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Chinese Red Cross Growing in Strength
and Sophistication An April 2003 report from Embassy Beijing. The
Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) is emerging as a large, serious, and
increasingly independent Chinese service organization. Benefits of the RCSC’s progress will
include more effective health and disaster intervention, independent
information on health and disasters, and an institution that can serve as a
model in a country with few strong nationwide service organizations. Separation from Health Ministry Almost Complete The
Red Cross' national society in China is approaching its centennary. After serving for years as only a
division of the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Red Cross is now stepping out
as a more independent and increasingly forceful organization. It will soon complete the severing of
all financial and legal ties to MOH, making it responsible for its own
management and finances. The
process of splitting individual offices off from MOH began years ago at the
central level, and has now worked down to the provincial and local
levels. At this point, all
national and provincial offices are independent, but some of the local Red
Cross offices are still located in local Health Bureaus. Strength Comes From Size and IFRC Support The
Chinese Red Cross is strengthened both by its history as an MOH bureau and
its relationship with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC). As a
step-child of the MOH, the Red Cross inherited semi-official status, national
reach, and branch offices throughout the national, provincial and local
government structure. The Red
Cross may have to cut offices and staff, but it is starting from a position
of strength, with an unquestioned legal status based on the "Red Cross
Law" of 1993, wide representation and a strong relationship with the
Government. IFRC
support strengthens the Chinese Red Cross in several ways. The IFRC provides training,
international exposure in Geneva for some managers, and coordination through
IFRC's Regional Office headquartered in Beijing. The IFRC's well-known and respected principles of
humanitarism, neutrality, and service also guide the Chinese Red Cross. The
Chinese Red Cross is not without flaws or weaknesses, but we see it as an
organization on the rise. We are
not aware of any other service organization in China that shares all of these
traits: Ø A
"big sister" outside China (the IFRC) to provide money, training,
guidance, and political support; Ø A
wide reach within China; Ø Broad
public recognition and support; Ø The
ability to raise funds domestically as well as to receive outside funds; Ø A
solid legal foundation as a "social welfare organization"; Ø A
clearly defined mission, and; Ø A
sense of independence. One
area where the Red Cross has not lived up to its potential is in the area of
blood collection and supply.
This is primarily because the Ministry of Health has not ceded much
operational responsibility in the area to non-governmental actors. As a result, years after the dangers
of commercial blood collection first became apparent here, China still does
not have a good system for generating sufficient quantities of voluntary
blood donations. Independence May Help With Marginalized
Populations Independence
from government policies could make the Red Cross more effective than current
government efforts at reaching marginal populations, such as sex workers and
drug addicts, in part because the Red Cross does not pose a legal threat to
those people. This effectiveness
could make the Red Cross an asset to the Government in coping with certain
health issues, especially HIV/AIDS. Responded Well to Xinjiang Earthquake The
Red Cross' capabilities were displayed at their best following the recent
earthquake in Xinjiang. While
the small size and limited resources of the Red Cross' regional chapter
crimped the scale of their efforts (Red Cross has 60 people in its national
office, 17 in the Xinjiang Regional office, and only two in the Kashgar
office), the Red Cross showed speed and flexibility. Within three hours of the quake,
three Red Cross employees had left Urumqi by car for the 1,000-mile drive to
Kashgar. Additional relief
supplies were delivered by truck and by air, courtesy of China Southern
Airlines, during the following days. Immediately
after the earthquake, the Red Cross set up a 24-hour telephone donation
hotline. Red Cross donation
boxes for pocket money, already widespread in the country's airports and
other public venues, were also used to collect funds. Red Cross offices outside of Xinjiang
served as conduits for donations of cash, supplies, and other types of
assistance, and were themselves sources of donations. A total of $1.5 million was raised by
the Xinjiang Red Cross, of which one-third was cash and two-thirds was goods
in kind. Information about the
earthquake was sent through the Red Cross' network of affiliate offices.
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