Jinde Charities, the first Catholic NGO in China, raised over 530,000 yuan in the Christmas party held on December 16, 2017.
The 13th Christmas Charity Party served as a connecting bridge between financially disadvantaged groups and people who wanted to help them. The works of ten painters, calligraphers, and masters of arts and crafts were sold to support orphans, poor students, and empty nesters.
Jinde Charities was founded in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province, in May 1997.
A video presented the NGO's efforts in fields like disaster relief, poverty alleviation, caring for the elderly, assisting students, AIDS prevention, and education in the past two decades.
A senior who could not speak and has mobility difficulties used to live on instant noodles, but his fate was changed after being received by Jinde's nursing home. He has a warm home and a companion. Fifty-one disabled orphans are taken care of by 16 nuns and six mothers, feeling love.
The organization collected over 4.5 million yuan in the past Christmas parties, including over 600,000 yuan last year.
Priest Zhang Shijiang, the founder of the Charity, said, "The perspective of faith in the Christmas culture should be extended into an idea of humanistic care and public welfare. Dilute the commercial elements and emphasize donations based on the principle of the celebration with joy, making the celebrating a powerful way to show concern for people."
- Translated by Karen Luo
