GUIZHOU GRASSROOTS NGOS FOCUS ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000058

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/27/2027
TAGS: PHUM EAID ELAB SOCI SCUL CH
SUBJECT: GUIZHOU GRASSROOTS NGOS FOCUS ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT


CHENGDU 00000058 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: John Hill, Acting Consul General, United States
Consulate, Chengdu.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary: Grassroots NGOs working on rural development in
Guizhou Province have identified education of migrant children,
health care, and rural governance as three primary areas of
focus. One NGO trains teachers and volunteers who serve the
needs of hundreds of migrant children in unregistered migrant
schools in Guiyang, while another seeks to increase access to
education for migrant girls. One group and its government
partners working in the health sector were forced to stop
programming due to government sensitivities. Work on increasing
the participation of rural residents in public decision-making
appears to be welcomed by local Guizhou authorities. While NGO
leaders acknowledged the sensitive climate for NGOs, they all
felt their organizations would continue to operate successfully
because of the immense need for social services in the
countryside and the lack of government initiatives. End Summary.


2. (SBU) During a recent reporting trip Congenoff met with two
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focusing on rural
development work in Guizhou, one of China's poorest provinces.
The Guizhou Institute of Highland Development and the Harmony
Social Research Institute are both based in Guiyang and have
complimentary missions that focus on education for children of
migrant workers, health, and rural governance. (Note: The
Harmony Social Research Institute is a new umbrella organization
that includes the Guizhou Center for Rural Governance, the
Nature Running Development Education Center and the Association
for Youth Development Education. End Note) In separate
meetings, the leaders of the organizations described the
successes and challenges of rural poverty alleviation.

Education for Migrant Workers
--------------

3. (C) Education for the children of migrant workers who come
from other parts of Guizhou is one of the principal focuses of
the Guizhou Institute of Highland Development (GIHD),founded in
2004 by Luo Shihong (strictly protect),a former participant in
the Department's International Visitor Program. Luo said
approximately 10 percent of Guizhou's population, or 5 million
people, migrate for work within and outside the province. He
estimated in Guiyang, a city of 3 million, there are 150,000
school-age children of migrant laborers.


4. (C) The educational situation is precarious for migrant
children, most of whom do not have Guiyang residence permits
(hukou). Luo described Xigua Village within Guiyang
Municipality where there are 11 unregistered "private" (min ban
xuexiao) migrant schools catering to this group of students.
The schools are often started in farmer's homes by employers of
migrant workers, and the teachers are migrant laborers as well,
many with no more than two years' of high school education.
Students are expected to pay 200 RMB (USD 24) per year in
tuition and teachers rarely earn more than 400 RMB (USD 48) per
month.
GIHD assists students with scholarships and grants, trains
migrant teachers, trains NGO volunteers to teach special classes
(handicrafts, culture and music),and conducts fund raising for
school projects. The NGO also hopes to open a small clinic and
start a health checkup system in the schools.


5. (C) The Nature Running Development Education Center (NRC)
and Association for Youth Development Education, directed by
Huang Xiaoyu (strictly protect),are taking a more
policy-focused approach by lobbying government officials to pay
attention to educational equality for migrant children and
resident urban dwellers. The groups also encourage companies to
donate books and contribute to the construction of libraries.
In 2007 the NRC is focusing on education for migrant girls who,
according to Huang, have a 50 percent enrollment rate in
Guiyang. The NGO is building a volunteer support network team
to encourage continuing study for girls and to address issues of
adaptability to city life for migrants. Huang is also working
to encourage teachers from public schools and migrant (min ban)
schools to work together to develop teaching materials. In a
separate conversation, Luo of GIHD reacted skeptically to the
notion that teachers and administrators in the government-funded
public school system could be enticed to cooperate with the
informal "educators" in the migrant schools, saying they were
already stretched far too thin.

Health
--------------

6. (C) Rural health care has been a more challenging area,
according to Luo of GIHD, due to government sensitivity over the
issues of mine safety and health in areas brimming with

CHENGDU 00000058 002.2 OF 002


unregulated coalmines. After receiving initial approval from
the Guizhou Health Bureau and CDC, GIHD began to work in two
townships of Tongzhi and Songtao counties, where 40 percent of
the population is reported to suffer from lung diseases. The
plan was to carry out prevention and treatment activities and to
cooperate with the local government to set up a health service
center. The NGO published a glossy and well-compiled book to
use as educational material on health and safety in the
villages, but after the first print run, the Guizhou government
publishing house confiscated all the copies and refused further
printing or distribution of the materials. GIHD had to
discontinue the planned work.

Rural Governance
--------------

7. (C) Mao Gangqiang (strictly protect),Director of the Center
for Rural Governance, said his organization seeks to increase
the participation of rural residents in public decision-making.
The NGO uses participatory rural assessment techniques such as
surveys, group discussions and group decision-making to
encourage involvement. The work of the NGO is generally
welcomed by local authorities, according to Mao, because the
Center and the communities it works with facilitate solutions to
problems that the government is unable to provide. Mao said he
hopes the NGO will also become a platform for capacity building
for other grassroots NGOs in Guiyang and Zunyi.

Comment
--------------

8. (C) Key to the ability of these NGOs to operate in this
environment is their ability to find safe "political space" to
carry out their activities: one leader even described his plan
to use personal political connections through the Communist
Youth League to establish linkages between public and migrant
schools. While the leaders acknowledged the sensitive climate
for NGOs, they all expressed optimism their organizations would
continue to operate successfully due to the immense unmet need
for social services in the countryside and the lack of
government initiatives to meet those needs.
HILL