CRI听力:Corporate Volunteers Work to Build a Harmonious Society in China

China may be developing rapidly, but it's not necessarily developing evenly. More and more multi-national companies and successful Chinese companies are looking for ways to give back.

Jaff Shen is the C.E.O. of the Fuping Development Institute, a non-profit organization that works to promote social innovation, further social equality, and encourage sustainable development. He says both the Chinese people and the government want to build a harmonious society.

"And they think that without a stable society they cannot have a long-term development for themselves. They need to develop themselves from poverty. Actually the poorest people are getting poorer, and the gap between the poorest and the richest is getting bigger and bigger."

Tico Digital Group is one of the Chinese leaders in CSR, or corporate social responsibility. Tico CEO Zhou Zhou says its volunteer projects focus on the environment, people with disabilities and inequalities in education opportunities. He and his son volunteered at the Chun Lei primary school, which provides education to about 400 children of migrant workers in Beijing. He says the volunteer work makes the company stronger.

"Volunteering is a part of management. Through these volunteer projects we hope to build our company culture."
Wang Yu Lan is the director of the Chun Lei School. She says contributions from Tico and other companies have a big impact on the outlook of the students.

"The companies help the students to broaden their minds and open their eyes."
But it's not just the people receiving help who are having eye-opening experiences. Liu Ning is President of Employee Volunteers Association at Hewlett Packard China. He also volunteered at Chun Lei, where he hosted a sports day for the students.

"I feel happy if I can help someone through volunteer work. It's a feeling I can't get from my work."

A lot of the volunteers get a bit carried away by their experiences. And they resist the notion that there's any selfish motivation for their generosity. But Jaff Shen is more pragmatic. At Fuping Development Institute he works hard to convince more and more companies to add CSR to their portfolios. And he's clear about what motivates most of them.

"Nowadays more and more people take China not only as a place for production, but also as a very massive market. When they take this as a market they need to be serious how to show their image in China. I think that's the biggest driving power for them to do CSR work in China."
But the kids at Chun Lei don't really care why their supporters take them on trips or organize sports days. They're just happy to get a little help.

For China Now, I'm Thomas Rippe