|
|
|
|
Welcome
Welcome to the September 2018 edition of IIE’s Global Lens Southeast Asia! In a region where China is increasingly a significant influence, please see the below column of by IIE’s Peggy Blumenthal, an expert on Sino-U.S. academic exchanges.
Jonathan Lembright, IIE Regional Director for Southeast Asia
|
|
Emerging Philanthropies in China
By Peggy Blumenthal, Senior Counselor to the President
China’s philanthropic sector has grown dramatically since a May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province that prompted an outpouring of financial support in support of the disaster victims. Ten years later, China’s emerging philanthropic sector now includes individuals and corporate funders as well as quasi-official “public charities.” Together, they donated an estimated US $21 billion in 2016 to programs in China and globally.
Over a two-hour luncheon discussion co-hosted in late June by the Henry Luce Foundation in New York City, data was presented on the 245 percent increase in philanthropic giving since 2008. The two main speakers at this off-the-record briefing were Richard Rockefeller Fellow, Danxi Shen of the Sany Foundation in Beijing, and the Rockefeller Brother Foundation staffer who manages this program for young philanthropy leaders - assisted by IIE/Beijing and IIE/NY staff.
The experts at the mid-June Henry Luce Foundation event shared important data on China’s philanthropy trends, which include:
- The main targets of China’s philanthropy are related to healthcare, education, and poverty. Poverty alleviation is a national priority in China, and there has been an increased call for nonprofits to tie their agenda and strategy to this critical focus area.
- Thirty-six percent of giving in China goes to public charities and foundations, sometimes spin-offs from government agencies. More than 6,590 foundations are currently registered in China, with more than 20 percent established in just the past year-and-a-half, signaling how rapid philanthropic growth has been in China recently. This trend, however, is decreasing dramatically as private foundations and organizations are outpacing the establishment of public charities linked to government agencies.
- Corporate donations comprise about 70 percent of China’s philanthropy due to fewer regulations, good opportunities for branding, and limited tax advantages to setting up a free-standing foundation.
In addition to the major giving by family-owned corporations, there has also been a dramatic rise in online giving, or “micro-philanthropy.” Last year, Chinese individuals donated the equivalent of US $406 million through smartphone apps. More than 50 percent of micro-philanthropists in China were born in the 1990’s or later, and on average give less than US $15 per individual donation. Trust in charitable organizations has increased due to the accessibility of online giving platforms, according to the presenters, as these provide more transparency about where a donation is going and allow individuals to track the progress of their donation.
Within China, the vast majority of foundations operate their own programs. Fewer than 200 make grants to other NGOs. Most of their philanthropic efforts target programs within the borders of the country; only about 100 foundations currently leading overseas programming, including Free Lunch Kenya and the China Poverty Alleviation Foundation in Ethiopia. This means there is a lot of potential for China-based foundations to partner with international NGOs and implement their programs locally.
During the roundtable discussion, IIE also highlighted its work with philanthropic foundations in the region, including the “Learning Circles” initiative, managed by IIE’s office in Beijing with support from the Ford Foundation, and programming for The Yidan Prize, which is funded by The Charles Chen Yidan Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Hong Kong tech giant, Tencent. After the presentation, attendees from private and corporate foundations engaged in a Q&A discussion, presenting new and valuable insights into the rapid evolution of the philanthropic sector – and suggestions for how U.S. foundations and NGOs can engage with Chinese philanthropy in the future.
|
|
NYUAD Alumni Give Back
As part of our partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi, IIE participated in the 2018 CAMP Philippines event in Manila last month. CAMP Philippines was started by an NYU Abu Dhabi alumni in 2012 to help get peers excited about the prospect of studying abroad for university. The CAMP assists Filipino high school students to expand their study opportunities and ultimately better equips them with the right tools to assess the kind of education they want to pursue.
|
|
Myanmar Ministry of Education Meeting
On August 10 in Yangon, IIE’s English Assessment Team met with the Ministry of Education and their English Task Force. The meeting was chaired by the Director General for Languages, Dr. Zaw Myint, who was also instrumental in IIE’s “Connecting With The World” initiative to building international capacity within the higher education system. We look forward to continuing to support the Ministry’s goals in the coming years.
|
|
Publications and Research
|
|
Fall 2018 IIENetworker Magazine - Interconnected Education: Building Bridges Through International Partnerships
 As we try to decide the future of international education one thing is clear: partnerships will continue to be the key to many institution’s internationalization strategies. In the Fall 2018 issue of the IIENetworker magazine, Interconnected Education: Building Bridges Through International Partnerships, experts share their perspective on how the partnership models shaping the future of international education. From government-to-government collaborations to new database solutions to building an entire institution around a core partnership, the authors invite you to explore innovative ways to build bridges and expand your international engagement. Read Now
Share your thoughts with @iieglobal on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter using #interconnectED!
Print copies are available in IIE's bookstore, along with back issues.
|
|
Giving Back to the Future
A study from the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society finds that scholarships for higher education are highly impactful, at the individual, community, and country levels. For an individual, receiving a scholarship makes attending university possible. It means greater earning power, greater confidence and motivation, and a greater desire to influence other lives through leadership. A single scholarship enhances 26 lives on average, including the scholar, her family, the students she mentors and leads, and the community members she volunteers for. We also present a toolkit for enhancing the effectiveness of scholarship programs. The toolkit showcases both the “why†and “how†of setting clear goals, improving communication and engagement with scholars, and enhancing their employability and career success. These strategies can magnify the impact of scholarships for students, donors, and governments. Read the full report.
|
|
Events and Upcoming Deadlines
|
|
EducationUSA Forum 2018
Through our collaboration with EducationUSA, the U.S. Department of State network of over 400 international student advising centers, IIE supported the 2018 EducationUSA Forum in Washington, D.C. from July 30-August 1. The annual event focused on international education professionals who work in student recruitment, enrollment, and support services at accredited U.S. colleges and universities.
The East Asia Pacific Region had 8 EducationUSA Advisers representing Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. In addition, the two Regional Educational Advising Coordinators (REACs) for both Southeast Asia (Charles Hornstra) and Northeast Asia Pacific (Vincent Flores) were also in attendance. EducationUSA would like to thank all of our advisers who contributed to the Forum’s success in addition to thanking the higher education community for its continued support of EducationUSA!
|
|
IIE Summit 2019: The Future of International Education
February 2019 | New York, NY
Registration is now open! Join us next February as we celebrate our Centennial by bringing together key voices from across sectors and around the world for action-oriented discussion on what we all can do together to make the international a part of every 21st Century education. Please direct inquiries to summit@iie.org. Learn more.
|
|
14th AUAP General Conference
November 20-24, 2018 | Pattaya, Thailand
IIE will be attending 14th AUAP General Conference on November 20-24, 2018 in Pattaya, Thailand hosted by the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP) in cooperation with Naresuan University of Thailand. Learn more.
|
|
32nd Australian International Education Conference
October 9-12, 2018 | Sydney
IIE is participating in a workshop on displaced student scholarships in addition to attending the general conference. The event theme this year is 'empowering a new generation'. For this conference, and for those listed above, if you will also be attending then please get in touch about connecting! Learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
