Nongovernmental assistance conveys great love in COVID-19 response

By He Yin

Viruses respect no border, and the world should unite as one to fight them. In the fight against the rampant COVID-19 pandemic, nongovernmental actors have played an indispensable role.

In China, NGOs have taken an active part in the global battle against the pandemic, offering mutual assistance with people around the world. What they presented was the glorious humanity that elevated the love for individuals to one that cares for all in the world, their devotion to their country and families, as well as the traditional character of the cultural inheritance of the Chinese nation.

Working together to tide over the difficulties, people around the world are filling the globe with love. The touching stories they have written well explained their profound relations that enabled them to return a favor with greater kindness.

Chinese NGOs have always shared weal and woe and fought together with other countries. The Silk Road Community Building Initiative launched by China Association for NGO Cooperation has facilitated cooperation with dozens of countries regarding material donation, experience sharing and volunteering services. Besides, a campaign titled the Green Ribbon Initiative was jointly initiated by over 150 social organizations and other units, and has donated anti-epidemic materials to around 20 countries, including Italy, Iran, Sri Lanka and Russia, as well as the United Nations Human Settlements Program.

The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation set up hand wash stations in Nepal, and has been offering “food packages” to impoverished children in Ethiopia and Myanmar on a monthly basis. The donation made by China Foundation for Peace and Development also went to over 10 countries.

Their kind deeds are an epitome of the sincere friendship and mutual assistance between the Chinese people and the people in the rest of the world. Pakistani Ambassador to China Naghmana Alamgir Hashmi noted that the selfless assistance offered by Chinese NGOs fully demonstrated great love, friendship and trust.

Chinese enterprises also demonstrated a sense of responsibility in pandemic response. Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation delivered materials to 150 countries and regions, and donated to the World Health Organization 100 million surgical masks, 1 million N95 masks and 1 million nucleic acid test kits. Chinese tech giant Tencent launched a $100 million Global Anti-Pandemic Fund, offering 7.7 million pieces of medical equipment for 15 countries. The virus testing laboratories built in Saudi Arabia and the United Arabic Emirates by China’s BGI, one of the world’s leading life science and genomics organizations, have made key contribution to local epidemic response.

Besides, working around the clock, Chinese enterprises exported anti-epidemic materials to 200 countries and regions and injected huge positive energy into the global battle.

What they did showcased the kindness, bravery and responsibility of the Chinese, winning high reputation and appreciation from the world. Some foreigners said that they are confident in defeating the virus because they are fighting together with their Chinese friends.

When “infodemic” of misinformation threatened the global cooperation on pandemic response, the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) joined by 205 media organizations from 98 countries around the world issued an open letter, calling for its members to play their due roles as media, report reliable information, convey solidarity and support to the public, fulfill the responsibility of media and uphold human justice, so as to promote mutual assistance and unity among Belt and Road countries.

The people-to-people bond maintained by the Belt and Road brought kindness and warmth from China to the people in Belt and Road countries. Iqbal Survé, Executive Chairman of South Africa’s Independent Media and member of the First Council of the BRNN, remarked that the Belt and Road is full of confidence, trust and hope.

It’s not difficult to discover the reason for China’s nongovernmental actors to actively join the global pandemic response, as it is something that are genetically coded in the culture of the Chinese nation. The Chinese people have a kind of patriotic sentiment that compels people to share responsibility for the fate of the nation, believe that a just cause should be pursued for the common good, and carry a fine tradition of developing themselves to help others with the well-being of the world in their mind.

In the global efforts to contain the pandemic, Chinese scientists selflessly shared experiences; Chinese enterprises offered active assistance; Chinese NGOs helped other countries by different means; and Chinese media also shouldered their responsibility and upheld justice.

The Chinese people well understand that mankind is a community with a shared future, and only when people around the world join hands can their well-being be protected to the maximum and human civilization progressed.

Small streams gathering together in global pandemic response have generated a magnificent power of unity, justice and advancement against the virus, writing a touching chapter in the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. NGOs are conveying a great love beyond borders, and bringing hope and power to the people around the world in defeating the virus.

The Green Ribbon Initiative donates materials to Italy to help the latter better cope with the COVID-19 epidemic, March 25. Photo from the official account of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation on WeChat