BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Online media is helping Chinese people get more involved in social issues. Public-led welfare and awareness campaigns are more and more popular on Weibo, China ’s version of Twitter; some have even led to changes in local and national policies. CCTV reporter Wu Guoxiu talked to the founder of a charity program that provides free lunches to around 35 thousand rural school children in China, to see how Weibo helped him get the ball rolling, and Weibo’s role in helping solve some social problems. The founder of the Free Lunch for Children program. This is how Deng Fei is introduced on his Weibo account. He has 3 million followers, and says Weibo has become a major tool in the charity program he started.

Deng Fei, founder of “Free Lunch for Children” charity, said:“We saw that some rural school children didn’t have lunches, and we wanted to change that. Unlike traditional media, Weibo can spread information anytime on a large scale.”

Two years ago, Deng Fei began raising money on Weibo. It only costs three yuan to provide lunch for one school child.

Around 35-thousand children in China now benefit from the program.

Hu Yihua, legal counsel of “Free Lunch for Children” charity said:“Everyday I search key words on Weibo like "free lunch" or "Deng Fei" to find out what’s happening with the program. I also answer questions about the fund and deal with problems, as the charity’s legal counsel.”

Many other social issues can also be found on Weibo, which draws the attention of both the government and individuals.

A campaign against child abduction on Weibo, for example, has been instrumental in bringing about a new law to ban child begging.

And debate about air pollution has prompted the government to publish details on PM2.5 contamination, and bring in stronger emission rules.

Deng Fei said:“With Weibo, we can go further than just documenting what’s happening in society. We can be more constructive. We try to find solutions to the problems, and work with the government to solve them.”

300 million people in China use Weibo. Some use it to keep an eye on what’s happening and are always willing to offer comments. Others use it as a platform to become actively involved in social issues. Their hope is that Weibo will help grass root opinions up to the ears of the policy makers.

(Source: CNTV.cn)