Grassroots NGOs Staged at Crossroads

An Zhu, CEO of Aiju Social Innovation, introduced his efforts to upgrade charity projects to better interact with the public.

He launched a project - 1kg boxes - to provide free teaching materials to rural schools last year. These boxes containing materials and instructions which help teachers and volunteers carry out different activities such as reading, drama, painting and handiwork for one class.

These boxes were designed through the cooperation of specialized organizations and industry experts. Before batch production, the box program underwent exhaustive trials and re-adjustment to ensure the efficacy of the program materials.

Volunteers and teachers can apply for these boxes online, and if they want additional boxes, they first need to provide feedback using micro blogs, letters and photos.

Its website has already received 1,516 applications in less than half-a-year. Boxes can now be found in 114 libraries, primary schools and community centers in 22 provinces throughout China.

"Our boxes are kind of like iPads," Mr. An said. "We only offer the basic platform. People use the box in whatever way suits them. Not only does this help us improve our design, our program's flexibility allows for localization and customization."

His team is developing more boxes that focus on subjects such as IT, music and photography. He is planning to produce more boxes to serve rural students, and hopes to generate more public awareness for both his program and the education of rural children.

"Together with wisdom and feedback from the public, we can do even better," he said.