Does anyone remember Haoyang, one of our Little Red Scarf children featured in our August Newsletter?
It was last Thursday , the week before National Day (October 1), when I saw Hao Yang again.  Actually this was the third time that I saw him during his treatment, which lasted a long five months.  Between April and September, Hao Yang had come to Beijing hoping for his first treatment, been forced to go back home and wait, make a second trip to Beijing for the surgery, and battled postoperative respiratory problems. In that time span, Hao Yang experienced more medical battles than some people do in a lifetime. 

We all feared that Hao Yang would not be able to recover from his post-op complications; even I felt little hope when I saw the video of him posted by the nurse in the ICU. However, despite his desperate situation, we watched a miracle unfold. We were especially moved by his parents' joy upon the news that he was beginning to take a turn for the better. Hao Yang was moved from the ICU to the med/surg ward for noncritical patients shortly thereafter. Although he was skinny, he was no longer in grave danger

When I saw Hao Yang this time, it was time for him to leave the hospital and return home. Now Hao Yang can walk by himself and can communicate with us, though he is still weak, which shows in his voice. Through Skype, he communicates with Director Ruan, who is very concerned about him, and he sings for her. He is very young and still does not understand the amazing grace that has been bestowed upon him, that his life in itself is miraculous. He is perhaps more aware that something changed in his family. His mother is finally emotionally ready to take him home and be the mother she couldn't be to him previously. However, he will some day come to realize the full weight of everything he has survived.

We take a photo for Hao Yang’s family, and his parents’ faces are beaming with happy smiles. After that we take turns getting photos with Hao Yang. Even though all the excitement is probably exhausting for his weak body, he is polite and doesn't complain. 

Before leaving , Hao Yang’s father gives us some walnuts, which he grew himself. I pat Hao Yang’s shoulder and tell him that he should take good care of his parents when he grows up. Hao Yang nods. We both agree to meet again in three months when Hao Yang comes to Beijing for a follow-up appointment. We hope that Hao Yang will recover quickly, that he will be stronger by then. Only time will tell, but in the interim, all we can do is be grateful for the changes we have already seen in his life, and hope for the best in the future.

On October 18th, the Transparent Fish Laboratory’s Chuhsu Tan and full time staff organized the Transparent Fish Fund Launch event to help use a different top down assistance model for NGO support. Transparent Fish hopes to sove the greatest NGO pain points, such as financial management and fundraising challenges. However, Transparent Fish uses a style that demphasizes criticism (telling NGOs what they are doing wrong) and emphasizes offering their services to NGOs in a respectful way, as a partner.

"Nonprofit, public service organizations should make information public."

On the evening of October 15th, Transparent Fish’s “Transparent Finances, Transparent Nonprofit”  event in Beijing concluded. Transparent Fish Fund founder Ping Chao and Director Ms. Tianfu Ruan presented the concept of Transparent Fish to representatives from over 30 NGOs. They introduced NGO backend support programs, and continnued with in-person idea exchange. The meeting was divided into three major parts.

The first part was segmented into smaller sections that took the audience from abstract ideas to concrete details, conflicts in moving from concept to implementation, Transparent Financial accounting practices, and Transparent Fish action. Ping Chao personally addressed all participants to demonstrate the heart and soul of the Transparent Fish concept of action. Mr. Chao delivered his expectations of future NGO development trends, and concrete details on the NGO backend support plan and financial accounting transparency methods, as well as his sincerity in his willingness to cooperate. Afterward, Ms. Ruan led Transparent Fish Laboratory staff to demonstrate how to implement the backend support plan and tools. Passion and enthusiasm for service characterized this young team as they shared their work. The testimonies of several current partner organizations also brought great encouragement to the conference participants. Discussion groups were interespersed throughout the section to listen to any concerns or feedback from NGOs that could help Transparent Fish improve its future quality of service.

Congratulations to our partner, The School Fund, which recently received more well-deserved recognition for their work!

Here's a teaser photo from our Transparent Fish launch event on October 15th in Beijing. More information and a staff write-up to follow!

Last Sunday, we had the privilege of attending The School Fund's 2nd birthday party, during which we were treated to a moving video about their work and dreams. The have already begun operations within 12 countries in just 2 years and we are excited to see how they grow across the years to come. Congratulations to The School Fund! We count ourselves fortunate to be one of your partners. 

Check out the video above and help spread the word about the work they are doing!

After much consideration, the Chao Foundation has decided to convert its Little Red Scarf (LRS) newsletter into the Transparent Fish Newsletter, marking its dedication to its partner, Transparent Fish Fund. The reason for the change is that many LRS newsletter readers were interested in projects in East Asia that go beyond the scope of Little Red Scarf. Thus, by continuing to provide updates on our congenital heart surgery efforts and combining them with news on other East Asian NGO news, we hope to provide even more valuable information to our audience. Our hope is that the Transparent Fish newsletter will be a prime source of information on happenings in East Asian nonprofit culture, and will educate our subscriber base on grassroots organizations that they might not be able to hear about from anywhere else. To read our first issue of the Transparent Fish Newsletter, please click here.  We are excited to hear your feedback and welcome any suggestions or thoughts on how to improve the newsletter at info@toumingyu.org. To stay on top of news automatically, just "like" us on Facebook!