Heifer China won the bid of First Selection of NGOs for PRC Poverty Reduction Programs

It is great honor and pride that Heifer International China, as the first International NGO, won the bidding of NGOs and Government Joint Poverty Alleviation Programs in China . It is in a major first in poverty reduction efforts in the People's Republic of China, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was competitively selected to serve as partners in state-funded poverty work. This is the first time that government entrusts NGOs to manage poverty reduction fund and select NGOs to implement government poverty reduction programs through bidding. We believe it is also a milestone in Heifer China 's history for cooperation with Government and an indicator of great impact of Heifer China Program.

On Feb. 21st 2006, press conference on bidding results, co-chaired by China State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development and Asian Development Bank, was held at 9:30 am in Beijing . CCTV reported the announcement ceremony. Heifer China 's proposal was specially captured on the screen of CCTV news.

The bidding was initiated by the Poverty Alleviation Office of Jiangxi Province of China, operated by China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and sponsored by the National Ministry of Finance and Asian Development Bank. It will cover 22 poor villages in Jiangxi Province in the phase I.

Selected NGOs will work with local governments, poor villagers, and other stakeholders in Jiangxi Province on poverty reduction and planning, and to oversee state-funded poverty reduction work according to priorities identified by the poor communities.

To ensure the justice, 15 experts from different fields and organizations composed a committee. Totally there are 18 organizations applied and 11 tender documents were accepted from 10 organizations or organization combinations. Finally there are six domestic and international organizations were selected. Heifer China ranked the 1st among the biding winners.

The selected NGOs are:

China Office of Heifer Project International, in association with Sichuan Yilong County Town and Village Development Association, Dabashan Mountain Society on Ecology and Poverty, and Shou Country Poverty Alleviation Association.

China Association for NGO Cooperation

Jiangxi Youth Development Foundation

Ningxia Center for Environment and Poverty Alleviation

Promotion Association for MRL Regional Sustainable Development

Shaanxi Research Association for Women and Family

Mr. Chen Taiyong, Country Director of Heifer China, delivered a written message at this news during his meeting abroad:

"We appreciate the trust from prexperts and support from the government to NGOs. This is a milestone that our model is recognized at the state level. However, it is too early to call it a success at this moment. It is an opportunity, even more I would like to call it a challenge! The final success only comes when we have substantially reduced the poverty of the target communities. To achieve it, we have to work hard with team spirit, cooperating and learning attitude to present our integrated capacity during the project implementation. In the past twenty years, we had had efficient cooperation with related government agencies from the grassroots to provincial level in 14 provinces, regions and municipalities. We value it greatly. Our participation in this tender reflects a wish to strengthen the cooperation through a combination of government’s administrative, logistics and resource mobilization with Heifer’s participatory, holistic and sustainable community development approach to maximize the impact of rural poverty alleviation projects."

Please find more information at http://www.fupin.org.cn/qt/zyxw_nr.asp?id=58