Wokai Blog: Wokai Seattle Cares About Poverty In China: Wokai China Microfinance Blog

On the pleasant evening of June 10, 2010, I arrived at Four Seas Restaurant for some enlightenment and food. Volunteers for the Wokai Seattle Chapter put together a full agenda featuring three prominent speakers on poverty in China. This I have to hear.

I soon found a table, sitting between a college police officer and his family and my friend Jessie Zhou. The proud college police officer told me about his daughter Sarah’s study in Chengdu, Sichuan where he and his wife visited last summer. Although it is not the first time I heard such a story, seeing how more people become interested in learning more about China through their children’s exposure to that land so far away has always been a gratifying experience to me.

After dinner Erica de Klerk, President Wokai Seattle, welcomed everyone, introduced the panel moderator, none other than the former president of Wokai Seattle, Ketty Loeb, and three distinguished speakers: Stevan Harrell, Professor of Anthropology, University of Washington; Kam Wing Chan, Professor of Geography, University of Washington; and Heng-Pin (Ping) Kiang, Board Member, Rural Development Institute. Kudos to the organizers, I found that these speakers covered three distinctively different but related areas associated with poverty and economic development in China (or any other countries):

Education for the poor: Prof. Harell started by introducing the Cool Mountain Education Fund and its impact in sending poor ethnic Yi children to school. He shared the belief with millions of Chinese of education as a means to poverty alleviation. As a relatively educated Chinese growing up during the Cultural Revolution period, I can testify that education can only be a means to alleviating poverty when provided with an environment where education is valued.

Fair treatment for the poor: Prof. Chan followed with a more current topic on the role of migrant workers and struggles in the modern development in China. He cited large statistics on demonstrations and strikes by migrant workers demanding fair compensation and civil treatment by their employers. I was taken aback by his comment that many multinational employers thought that workers in China do not strike. They must have never studied the history of the communist party in China. Nor had they heard about the history of May Day as the day to celebrate workers’ rights in all communist countries.

It’s ironic, however, to see how the new national capitalist China seems not capable to cope with the fundamental workers’ rights today. As Prof. Chan dived into the HuKou (Residency Registration) system, I had to make a mental note to search how many Ph.D. dissertations have been written on this topic alone (1,700 results are returned when these key words are typed in Google).

Land rights for the poor: Mr. Kiang addressed the key component of capitalism, property rights, by introducing the work of Rural Development Institute. That RDI has been advising China’s central government on rural land issues since 1987 and that poor Chinese farmers and urban residents have constantly been on the losing side made me wonder how little anyone can do to make the situation better for them. On the other hand, I am encouraged that RDI has devoted resources to such an important issue in poverty by landing the poorest people a voice in the highest body of government.

Given that all three issues are massive individually, discussions went on for about two hours and extended after the event was adjourned. Personally, I have learned a great deal from the forum. More importantly, I felt a sense of hope and best wishes among attendees and speakers towards the poor people in China. There is no doubt that those speakers gained a few fans that evening for their mission and dedication. The bottom line: Wokai cares. That’s what attracted so many volunteers to help Wokai.

As an insignificant individual, I believe in grassroots movements. Wokai is modeled off the most basic grassroots financing structure: person-to-person lending. Like neighbors helping each other during a hard time, everyone can give a little to help a struggling entrepreneur in China to create/grow a business to provide for his/her families so the children can get an education and adults do not have to suffer as migrant workers. Then maybe we can create a world without poverty, as Prof. Yunus hoped.