中國有沒有慈善機構？

粘貼此文前作者收到國內四川省成都市的一位主內姐妹來信說：“你九年前要去訪問的那家孤兒院，早就被取締了！”

(中、英文對照)

 

中國有沒有慈善機構？

田  心

 

 

按照國際公認的觀念，慈善機構不屬於任何政府部門而是純粹的民間機構。這樣就有可能產生一個問題：中國有沒有慈善機構？要回答這麽一個問題是很困難的。聞名中國的“希望工程”屬不屬於慈善機構呢？不屬於，因為是國家教育部在組織和管理“希望工程”。遍布全國的醫院、敬老院、托兒所屬不屬於慈善機構呢？不屬於，它們全都是商業性機構。在中國成千上萬的佛教寺廟屬不屬於慈善機構呢？不屬於，它們化緣隻為養活自己，卻不用來周濟貧窮或幫助公益，盡管它們在曆史上曾經做過慈善事業。那麽，讚助這又讚助那的公司屬不屬於慈善機構呢？這是一個有爭議的問題。  
        實際上，讚助並不是慈善事業，而是一種互利的合夥行為。所以毫不奇怪，公司通常是在市場拓展基金或公共關係基金裏安排讚助預算。些許自相矛盾和偽善的行為都可能敗壞慈善事業的名聲。例如，一個生產戒毒藥的工廠可能讚助一批戒毒所。但其結果可能是，那些戒毒所裏的癮君子離開了他們慣常服用的毒品，卻產生了對可能是該製藥廠生產的戒毒藥的新的依賴。環境保護論者聲稱他們是慈善的傳遞人。可是就在他們抗議濫伐木材的同時，他們自己可能正在成為蘑菇養殖商。更有甚者，公司讚助有可能成為有害或危險的行為。例如，有的讚助是由煙草公司提供的，間接地會起到鼓勵吸煙的作用。在我所生活的城市深圳，街道上和公園裏有許多寫著讚助者名字的長椅和涼亭，讚助者是一個名叫“好日子”的香煙公司。這究竟是在做慈善事業還是在教唆吸煙呢？你看，讚助可以為那些從事汙染事業的公司以廉價和高效洗刷名聲。

不過，就我所知，在中國至少有一個真正的慈善機構。在四川省省會成都的郊區，有一所由基督教某個家庭教會擁有和管理的孤兒院。那個教會收容和照看附近流浪的孤兒。教會的姐妹們成了孤兒們的母親，她們把孩子們帶向耶穌。她們根本沒有工資，孤兒院所需的一切也都是教會弟兄姐妹們奉獻的。因為根據政府的宗教管理條例，家庭教會是非法的。

我相信，像成都那個孤兒院那樣的慈善機構，在中國必定還有許多許多。

 

(二○○四年四月二十日)

 

 

IS THERE ANY CHARITY ORGANIZATION IN CHINA?

PAUL BAO

 

 

As an internationally recognized concept, charity organizations do not belong to any government apartment but are purely non-governmental. In this regard a question may come forth: Is there any charity organization in China? It is hard to answer such a question. Does the famous organization “Hope Project” in China belong to charity? No, it is the national education department who organizes and controls the Hope Project. Do the hospitals, elder-cares and kindergartens all over China belong to charity organization? No, they are all commercial. Do the thousands of Buddhism temple in China belong to charity organization? No, they collect donation to make their own living but without giving out for the poor or public benefit, so they are not charity organizations at all although they used to be in the history. Do the companies who sponsor this or that belong to charity organization? This is a controversial point.

 

Actually, sponsorship is not philanthropy. It is a mutually beneficial business partnership. It is therefore no surprise that sponsorship funding is often found from corporate marketing or public relations budgets. Suggestions of inconsistency and hypocrisy can seriously damage a charity’s reputation. For example, a narcotics-abstaining pharmaceutical factory may sponsor some narcotics-abstaining camps. However, the result may be that the druggies left their traditional narcotics but come to sponge on the new drugs which would be made by the pharmaceutical factory. Environmentalists claim themselves as charity-deliverers. But they may protest lumbering and become fungus culturists at the same time. Moreover, companies’ sponsorship can be harmful and/or dangerous - for example, if a charity is sponsored by a tobacco company and indirectly promotes smoking. In the city Shenzhen where I live, there are a lot of benches and summerhouses in streets and parks with the sponsor’s name, a cigarette company’s name - Happy Date on them. Is it however a charity or an abetment of smoking? You see, sponsorship can be a cheap and cost-effective ‘greenwash’ that may reduce the need for companies to address their polluting practices.

 

However, as I know there is at least one real charity organization in China. In the suburb of Chengdu, the capitol of Sichuan Province, there is a orphanage owned and run by a Christian house church. The church got the street orphans around and take care of them. Sisters of the church become the waifs’ mothers and lead the children to Jesus. They have no pay at all, and all supplies are donated by brothers and sisters of the church. For house churches are regarded as illegal according to the religious regulations of the government.

 

I believe there must be many more charity organizations in China, like the orphanage in Chengdu.  

 

(April 20, 2004)

[myipode]

如果中國有眾多獨立的慈善機構的時候，中國才算對得起文明古國的稱號， 對得起美麗的江山