In December 2009, the China Social Entrepreneur Foundation and Horizon Research Consultancy Group released a Corporate Philanthropy Index on China. A report from CSR Asia highlights some major findings from interviews with large and medium-sized enterprises and a survey of some 1,200 citizens from 6 countries.

More at http://csr-asia.com/weekly_detail.php?id=11904

IOM Manila launched an on-line resource website addressing the global financial crisis and its impact on the Philippines and neighbouring countries last December 18, 2009.

The website was officially launched in Manila at the annual celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos and International Migrants Day, co-organized by the Commission for Filipinos Overseas, the Department of Foreign Remittances in the month of September 2009 reached USD 1.4 billion, up 8.6 per cent from USD 1.33 billion in the same month a year earlier.

APPC mourns the passing of Mark Lyons, Director of Research in the Centre for Social Impact in Australia. Mark was involved in the early years of APPC as a member of the Executive Committee. In 1999, when he was with the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, Mark led the efforts to create the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Information Network, APPC’s initial foray in collecting and disseminating research and information on philanthropy and the non-profit sector in Asia Pacific through the Internet.

Members of the Board of Directors of the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium reflect on the role of philanthropy in addressing regional and national issues in APPC’s contributory chapter to the upcoming book on global philanthropy to be published by the Network of European Foundations The Mercator Fund.

Entitled “Creating the Future through Philanthropy”, the chapter also discusses the impact of the global financial downturn on philanthropic activities and the multi-sectoral responses to curb the effects of the crisis in the Asia Pacific region.

The Australian Government has been supportive of volunteering since the 1960s. Volunteer work in Asia is a vital option for Australians who want to make a positive contribution to poverty reduction, sustainable development and cross-cultural understanding.

The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) in Singapore aims to be a first-stop centre, catalyst and networking agency to foster volunteerism. It leads initiatives to fill gaps in volunteerism, philanthropy and capacity building, as well as creates opportunities for partners to work together to bring about significant changes.

We feature the views of APPC Board Member Darwin Chen on philanthropy and the Arts in Asia. Apart from being the Honorary Chair of Habitat for Humanity China, Darwin is very active in the arts scene in Hong Kong as the chair of the HK Government’s Committee on Performing Arts.

The country’s well-acclaimed ballet directors Tony Fabella, Eddie Elejar and Luther Perez have since 1994, successfully trained street children living in urban poor communities to be young dance professionals.

In countries where Diaspora giving has reached significant levels, givers are in search of more reliable information that can serve to link them up to their preferred causes more efficiently and effectively. This need was identified during the APPC conference on diaspora philanthropy held in Hanoi last May, 2008.