Corporate Social Responsibility

AustCham Shanghai's Corporate Social Reponsibility program

As a non-profit organisation, AustCham Shanghai runs an active Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program and annually donates a substantial amount to nominated charitable organisations operating within China.

Advisory Group

AustCham Shanghai's dynamic CSR Advisory Group meets monthly to drive activities. The Advisory Group consists of Chamber members, Board Directors and Secretariat staff, including:

Tim Lyons, AustCham Shanghai Vice Chair, Manage China
Kate Pollitt, AustCham Shanghai Executive Director
Richard Cant, Dezan Shira & Associates
Allen Jiang, IDP Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Limited
Lawrence Lau, AustCham Shanghai Advisor to the Board of Directors, Owenscorning (China) Investment Co., Ltd
Dr Jianzhong Lu, BHP Billiton
Ben Lyons, AustCham Shanghai Board Director, Dulwich College Management
Joanne Odgaard-Cotton
David Smalley, Servcorp Business Services (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Lily Sun, AustCham Shanghai Finance Manager
Michael Wadley, AustCham Shanghai Board Director, Blake Dawson International Lawyers Shanghai Representative Office
Grace Zhou, Westpac Banking Corporation, Shanghai Branch.

Strategic Partners

AustCham Shanghai has three CSR Strategic Partners for its 2011-13 CSR Program:

The Renewal Center, Shanghai - a drop-in resource center and employment assistance initiative for Shanghai's homeless population (majority migrants) Click here for photos
Shanghai Municipal Welfare Foundation for the Disabled - a city-wide social organization aiming to mobilise social resources to assist people with disability and in difficulty. AustCham Shanghai's Great Australian Ball XVI raised funds for hearing aids for students in difficult financial situations, medical care and treatment for spinal cord injured patients, and continuing supporting disadvantaged students at Sunshine Home of Haiwan Town, Fenxian District. Donation ceremony was held on 2 December 2011. Click here for photos. For Media clip please click here (Chinese only).
TCT Foundation for the Children of China - a registered international charity to specifically aid and support the education and welfare of children in China. Funds raised at Aussie Drinks currently support the Xinjing Children's Happy Summer Home project. Funds raised will be used to support education program for underprivileged and migrant children from Xinhua Community, Changning District. CSR funds also go towards the Same Starting Line & Happier Childhood Art Education Program and Xinhua Seedlings Activity Camp Dancing Class. To view a project update presentation from October 2011 click here.

AustCham Shanghai raises funds for these partners' activities through the Chamber's calendar of events, including Aussie Drinks on Friday nights.

A CSR Request For Proposal is distributed every two years to identify CSR partners.

AustCham Shanghai has helped the following charities in previous years:

Baobei Foundation, which improves the lives of precious Chinese orphans who have been born with critical Neurological and Gastro-Intestinal disorders. Funds have assisted:
- the purchase of two therapy devices to offer training opportunities for spina bifida children
- surgery for a child with spina bifida.
China Breast Cancer Foundation, which aims to mobilise social resources to fight breast cancer, prevent women from the disease, improve women's quality of life, reach out a hand to poor patients, and organize series of public campaigns.
Clothing and Toy Collection, which collects clothes in main cities in China and delivers to remote areas in Tibet.
Craniofacial, which provides under privileged children with facial deformities reconstructive surgery as well as training Chinese surgeons in craniofacial reconstruction.
CREO-SCF Special Fund's Qinghai Yushu earthquake appeal, which focuses on rebuilding schools and kindergartens, providing education equipment and scholarships for students in Yushu, Qinghai. A total donation of RMB65,200 has been made, of which RMB17,600 was raised from ANZAC Day Aussie Drinks.
Gift of Life, run through Rotary, which provides heart surgeries for children. Over the last 11 years, AustCham Shanghai has sponsored 26 urgent heart surgeries for children.
Gift of Life Friends, a volunteer-led managed group, which provides post-operative care, supplies and support for children that have undergone heart surgeries. The group provides dietary supplements, and other support for families and children affected.
Giving Tree, which provides deserving migrant and orphaned children with a gift bag of new clothes, toys and school supplies for Chinese New Year.
AustCham Shanghai donated funds to fill 1,252 bags raised from various fundraising activities on the night of the Ball.
Fred Hollows Foundation, which provides eye care for poor and disadvantaged people who live far way from capital cities and treatment centres.
Heart to Heart school library projects in Anhui Province and heart surgeris for children in remote areas.
Hu Dongdong, a local boy needing critical and ongoing medical treatment for a serious leg infection. Since 2004/5 the Chamber has committed funds to support Hu Dong Dong's ongoing medical treatment.
LifeLine Shanghai, a hotline service that provides free, confidential support and information for expatriates living in Shanghai. Call 6279 8990 between 10am-10pm everyday to speak anonymously with a trained expatriate volunteer.
Pudong Special School lunch expenses & musical instruments for Chinese athletes.
Reinier Jessurun, the Aussie Marathon runner raising funds Marathon race. AustCham Shanghai supported with half of the funding to rebuild a school classroom building in Gansu Province affected by Sichuan earthquake.
Renewal Centre, which assists homeless rural migrants by providing basic services, health screening and career training.
Save the Children, which fights for children around the world who suffer from poverty, disease, injustice and violence.
Shanghai Charity Foundation is a charity organisation which assists those in need in Shanghai and Greater China. Projects that AustCham Shanghai have supported include:
- daily use items and bathroom construction for Jinshan Elderly People's Home
- Chinese New Year gifts for low income families from Fenxian District, Shanghai
- student tuitions for children from low income families from Huangpu District, Shanghai
- daily use items for Wuzhong Mental Rehabilitation Hospital, Shanghai
- clothes for children from Mianyang Camp School in Sichuan Province
- eye Care project for migrant school children in Shanghai
- training for migrant workers to look after elderly who live alone.
Shanghai Municipal Welfare Foundation for Disabled, which assists 520,000 disabled people in Shanghai. Projects that AustCham Shanghai have supported include:
- Tuition fees to help the disable children and those from disable families to complete their studies and cover medical expenses of the disabled patients in Sunshine Home in Fenxian District.
- Expo tickets for those who have physical difficulties and in poor financial conditions.
Shanghai Sunrise, which gives financial support to underprivileged students in Shanghai. AustCham Shanghai supported 15 university or high school students to complete their studies as well as librabries for 2 schools.
Special Olympics Australia to provide travel expenses for Australian athletes.
Wheelchair Foundation, which aims to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to deliver a wheelchair to every child and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one.
XinXing Aid for Street Kids for daily/educational/medical expenses; staff training expense; office facilities expense; children's schooling.
You Dao, to provide funds for full/partial scholarships to migrant children, school field trips and family activity days which will change the future of these children.
Jinshan Elderly Residence - provided new bathrooms and other improvements in living facilities.

SCF ceremony
AustCham Shanghai has supported low-income families in Bansongyuan Community, Huangpu District, Shanghai.