The China Foundation For Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) is the first of its kind in humanitarian activity of Chinese People specially here in Ethiopia. It aims at rippling its activities a throughout Africa continent. Strengthening bilateral relations and building trust between China and Ethiopia are entailed in the salient task’s list.
Benevolence is a viable device of soft diplomacy in cementing ties between two countries.
As the foundation is gearing up to step up people-to-people connectivity of the two countries, The Ethiopian Herald planned to approach Country Representative of CFPA, Fengwei lna Liu, to discuss on the activities of the foundation pertaining to people-to-people connectivity and humanitarian welfare.
Herald: Could you brief us about the establishment of CFPA?
Fengwei lna: China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) is a non-governmental charitable organization in Beijing, China. It is registered under the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs in 1989 and professionally supervised by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development. CFPA Ethiopia Office was registered in July, 2019.
Herald: What kind of activities is your CFPA undertaking here in Ethiopia?
Fengwei lna: We are working on Smiling Children School Feeding Program. For promoting education and social inclusion, together with our partners, in 2018,the program provides meals in 43 public schools to nearly 5,000 students in Addis Ababa, and 3000 refugee students in Somali State.
School feeding not only encourages children to get into school but it can also attract new enrolments from marginalized communities. Education provide a solid foundation for continued learning throughout life. Not only is that it also critically important to children’s social integration and psychosocial well-being.
Smiling Children School Feeding Program has entered into its fourth year of implementation of the project in 2019.A midline survey was carried out to evaluate the impact of the school feeding project on the beneficiary pupils’ school dropout, attendance, and academic performance over the course of the program, as well as to analyze the contribution of the school feeding program to nutritional and health improvement of beneficiary students.
We are also working on Wash Project such as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project. With support from XCM, CFPA builds water containers in rural area of Ethiopia to provide access to clean and safe water in a renewable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly way. The project also promotes the protection and development of women and children. About 80 Water Tanks were built so far and 40 are under construction in 2019.
CFPA also supports water purifying system in 40 schools in Addis. The project not only helps improve children access to clean water. It also promotes an integrated view of Water, Hygiene and Sanitation as a three-fold harmony to advance health outcomes.
Herald: Do you have any project related to women empowerment?
Fengwei lna: Of course, we are also focused on Women Economic Empowerment Project. It is funded by CGCOC Overseas Construction Group Co., Ltd, through the provision of technical and marketable skills, the project contributes to the creation of jobs for Ethiopia women by using traditional techniques and materials. About 100 women were trained in weaving and pottery-making skills.
With support got from Zhifubao, a gender transformative-climate-smart-
agriculture and Agri–Business program for integrated and inclusive economic empowerment of rural women are carried out in Ethiopia.
Herald: Does your foundation have a program of material support for schools?
Fengwei lna: We have been running Panda Pack school bag project. With the theme “Gifts from Panda Land”, the design of panda packs integrates various natural and cultural elements, both of China and that of the destination country, and uses the local language for explanatory content, extending friendly greetings to students receiving the Packs.
To ensure that every Panda Pack is safely delivered to children in need, staff members continuously seek to improve project management and establish a strict quality control mechanism, from public bidding and procurement to design, from tax exemption application to the selection and training of schools, from transportation and storage to the final distribution of Panda Packs. In 2019, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation’s plan to bring 43,000 panda packs bags to Ethiopian children in Addis, Amhara and Oromia.
Herald: what motivates your foundation to enroll in such humanitarian activities in the country?
Fengwei lna: We took into account the longstanding relations of China and Ethiopia. There are also many Chinese companies investing here in this country. The foundation intends to support Ethiopian communities through means of the Chinese companies that could lend their hands for the foundation in implementing social welfare projects. We are actually working with a lot of Chinese companies.
They always want to donate
something. Those companies are working in the areas of building construction
and highway roads. We have programs of education, job creation, sanitation and
hygiene. And we need also to further strengthen the relationship of the two
countries.
Herald: Does your foundation attach due emphasis on particular activity?
Fengwei lna: We studied many projects to undertake. But we need to focus and scale up on provision of school bags.
Herald: Does your foundation have such humanitarian programs in other countries of Africa?
Fengwei lna: Yes indeed. We had a project in Uganda. But regarding the welfare program Ethiopia is the one we have top on our list.
Herald: What are the criteria your foundation use in selecting the states as beneficiaries?
Fengwei lna: Actually, we want to see to the fulfillment of the government’s goals. This means that it is up to the government in the preference of the areas of beneficiaries. Our intention is how to contribute something for the benefit of the society and government.
Herald: How do you rate the level of poverty here in the country?
Fengwei lna: Actually, there is some improvement in reduction of poverty and economic growth rate of the country. Nevertheless, a huge gap between the rich and poor is apparent. In this regard, we have experience to share on how to narrow the gap of gini -coeffienct .We as well are working on wealth distribution.
Herald: Is your foundation affiliated with China’s government?
Fengwei lna: We are NGOS. The donations are not by the Chinese government. It is donated by Chinese individuals. We do not represent the China government. This is done by China people. It is a non-governmental organization.
Herald: Would you mention some of the Chinese companies that support the foundation?
Fengwei lna: we receive a lot of donors, which are Chinese companies. Most of these companies have willingness to take care of the Ethiopian community through means of women economic empowerment and WASH programs as well as educational capability of the next generation. The main donor is Alibaba, Act Firm and CGCOC Overseas Construction Group Co., Ltd.
Herald: How do you select the state demanding support from the foundation?
Fengwei lna: We receive recommendation from the governmental body. We did not cover the whole states at one time. For the moment, we focus on Amhara and Oromia states.
Herald: what do you think about activities that need be undertaken for the coming generation?
Fengwei lna: Yes, we believe education is key to empower next generation. China exerts effort towards making the future prospect of the next generation brighter. School feeding is one way of letting children to stay and work better at schools. Otherwise, they could stay at home.
Herald: Does your foundation have any integrative effort to work with other international humanitarian organizations?
Fengwei lna: As our foundation acts as an NGOS, we are now implementing the school feeding program by ourselves. We are not working with anyone. But, our donor is Alibaba’s firm. It provides school bags. About 70,000 group segments were beneficiaries of the foundation’s project during the past four years. It had allocated about 4.7 million USD for the project in the course of last four years.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 1 December 2019
BY MEHARI BEYENE
