By Liu Jian and Thore Vestby
December 6, 2018
This small Chinese fund, soon a foundation, has been established as a result of mutual thinking by the founders. We believe that there is a common ground between all cultures and it is important to build on that instead of on the differences.
Out of the four founders, it is Ms Liu Jian from Beijing and Thore Vestby from Oslo who are running this philanthropic undertaking. Over the last two years, they have carried out a series of small projects helping young people from China to meet their counterparts in the West. And vice versa.
“We believe that before they are “destroyed” by the adult world, structure and life, they can develop friendship, knowledge and inspiration across national and cultural borders”, says Ms Liu.
“We believe that some of them will come into situations later in their professional lives were this early established atmosphere of understanding can be beneficial for a positive, fruitful and peaceful progress,” says the chairman, Mr Vestby.
To put it in simple terms: Let’s make things go smoother. And if things go smoother, if trust and respect are established, the reasons for starting troublesome discussions and even fighting is dramatically reduced.
If this is projected into a bigger horizon, to the national and even global level, we are positive that the reason to build enemy images and protection tools will be reduced over time.
The ICHI Fund believes in and supports the UN’s sustainable development goals, the SDG’s, by projects and co-operation with other organizations. The # 1 SDG is poverty alleviation.
We clearly see that jobs, preferably sustainable ones, supported by fair trade between all areas, regions, cultures and nations are the main factors to take people out of their inhuman situation of under- or maldevelopment.
We deeply respect the fact that China has taken about 600+ million citizens out of poverty over the last two decades. This has become possible mainly through the creation of jobs and consequently of new business opportunities.
The link to the ancient Silk Road is close. At that period of our history, things went well and smoothly, trade and peace were flourishing, people connected across cultures.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was initiated in 2013. It’s built exactly on the sustainable principles just mentioned, in an updated and expanded version of course: the ICHI Fund endorses this initiative. We do projects in line with it – not the trade dimension, but within culture and education and based on the BRI philosophy of “win-win, both ways”.
Here is the logo in traditional Chinese seal style with a contemporary expression:
From the annual meeting in Beijing, March 2018 when launching the “1+1” International Youth Football and SDG Partnership program.
From left: Co-founders Ms Ma, Ms Liu, Mr Vestby and Prof. Tao Min, state councillor.
