The hub for help

By Yang Zhenqi Source:Global Times Published: 2013-12-10 16:48:01

The entrance to Gongyi Xintiandi, the new NGO hub on Puyu Road West. Photo: Yang Zhenqi/GT

The entrance to Gongyi Xintiandi, the new NGO hub on Puyu Road West. Photo: Yang Zhenqi/GT



Tucked away down a backstreet off bustling Lujiabang Road in Huangpu district, visitors can find Gongyi Xintiandi (the New Charity World), a new government-funded hub for NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) and social enterprises.

Covering 23,000 square meters, this new home for good causes is located on the former site of the Shanghai Children's Welfare Institute on Puyu Road West. The institute was opened in 1956 as the city's first municipal orphanage after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and moved to a larger facility in Minhang district in 2001.

But the charitable connections of the site go back to 1911 when the noted Chinese entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Lu Bohong established a home called "Xin Puyu Tang" (the New Public Child Care Hall) to take in orphaned and destitute children in Shanghai.

"Given its profound philanthropic history and rich architectural heritage, the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau decided to reinvigorate this historical site after it had been left empty for a couple of years following the relocation of the Shanghai Children's Welfare Institute," Yan Su, project manager of The Nest program which oversees the development, told the Global Times at the Gongyi Xintiandi location.

The hub's logo. Photo: Yang Zhenqi/GT

The hub's logo. Photo: Yang Zhenqi/GT



 

The elegant trees and courtyards in Gongyi Xintiandi, the former site of the Shanghai Children's Welfare Institute. Photo: Yang Zhenqi/GT

The elegant trees and courtyards in Gongyi Xintiandi, the former site of the Shanghai Children's Welfare Institute. Photo: Yang Zhenqi/GT



50 million yuan spent

According to Yan, the city's civil affairs bureau spent some 50 million yuan ($8.2 million) in the restoration of the site's historical buildings and infrastructure construction for the new park.

"The blueprint is to build a creative and well-equipped environment where like-minded social entrepreneurs can gather to work, communicate, learn from each other, and strengthen their networking," she said.

After more than six months of a probationary run, Gongyi Xintiandi was officially declared open on the last day of November, becoming one of the city's largest and most comprehensive spaces for social enterprise incubation, shared learning, collaborative work with government agencies, grass-roots NGOs, socially responsible corporations, institutions of higher education and the public.

"Our goal is to encourage cross-sector collaboration between corporations and other organizations to find solutions to social problems. We're also committed to developing, guiding and supporting a range of social enterprises that work with marginalized individuals to maximize potential and help them play full and active roles in their communities," Yan explained.

So far, the park has attracted 24 NGOs and social enterprises, including the WABC (World of Art Brut Culture which helps people with special needs develop their artistic potential as a way of educating and improving their quality of life) and Habitat for Humanity China, whose mission is to eliminate substandard housing by building simple, decent homes for needy families.

Another group at the new hub is Solar Ear China, a business that promotes better hearing and better lives by making high-quality and affordable hearing aids. Most of the workers here are deaf and the project is attempting to create an innovative model of sustainable social enterprise in China that empowers people with disabilities, and gives back to the community.

"We decided to join Gongyi Xintiandi this summer because we've always wanted to be a part of Shanghai's social innovation park, this family of organizations and people who want to help China achieve dreams for all people, regardless of income or disability," Dr Richard Lytle, an American university professor and entrepreneur who founded Solar Ear China in early 2012, told the Global Times.

Lytle has not only worked with deaf faculty and students at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. for over 40 years, but has also traveled extensively to work with deaf colleagues to improve education, employment and social access for deaf people.

Hearing impaired employees of Solar Ear China enjoy a break from work. 
Photo: Courtesy of Solar Ear China

Hearing impaired employees of Solar Ear China enjoy a break from work. Photo: Courtesy of Solar Ear China



Quality and affordable aids

According to Lytle, there are more than 100 million people in China who suffer impaired hearing. "However, most of these hearing impaired people cannot afford a hearing aid which usually costs between 10,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan. To provide them with a better life, we produce similar quality yet affordable hearing aids, which cost about 600 yuan to 2,000 yuan," he said.

Active Life Village Ltd is a Finnish company that offers safe living solutions for seniors staying at home or residing in care homes. The company is about to open a showroom inside the park displaying its innovative products and creative solutions using smart technology.

"China is a rapidly aging country where the cost of senior care in the traditional (human intensive) way is going up and the care giving market is booming. This provides room for innovations using smart technology," Zhang Chao, the project manager of the Active Life Shanghai office, told the Global Times.

Zhang said the showroom will feature a wide range of smart products and solutions designed to address three key areas of aging - loneliness, insecurity and the need for support. "For example, we will showcase solutions that can help people with dementia, sleeping disorders, poor mobility and other aging-related health issues," she explained.

Unlike other hubs in Shanghai which provide office space free of charge, Gongyi Xintiandi charges its occupants enough to cover operating and management costs.

"The ultimate goal for us is to build a home for NGOs and social enterprises that will be self-sufficient and sustainable without the government's backing. That's why we have asked our chartered organizations to share the responsibility of running this place," The Nest's Yan Su explained.

She pointed out that their tenants would still only be paying half the price they would have to pay for office space nearby. "And the park's prime locality and environment make it more worthwhile."

Yan Su's vision is echoed by Richard Lytle. "Gongyi Xintiandi needs to be a mixed use social innovation park. It cannot succeed as just a charity park. It must include self-sustaining businesses and social entrepreneurs to be innovative. That is the new standard for social development around the world."



Posted in: Metro Shanghai

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