Project Hopeless

没希望工程 (Méi Xīwàng Gōngchéng): Project Hopeless

This is the title of an article [zh] written by prominent Chinese blogger Han Han. The article discusses a Chinese charity called “Project Hope” (希望工程), affiliated with the China Youth Development Foundation, a subsidiary of the Communist Youth League. Project Hope was organized to provide financial assistance to poor students. In 2002, there were allegations that some of project's funding was being embezzled. When China’s outspoken Southern Weekly newspaper published a report on the alleged corruption, the paper was forced to pull the story after printing.

Han Han discusses how charities in China often lack the incentive to properly manage their finances since they have deep government connections through which they can stifle criticism. He also criticizes the small amount China spends on domestic education and health care compared to Hong Kong and the United States.

In August 2011 it was revealed that 1.5 billion yuan were being managed by twenty-four year-old Lu Xingyu, whose only qualification seemed to be that she was born to a rich and well-connected family.