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