The 2008 Sichuan earthquake marked a tipping point for nongovernmental organizations in China. The Chinese government has since established funding mechanisms for civil society and made it easier for local aid groups to register with the authorities.
However, the situation for international development organizations working in the country remains challenging, and suspicion still lingers on both sided.
So how can we move forward on this? Through partnerships, according to Lily Liu, China country director for Marie Stopes International. Liu oversees the provision of reproductive health education and HIV prevention and care in nine Chinese provinces — an area in which she could never have imagined working as a child.