Bricks - The Great Wall Appeal

 

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

Bricks The Great Wall Appeal brings together the create talents and experiences of many people, some of whom would be surprised to find themselves acknowledged here. Inevitably there are those who are more high profile, others who are occupying the background and others still who have asked not to be acknowledged. Let me introduce you to some of the people and experiences who have brought us to the launch of this service.

In August 2006, Eddie Sharkey, my uncle, died of cancer. In the aftermath of sadness, one point remained with me. Many younger friends of the family wanted to donate to the hospice which had taken care of Eddie but were unable to do so on-line. The thwarting of their generous impulse alerted me to the practical potential of the Internet, when heretofore I had only been interested in the ‘Net’s theoretical potential. Eddie’s Funeral was also my first extended contacts with his American relatives, who have been very generous with their support and encouragement.

A second significant person was Fr. JB Zhang, whose work I have been familiar with for the past 6 years. His creative dynamism and unfailing energy has often left me breathlessly trying to catch up. His “can do” attitude and drive has demanded of me a review of my approach to life. That perspective is one which too easily sees easily the problems with a plan (often with great accuracy, it must be said) and allow that ability to kill initiative, mine and others. He never allows problems to be barriers, but rather hurdles to be jumped or worked around.

A third person whose role in this process might go unrecognised, simply because he never draws attention to himself is that of Tom Sendlein. His mild temperament and easy manner masks a quite determination and capacity to endure over the long haul. He has been a constant support and has never failed to introduce Bricks to his circle of contacts. The ground swell of support which he has generated among his friends has been instrumental in bringing Bricks to the next level.

The Vincentian Communities both in Ireland and in Asia have been very encouraging, offering ideas and moral support consistently. In particular, they encouraged me to take an MBA in 2006. Their willingness to think outside the traditional box is perhaps not surprising when one realises that St. Vincent is the patron of organised charity and organisational management was at the core of the programme I followed. The experience garnered from those studies is the foundation on which Bricks is based. What inspired Vincent de Paul, in 17^th century France is the what drives us today in 21^st China. The Vincentian family around the world has coaxed Bricks from the initial concept to today’s launch by their practical and prayerful support.

The Loftus family also played their part, they were the first guinea pigs in 2007 and had they failed to respond, Bricks would not have survived. They did respond generously and also gave simple, honest feedback which helped tweak the concept. It helps that we are a family steeped in the legal profession as being able to draw on that expertise for free meant that many of issues to do with the process of registering a business became easy, whereas for me they would only have been problems.

The new site has used only copyrighted materials and we are very grateful to Gandalf Bartholomäus for allowing us is his evocative image of the Great Wall in our Banner, and also to Chris Pearson who designed the template on which the Bricks blog is based.

The faces of many others who have shaped this process either directly or by their example are present to me as I write. However, they have asked not to be mentioned. Among them is the couple who are covering the costs of setting up Bricks and the young man who has given his time so enthusiastically to developing the web presence. I think also of those who, on hearing of what we were hoping to do with Bricks were encouraging. I remain overwhelmed by their generosity and trust. I can only hope that they will see that trust rewarded in 2008 in the gratitude of people in China, whose lives are changed by what Bricks can achieve.

Finally, and ultimately most importantly, the people who have driven the creation of Bricks are the women and men who attend to the poor across China. They work in very simple circumstances and have little appreciation of the good will that exists towards them across China and beyond. If the Bricks can focus that good will and create a human, small scale connection between you, the denizens of the Internet and ordinary people of China attending to the needs of the poor, then it will have achieved what it set out to do, that is to use the Internet to help build a Great Wall of Charity in China, Brick by Brick.

Tags: bricks, launch