On May 12, Dorje signed an important contract to work with the Sichuan Red Cross (SRC) on its ?¡ãClinics for a Thousand Villages?¡À project. Dorje?¡¥s first group of five clinics will be built in and around Gong Xian, a poor mountainous township in southeast Sichuan, near the border with Guangxi Autonomous Prefecture. Both Dorje and the SRC consider these five clinics to be the first phase of a long term partnership between the two organizations.

This partnership will have several benefits for Dorje. First, The SRC will accept tax deductible donations in China on behalf of Dorje, both for the Clinics for a Thousand Villages project, as well as Dorje?¡¥s other projects. This development means that Dorje is now free to approach corporations and businesses, whereas in the past we were dependent on individual donations.

Second, the Red Cross is willing to assist Dorje on its projects elsewhere in Sichuan, especially when it comes to gaining the support of the local government and health bureaus.

Lastly, by working with the Red Cross, Dorje will gain better access to the general healthcare system in Sichuan Province, which should greatly benefit Dorje?¡¥s efforts to promote acupuncture training for rural healthcare providers, as well as basic healthcare training for orphanage teachers and administrators.