middle school tuition and textbook fees.
Boarding fees are to be eliminated this year.
However, several rural counties in Zhejiang Province are still quite poor and children attend classes in shabby clay-mud houses.
Spring Gifts aims to help these children through its online network of more than 100 volunteers.
Xia's Website publicizes Spring Gifts, posts notices, financial statements and activity reports. IT professionals volunteer to maintain it.
To find qualified schools, volunteers first collect information from the government and the Internet. They investigate, contact teachers and find out what kind of books are needed and whether the school has very poor children in need of financial assistance.
To prevent any impropriety or misuse of funds, the organization itself never directly receives money or directly donates funds to schools of children's families.
Volunteers collect appropriate books through donation or purchase. They also sell items donated by volunteers and use the funds to buy books.
Spring Gifts helps and supervises others, all Netizens and friends of volunteers, who donate money directly to needy children. Information about the children is provided, and donors notify Spring Gifts about the donated books or funds, the date of donation and purpose of funds.
Meanwhile, Spring Gifts periodically visits sponsored students to ensure that they are doing well in their studies and living condition. The group gives feedback to donors who also stay in touch with children.
This process of checking and feedback is essential because some children and their families have responded inappropriately to donations.
Some have written letters saying things such as, "The money you sent is not enough to cover my living expenses. Could you send more?" or "You are my second parent and I want to call you father. Father, my future study will all depend on you."
To eliminate grasping and dependence, Spring Gifts has established a principle - donating money is a beginning, not an end.
"Material issues must be secondary to spiritual connection and guidance," says Xia. "A complete donation is both financial support and continuing concern and communication.
"Donors need to spare time and energy to give children a better future - something money can't buy," he adds.
To help other people is deeply satisfying and the time, energy and money are worth the effort, he says.
Being a committed volunteer is hard work, and volunteers are under a lot of family and peer pressure to abandon the effort, he says. Many volunteers, including some founding members, have left the organization.
"Even many friends and families don't support us, some even call us 'silly'," Xia sighs. "But we're used to it."
There's even pressure and suspicion from people they don't know, those who think the organization must be a scam. So frequently do people say they must be making money under the table that Xia and others tell them to join, spend some time see how they "make money."
Xia offers this advice to volunteers:
Don't be too idealistic and expect too much, or you will be disappointed. Always tell the child you help that you don't expect him or her to go to college, but to be a responsible, independent and productive citizen.
Don't send money when people ask for it - that will only increase their dependence.
Don't be too proud of yourself as a "noble" helper and benefactor - that diminishes the child and his or her family.
