Life is at last looking a little better now for Li Zuguo, 52, after a couple of grim years. In 2007, he was paralysed from the waist down following an accident at his workplace. Then in May 2008, China's massive earthquake destroyed part of the privately-run nursing home where he was living.

Now, Li has moved to Hetong Nursing Centre in the city of Mianzhu, Sichuan Province, a nursing home run by the China Red Cross Foundation (CRCF), and which received financial assistance from the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC). CRCF is a fundraising affiliate of the RCSC.

"There's a big difference. It's much cleaner, the environment is nicer and the nurses look after us much better," says Li, the youngest among 16 elderly and physically challenged residents.

Improved facilities

The story is similar for most of those accommodated at the nursing home. Fu Tiansong, 76, had been living alone without anyone to look after him, until his house was damaged by the quake. He's now pacing around the corridors of the home, carrying his flask of tea, and enjoying the attention of the nurses and social workers.

Hetong runs several nursing homes in the northern port city of Tianjin and in Beijing, and responds to a growing need for care among the elderly who either have no family, or whose relatives cannot care for them. The nursing home received a grant of USD 291,000 from CRCF, as well as another USD 146,000 from the Jet Li One Foundation, which is connected to the Red Cross.

Sharing resources and expertise

"Besides financial assistance, we also get technical support and advice from the CRCF, based on their long experience in meeting humanitarian needs," says a Hetong staff member, Song Yinhua.

The RCSC is disbursing close to three million US dollars to support more than ten projects run by various charities in Southwest China. "This is a real change for us. Before, we tried to do everything ourselves, but we didn't have enough manpower," says Jiang Yiman, RCSC's Executive Vice President, in reference to support offered to local charitable organizations. Looking at the outcomes, she says, "The results have been very good."

Partnerships

This increasing focus on partnerships comes at a time when non-governmental organisations have made significant contributions to the earthquake relief and recovery effort. These contributions are being made not only in the health sector, but in reconstruction as well.

In the mist and drizzle near the top of Daping Mountain - a 90-minute journey from the provincial capital, Chengdu - Global Village of Beijing (GVB) is assisting a small community in building an eco-village, with environmentally friendly homes, craft workshops and eventually tourism. The project has received USD 524,000 from the RCSC.

"We can't wait to move into our new house," says Yin Bangrong, 41, as she checks up on the workmen's progress. These RCSC supported homes are being built according to designs created by two of China's leading specialists on environmentally friendly architecture.