Proposalfor HANDA Social Integration and Economic Advancement Project
Project Background
In China, leprosy villages are located in remote mountains and isolatedisles faraway from urban communities. Despite the physical disabilities invarious degrees, people affected by leprosy there still earn their own salt andconstantly make efforts to improve themselves. They learn all kinds of livingskills attentively in practice, hoping to better their lives.
The quarantine policy implemented before the founding of New China ledto the remote location of leprosy villages such as mountainous areas and isles.People affected by leprosy living there are thus forgotten gradually by thesociety. However, such isolation also contributes to the secluded yetpicturesque environment of the villages. In such hidden paradises, peopleaffected by leprosy grow their own products in the fields. The products arebarely contaminated by any kind of pesticides, chemical fertilizers oradditives that we have known well or not even heard of.
Generally speaking, such organic products could be very popular items onthe rack in cities, even at a very high price. But they are not. One reason isthat the production is the output is small due to limited skills of peopleaffected by leprosy; on the other hand, products made in leprosy village areput in disadvantage because of the attached social stigma. Therefore, productsare bought at incredibly low prices then sold out by much higher prices bylocal peddlers, which means the hard working people in leprosy can only recovertheir costs. They still live a simple life in poverty. Such things happen againand again every year. Not only their lives have not been improved by their hardwork, but people affected by leprosy still have to suffer from social stigmadaring not to contact with the outside world.
Project Duration:
From May 2014 to May 2015
Project Summary
The Shangping village is located in a mountain next to Gongzhuang town,Boluo County of Huizhou, Guangdong Province. At present, there are 35 peopleaffected by leprosy living in the village, with an average age of 65. Despiteadvanced in age, the seniors are still earning their own living by producingagricultural and secondary products of many kinds. However, their products,just like many others’ made in leprosy villages, are bought by local peddlersat very low prices. Their benefits are hurt, so as their self-esteem under suchdiscrimination.
While in Yunnan, the project team is working in 8 villages. As most of the houses in the leprosy villages were built with mud in1950-1960’s, manyof them are tumbledown and become dangerous houses. As all the villages weresetup in very remote mountainous areas for the isolation purpose, some of thevillages still have not any transportation access to the general community.Some of the villages lack of water but rely on rain water without a safe watercollecting system. Some villages have not electricity system. The villagershave to live in darkness at night. Physical challenge, poor living conditionand community infrastructure, and little communication with outside world andlack of scientific farming skill become the main root of the poverty of thevillagers. Incomplete statistics from Dali prefecture indicate that the averageannual per capita income in the leprosy villages is only about RMB 500 (aboutUSD 72). Many of them are still unable to meet their basic needs to preventhunger, sickness and the cold. Improve their living situation, provideopportunity to communicate with our side world and increase their farmknowledge and skill will be important to help the people to fight againstpoverty and lead for dignified life. The population in these 8 villages, 225are people affected by leprosy, with 87 people involved in income generationactivity. The main products that people are making are honey, mushroom, sesame,peppers, and peanut.
The project is named as HANDA Social Integration and EconomicAdvancement Project, hopes to improve the social and financial situation aswell as the social participation of leprosy-affected people by elevating theirself-developing abilities and building a fair marketing network of theirproducts. HANDA also wants to explore a new model to explore the communityeconomy of leprosy villages through this project.
In the year of 2014, the project will focus on the 9 villages, one inGuangdong and eight in Yunnan. The project will make the most use of localresources in the production and connect the production to the urban demand bydeveloping new products, redesigning the products and integrating the lifestories of their producers into the marketing. Besides, HANDA is trying to strengthen their self-help capabilities; buildnetwork for the products they produced; improve their financialsituation and confidence; end the stigma and discrimination against; helppeople to reintegrate into the society and the support HANDA activities. We tryto sell the products through online shops, social media and local country fairs.We wish to draw the public’s attention through the new way of selling. By doingso, HANDA hopes to improve the villagers’ skill and management ability, promotea fair marketing network of the products, reintegrate into the society.
There are 69 leprosy villages in GuangdongProvince, and over 129 such villages in Yunnan province. The experience of thisproject can be referred to and the model can be copied in other leprosyvillages in near future, changing the current economic situation of leprosyvillages in China.
Project goal and objectives:
Goal: To improve the social and financial states aswell as the social participation of leprosy-affected people by elevating theirself-developing abilities and building a fair marketing network of theirproducts. 通过提升康复者自我发展能力，搭建公平贸易平台，提高他们的社会经济地位及社会融入
Objective 1: Improving the abilities to earn aliving and the economic state of people affected by leprosy, meanwhile explorea new model to keep the sustainable operation of HANDA projects
分目标：通过开展经济活动提升康复者生计能力的同时，开拓新模式确保汉达有可持续性的资金来源支持项目运作
Beneficiaries
1) In the short term, the direct beneficiaries of the project are villagersfrom 9 villages in Shangping villagg, Jiudaoyakou, Maowangdong, Luosongdi,Raomalu, Shanshiping, Tengmiehe, Luduo, Yuer and Mayidui villages in Yunnan.
2) In the long term, the beneficiaries are all people affected byleprosy who had to be isolated from the society;
3) The indirect beneficiaries are the family members of people affectedby leprosy;
4) The project can also change the public awareness and people’s livesafter more and more people know better about leprosy and communities ofleprosy-affected people and buy their products.
Action Plan:
What HANDA really focuses, during the whole project, is the idea ofparticipative development by the means of professional ways employed in socialwork of which the core concept is “helping others, helping yourself”. Theproject is aimed at elevating the abilities of people affected by leprosy, withmore attention to the abilities to make a living, creating opportunities andproviding platforms to change the villagers themselves. HANDA wants to promotea welfare model that cultivates people’s abilities and supports HANDA projectoperation in a sustainable way.
Output 1.1:Technical advice, support to develop, market & run income generatingactivities提供技术建议和支持，运作/市场营销/并运作经济活动
Activity 1.1.1: Set up a management group in each village建立村级管理小组
The group will be set up by villager themselves. Our purpose is toempower villagers have a sense of ownership and responsibility. Villagers have increased awareness on therole and the importance of their work. It would be helpful for us to conductcommunity development project and encouraging the leprosy-affectedpeople in the village to manage the group by themselves.
Activity 1.1.2 Provide training on daily affair management and financemanagement to management group提供管理小组村内日常事务管理及财务管理培训
Giving courses of training to the people in thevillage aimed at achieving their self-development and improving their capacityin the community management.Each applicant knows clear how to use the funds,know that the 20% percentage fromthe profit will go to support the community communal funds and 50% will go to support HANDA projects.
Activity 1.1.3 Provide training on product quality control and skilltraining提供产品质量及技能培训
It is very important to assure the products are made with quality so asto compete with local market and also keeps its sustainability. Meanwhileimprove the people’s awareness of the quality control.
Output 1.2: Setup a fair marketing network建立销售网络
Activity 1.2.2 Establish and run Taobao e-shop to sell the products 淘宝
The online shop will be updated from time to time, people buy theproducts from online shop. Buyers leave their feedbacks on the webpage,feedbacks such as whether the goods are good or not, which should be improved,etc. These will be collected and discussed among team staff for the betterimprovement of the products.
Activity 1.2.3 Establish a trade marketing channel in local county fairs参加当地农墟
We plan to join the local fairs 10-12 times a year promoting and sellingthe products from the village
Activity 1.2.4 Explore more local charity shops to sell the products开发更多销售渠道
We will try to explore at least 4 marketing channels, maintain thestable relationship with them for selling the products
Output 1.3 Develop new craft products开发新产品
Activity 1.3.1 Samples bought for villagers to make 采购产品样品
In order to help people make more eye catching crafts, samples will beprovided to them.
Output1.4 Promote the developing model to other leprosy villages成功模式推广到其他村
Activity 1.4.1 organize a conversation betweenleprosy villages村村间举办交流
We will organize the exchange visit for the peoplewho are starting IGA to visit other villages for experience sharing and skilllearning.
Activity 1.4.2 Representatives of the managementgroups visit other leprosy villages and give advices管理小组代表访村交流
Output2.1 Promote a healthy interaction between the villagers and the public推动康复村与公众间的健康互动
Activity 2.1.1 Environment improvement in thevillage康复村环境卫生改善
We will organize experience trips for those citizens who are interestedin charity to visit these two villages (one in Guangdong and one in Yunnan), itnot only helps tourists to have more understanding of villagers, but also helpsincrease the income of the whole village. It is essential to improve thepeople’s awareness on the importance of keeping a hygiene living condition. Wewill work together with the villagers to improve the communityenvironment.
Activity 2.1.2 Two sales in urban communities withvillagers participating社区两次产品推广活动，康复者参加
We will bring people to participate in farmermarket in city to broaden their horizon and improve their awareness on qualitycontrol.
Activity 2.1.3 Make a short film of villagers story制作短片
Output2.2 The public know about the village and support the developing projects公众了解康复村开始支持项目
Activity 2.2.1 Print of products pamphlet产品宣传单张印刷
The printing materials are not only for the productpromotion, but also spread the information of people affected by leprosy in thevillage
Activity 2.2.2 Volunteers promote and sell theproducts in urban communities志愿者推广产品
Activity 2.2.3 Develop a cultural product based onthe stories of villagers制作文化产品*美在心灵
Sustainabilityof the Program
The project will explore the possibility of asustainable project operation in three aspects: the feasibility, continued investmentand public influence. The management groups in the leprosy village will havesustainable productivity to continue the economic development. Throughpublicity and promotion, the neighboring rural communities and urbancommunities will know better the group of leprosy-affected people and approvetheir hard work. Also, the project itself produces economic returns, which canbe used to maintain sustainable operation of the project.
Budget
Please refer to the attachment
Thanksfor your time and consideration on this proposal. We would be really gratefulif you could find your way to help us with the above activities, which make abetter difference for people affected by leprosyin China.
Yourssincerely
Dr.Michael Chen
Secretary General
HANDA Rehabilitation & Welfare Association
