It perhaps not a very improving thing to admit, but I have let Lent pass me by thus far. It would be easy to make excuses. This year, Ash Wednesday was the eve of the Chinese New Year holiday, and its hard to fast and feast at the same time. It does not help that Catholics in China are dispensed from the traditional beginning of Lent observances when they coincide with their most important family holiday. Even the ashes of Ash Wednesday are usually given out on the following Sunday. If a good beginning is half the battle, I feel as if I have lost the Lenten war! Continue Reading »

Tags: Beijing Diaries

Much has been talked about the recent snow disaster to hit Central and Southern China which is considered to be the worst to hit these parts in 50 years. The snowstorms affected an estimated amount of 105 million people. Disaster relief officials say that a staggering 300,000 homes have collapsed and another 650,000 have been seriously damaged. The Chinese government promised more than US$1 billion to help the areas hit by the snow disaster with the Chinese Premier rushing to Hunan to oversee the disaster relief work. Other International Relief Organizations and Charitable Agencies have also consolidated their efforts to help the victims of the snow disaster. Chinese Charities have been working doubly hard in raising funds and relief goods and in calling people to not only donate but volunteer for disaster relief efforts. Even though that most of China is back to normal after this snow disaster, the more pressing challenge that lies ahead will be the work in rebuilding the destroyed homes and lands of the millions of people who were affected because of the snow disasters.

For more information on the China Snow Disaster you can follow the links below

1. Xinhua
2. CNN
3. The Economist

Tags: natural disasters

For the last 3 years, while news reports told us of Bird’s Nests and high tech Bubbles, the man on the Beijing omnibus could not even glimpse the facilities, which were hidden completely by advertisement hoardings. Passing by the other day, the billboards (promoting bath room fittings of all things) have gone and the Bird’s Nest has emerged in all its glory. The result is spectacular. Earlier, having seen only artist’s impressions, I thought the stadium ugly. The oddly angled struts seemed to dominate and produce only an unpleasing approximation to a bird’s nest. The images of the construction phase reinforced the impression, with angular girders suggesting more tank trap than sports arena. Now, the finished structure is striking, with the stark lines softened by a curved profile that looks too perfect to have been created by mere mortals. The overall effect is breathtakingly beautiful and while I have no idea whether the building “works” as intended, it looks impressive when viewed from the nearby motorway. Continue Reading »

Tags: Beijing Diaries

At eleven o’clock, Beijing is already quiet, most buses have stopped running and all but the most persistent of eateries have closed down for the night. Pedestrians tend to be purposeful and the night strollers have long since gone home. The figure sitting on the low wall by the bus stop looked out of place, even from first sight. Passing near her, I heard sobbing and the pitiful sound invited a second glance. In the weak light from the nearby buildings, her bowed head suggested an elderly person. The only other individual near by, a young man, seemed uninvolved. Continue Reading »

Tags: Beijing Diaries

Beijing is empty during these days. Chinese New Year is an essentially a family holiday, and the recently urbanised of Beijing (the majority) leave the delights of Starbucks, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken for the simple nostalgia food that they no longer have time (or indeed the will) to prepare. Even the migrant workers, who are only allowed to stay temporarily in Beijing, have only one goal, and that is to be with their families for the holidays. They endure a transport nightmare, packed into trains and buses like sardines just to get home, and then endure the same hell to get back again a week later. After the exodus of the country cousins, the true citizens of the capital temporarily reclaim possession of their city. It is a hollow victory however, as the city has long since stopped being “theirs” and depends for its life on the ‘blow ins’ who are the vast majority of the residents. So the pure breed of “Old Bejingers” rattle around in the deserted city, with most of commercial and social life of the metropolis at a standstill for at least the core two days of the holiday. They gather in extended family groups and sustain themselves with the unchanging customs of this very Chinese festival. Continue Reading »

Tags: Beijing Diaries

LAUNCHED!

Today, the first day of the Chinese Year of the Rat, and at the beginning of the Christian Lenten Season a new charitable initiative is being launched. It is called Bricks the Great Wall Appeal. It flows from a passion to use the Internet to connect people on line with those small grass roots projects which make a difference in peoples’ lives but are too small for the, often, expensive fundraising methods we are used to in the West. In China, fundraising is its infancy and old models are the norm. Online fundraising has the promise of connecting people together in a very personal way and also delivering donors generosity at low cost to people in need. The Internet also makes it possible to link the dots between these small projects or, if you will, allows them to become Bricks in what we hope will be a Great Wall of Charity for China. Bricks also takes my 10 years experience in China with grass roots organization to ensure that the Bricks are actually meeting the needs of the disadvantaged in rural China. The new charity, we hope will create confident and trustworthy links between the ‘Connected generation and the poor of the Middle Kingdom.

small beginnings

Bricks the Great Wall Appeal arose out of an experience of the poverty that still exists in rural China despite the economic miracle that is transforming the coastal cities. We hear so much about the latter, that the reality of the former is often obscured. The following article gives a simple yet accurate picture of the situation I have come to know first hand. It seemed both doable and opportune to use the ‘Net to create links between people of good will around the world and those still struggling on the other side of the Digital Divide in China. The initial goals of Bricks were modest and the appeal confined to family and friends. The year allowed me to see where bottlenecks in the process were and where the challenges might be in taking the idea that looked good on paper to reality. The original idea proved remarkably robust and the idea snowballed. By the end of 2007 the idea had helped bring comfort and support to handicapped children and vulnerable seniors in China to the tune of €30,000. Free online software and a very simple structure meant that Bricks could promise that 100% of donations would transfer to the individual projects.

going global

In 2008, Bricks is “going global” to see if we can create links between people in need and a greater number of generous donors across the Internet. The idea remains the same, connecting people across the digital divide, but instead of two projects we hope to have 20 by year’s end. Instead of confining the appeal to family and friends, Bricks is inviting YOU to make a difference to people in real need and help work with the wonderful men in women of each Brick to build that Great Wall of Charity in China.

adjustments

Going Global required a number of important changes to the initial Bricks idea. While family and friends might trust me to handle their donations wisely, you need to have confidence in the organization. Bricks The Great Wall Appeal is now a registered business name of an Irish company set up for the purpose (Charitable status will follow in 2009). Donations to Bricks to each project will be audited and annual reports published. All projects are vetted by me personally and the integrity of each Brick is guaranteed. Finally, scaling up inevitably has cost but we have been able to keep to our promise 100% transfer of donations thanks to the generosity of a donor who is underwriting our costs for 2008.

the future

Chinese Astrology has this to say about the Year of the Rat

“The year of the Rat is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product or make a fresh start. Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns, but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared and resourceful. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find.”

I am taking this as a good omen. The future is in God’s hands ultimately, but Bricks is well prepared and we can draw on the resources of many clever people. The charitable initiative being launched today is not looking for fast returns, instead Bricks is hoping to work with YOU and the men and women of the Brick projects to build a Great Wall of Charity in China.

Yours sincerely,

Joseph Loftus C.M.
Director, Bricks The Great Wall Appeal
bricks@greatwallappeal.org

the people behind bricks Continue Reading »

Tags: bricks, launch

It was the celebrant’s Host which prodded me past my conventional priestly pieties to a more profound engagement with the Mysteries I was praying. Often nowadays, such Hosts are considerably larger than was the case in the past, but usually they are as even and unblemished as their smaller counterparts. The one over which I spoke the familiar words of consecration during Mass in Cebu, Philippines was different. It had a home made quality, unevenness in the purity of colour and thickness which declared it to of the place rather than a wafer which could have been shipped in from anywhere. The imperfections demanded my attention. Continue Reading »

Tags: Beijing Diaries