AustCham Shanghai Lends a Hand
As a non-profit organisation, AustCham Shanghai annually donates
a substantial amount to nominated charitable organisations
operating within China.
How We Help
The Chamber raises the money, mostly, through its popular calendar of events and Friday night Aussie Drinks.
Who We Help
Those AustCham Shanghai has recently assisted and/or will be
assisting include the following:
- Aussie Drinks Community Outreach
project raises funds to cover surgery costs for
little Lianna with Baobei Foundation. Lianna is an 8-month-old girl
from Henan Province with spina bifida and a tethered spinal cord.
Fundraising started since 25 June 2010 at Aussie Drinks aiming to raise
RMB36,000.

- CREO-SCF
Special Fund's Qinghai Yushu earthquake appeal 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.
- Heart to Heart
Shanghai - books and resources for Yue Jin Primary
School and Jing He Primary School in Jiangsu
Province.
Those AustCham Shanghai has helped in previous years include the
following:
- Baobei
Foundation improves lives of precious Chinese
orphans who have been born with critical Neurological and
Gastro-Intestinal disorders. AustCham Shanghai provided fund for 2
therapy device to offer training opportunities for
spina bifida children.
- Clothing and Toy Collection
- Craniofacial provides
under privileged children with facial deformities
reconstructive surgery as well as training Chinese surgeons in
craniofacial reconstruction.
- Gift of Life, run through Rotary,
provides heart surgeries for children. Over the last 10 years,
AustCham Shanghai has sponsored 26 urgent heart surgeries for
children.
- Gift of Life Friends, a volunteer-led managed
group, 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.
- Fred Hollows Foundation 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
we have committed funds to support Hu Dong Dong's ongoing medical
treatment.
- LifeLine Shanghai is 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 assists homeless rural migrants
by providing basic services, health screening and career
training.
- Save the Children 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
- 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 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 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 - travel
expenses for Australian athletes.
- Wheelchair
Foundation 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 -
daily/educational/medical expenses; staff training expense; office
facilities expense; children's schooling.
- You Dao
supports migrant group in Shanghai. AustCham
Shanghai provides funds for full/partial scholarships to
migrant children, school field trips and family activity days which
will change the future of these children.
Let Us Help You
The Chamber is always actively seeking charities it may assist
and welcomes members' suggestions. Please contact Lily Sun (lily.sun@austchamshanghai.com) with
a detailed proposal.
Criteria the Board of Directors consider include:
- the money must directly and substantially impact the end user
and little should be absorbed by administration;
- the organisation must be sustainable;
- the organisation must operate locally so that AustCham
Shanghai's donation benefits people within the local area; and
- AustCham Shanghai prefers to support organisations with which
it can form close ties.

Low income families in Bansongyuan Community, Huangpu District,
Shanghai