THE GENETICS OF GENEROSITY

By Ji Jing

Though he only makes a meager salary， that hasnt stopped Zhao Yongjiu， a cleaner in Shenyang， Liaoning Province， from contributing to charity. He has donated a third of his salary to charity over the past 30 years and the total amount he has handed out exceeds 180，000 yuan（$27，972）.

The seeds of charity were sown in Zhaos heart when he was just a teenager. His father died in a work accident and his mother had to raise Zhao and his younger brother all by herself. Later， his mother fell ill， making life more difficult for the family. “At that time， the factory my father had worked in helped us out by providing us with coal for heating in winter. Additionally， our neighbors gave us food，” Zhao told Liaoshen Evening News.

He never forgot the helping hands he had received throughout his youth and told himself that one day， whenever he could， he would help those in need.

Over the past 30 years， he has helped the elderly and disabled in his area and supported more than 40 students in finishing their education.

Zhao was honored as a charity model by the Ministry of Civil Affairs during the 11th China Charity Awards ceremony on September 5. A total of 182 people， businesses and organizations received the accolades for their involvement in the drive to contain the COVID-19 outbreak and eliminate rural poverty.

The award， initiated in 2005， is the highest charity honor conferred by the Chinese Government.

In his ceremonial address， State Councilor Wang Yong said that the charity sector has seen notable progress since 2012 and the development of charity is a sign of social progress. He said that the sector has taken on a major role across several areas， including poverty eradication， pandemic containment and the turning of China into a “moderately prosperous society in all respects.”

The Central Government encourages various charities to help consolidate the fruits of the povertyrelief campaigns and strengthen social safety nets. Authorities will bolster oversight， while the charity sector should achieve better self-discipline and transparency， he said.

Lending a helping hand

Pema Yangjan from Lhasa received the award for helping improve medical care in the remote areas of Tibet Autonomous Region. In these regions， childbirth can be risky and even lethal for both mother and baby due to underdeveloped healthcare systems. As a mother who herself went through a difficult labor， Pema Yangjan is all too aware of the devastating impact the loss of mother or baby during childbirth can have on a family. She founded the Tibet Mother and Child Healthcare Association back in 2010 to the improve healthcare for women and children in remote agricultural and pastoral parts of the autonomous region. The association has organized more than 70 training sessions for over 3，000 village doctors from 74 counties in Tibet， who have altogether successfully delivered more than 5，000 babies since the training.