Non-governmental Organizations And Their Social Roles In Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture

The Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province is one of the poorest areas in China,and continues to face serious and diverse challenges including unfavorable natural conditions,a high poverty rate,a high amount of financially vulnerable youth,a drug crisis,an HIV/AIDS epidemic,and a loss of traditional culture.However,over the past few years,Liangshan’s social problems have received increasing attention from outside areas.Consequently,more and more non-governmental organizations(NGOs)have launched local development and poverty-alleviation projects in the region,especially in areas including drug control,AIDS prevention,educational improvement,rural governance strengthening,disaster mitigation,and other similar grassroots initiatives.In turn,the spread of public interest activities and widespread interest in local ethnic minority culture have also accelerated the rapid development of local NGOs in Liangshan.Currently,local NGOs are the main driving force behind public welfare activities in Liangshan.Public welfare NGOs in a way act as a “mirror,” reflecting social problems to higher-level government authorities,and have thus played an increasingly important role calling attention to issues that officials often miss.In recent years,NGOs have offered unique professional experience from a perspective of grassroots engagement,have organized large amounts of public service activities,and have actively participated in local governance,ultimately achieving great success in the Liangshan community.Additionally,certain NGOs have provided more credible and reliable data for the public.This paper,based on fieldwork studies and data collection,introduces the development of Liangshan’s local NGOs and analyzes their social function in Liangshan communities.In order to further develop local NGOs in Liangshan and strengthen their efficacy,the article’s conclusion discusses current issues and areas that could be improved,as well as proposes suggestions for the NGOs of Liangshan.