A quick note for readers who are not too familiar with NGOs in China.

It would be fantastic if it was just a simple 3 steps: 1- Identify problem 2- Identify solution and obtain resources 3- Identify implementation method

And then, voila, implementation can start. Implementation might be slow, might not be fully sucessful etc etc, but that is the reality of development work.

Unfortunately, in China, there is a big cloud covering all of these 3 steps which is the government. Now this cloud is pretty efficient at doing stuff itself, but is unable to do everything, but is unwilling to let others do what it cannot -or what it should not.

The cloud is all encompassing, for if you do not have permission or trust from it, you cannot do any of the 3 steps -cannot get suitable data, cannot work with government or other partners, cannot operate and cannot generate resources. Now, sometimes the cloud is supportive and sometimes it is not. Sometimes it is possible to just embark on implementation without talking with the cloud and this is what has happened with most grass-roots NGOs after the Sichuan earthquake.

The government has sort of acknowledged they are needed and let them operate; but as the desperate short-term relief work moves onto medium-term relief and reconstruction (in the next 6 months or so) many of these organisations will either finish their programs or have to talk to the government seriously. It can be frustrating; that all the resources (people and money etc) could be available, but still implementation is not possible -or is difficult and slow. This is the situation and it cannot be changed, just options can be explored of how to work with this system.