The Chinese Red Cross Foundation has undertaken to mobilize and channel more support to children in need in Kenya and Africa at large.
This was revealed recently in Beijing during celebrations to mark the sixth anniversary of the International Free Lunch Project run by Chinese organizations in Africa.
The occasion provided an opportunity to evaluate the project’s results and most importantly explore future development.
In his speech, Director of the Chinese Red Cross Foundation Bei Xiaochao, while reviewing the international humanitarian exchanges, cooperation, and assistance carried out by the Foundation in the past ten years, thanked the Chinese people and humanitarian partners from all walks of life who have long supported the Red Cross humanitarian activities especially targeting developing nations.
Bei gave an example of the impact of the international free lunch project in places like informal settlements and remote areas of Kenya whose evaluation recently disclosed valuable outcomes and promised even more aid towards vulnerable communities.
“The Red Cross Foundation of China will continue to actively mobilize social resources under the unified deployment of the Red Cross Society of China in the future, and join hands with more international organizations, charity enterprises and social organizations to practice the concept of a community of human destiny with practical actions,” The Foundation’s Director noted
Minister Counselor of the Kenyan Embassy in China Rebecca Ekuam who was present in the event thanked the Chinese people for what she described as their “long-term concern and support for Kenya’s development.”
She expressed hope that in the future, more organizations and charitable enterprises from China can join hands to promote the people-to-people connection between China and Kenya.
Guo Yang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Red Cross Foundation of China, chaired the event that was also attended by Deputy Director of the Liaison Department of the Red Cross Society of China Song Yi, as well as representatives of charitable enterprises concerned with humanitarian causes, relevant representatives of social organizations, relevant heads of international organizations, experts, scholars, volunteers and other more than 70 people attended the meeting.
A communiqué released after the event indicated that the meeting had deliberated broadly on the global child health and nutrition situation in Africa as well as issues touching on the protection of children’s rights and interests in emergency situations, and provided valuable suggestions for the future development of the International Free Lunch Program.
At the event, the public welfare film “Our Story on the Silk Road” was played and two Chinese and African volunteers, Guo Ningyuan and Xia Yurou, jointly read out the seven basic principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Hu Yihua, director of Hangzhou Lunch Free Public Service Center, Yin Binbin, founder of Dream Free Public Service, and Liu Yimenghan, co-founder of Dream Free Public Service, introduced the background, implementation mode, and physical opening of the international free lunch project.
During the meeting Xiaochao Bei received donations, on behalf of the Red Cross Foundation of China, from new partners including Lions Clubs of China Zhejiang Office, Lions Clubs of Guangdong Province, Lions Clubs of Guangdong Province Zhanjiang Office, Mr. Zhao Xin and Mr. He Jiashu.
Yunhong Zhang, Deputy Director of the East Asia Regional Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Mike Myers, Resource Mobilization Manager of the East Asia Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Huang Yuan, Medical Representative of Médecins Sans Frontières in China, Chen Fu, Partnership Advisor of the United Nations World Food Programme China Office, also made their contributions towards the foundation’s programmes.
