On April, 22, the 2023 annual conference of 50 People Forum on Healthy China（健康中国50人论坛）was held in Beijing. Officials, scholars, experts, and charitable organizations in the health field gathered. On the topic of constructing healthy communities, they deeply analyzed issues such as community aged care, properties, recuperate and aged care, aged care and tax deductions, medical insurance, retrofitting of age-appropriate products, and medical charities, establishing a system of healthy community development in all dimensions.

Zheng Wenkai, the President of CFRD, was sharing in the scene

Zheng Wenkai, the President of China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD), shared CFRD during the period of rural revitalization in the forum and highlighted the experience and practice of the Backbone Project (Health insurance for poor families’ labors) in leveraging the advantages of public welfare insurance and assisting in multi-level medical aid.

In 2017, with the guidance of the National Rural Revitalization Administration and National Health Commission (NHC), CFRD, Alibaba Foundation, Alipay Philanthropy, and the platform of Ant Insurance from Ant Group jointly launched the Backbone Project. The project takes full advantage of the Internet platform, continuously gets upgraded with the focus on social need, innovatively focuses on low-income groups in underdeveloped regions through the form of insurance and explores and constructs the mechanism of “Internet+ insurance+ philanthropy” to accumulate experience for the extensive mobilization of resources, efficient allocation of resources, and precise input of resources for the implementation of public welfare projects.

Since its implementation, the project has accumulated nearly 390 million yuan in fundraising by the end of 2022, benefiting more than 14.35 million low-income people in 110 counties(cities/districts) in 12 provinces (autonomous region/municipality under the direct jurisdiction of the central government). The project has continuously expanded its range of benefits and made great achievements in this industry, winning the 11th "China Charity Award".

The Backbone Project cooperatively launched by CFRD and Alibaba Foundation won the 11th "China Charity Award"

During the period of rural revitalization, facing new situations, new missions, and new requirements, in 2021, with the guidance of experts and different social parties, the project got improved and upgraded, broadening the covered population, and covering rural low-income people to the fullest extent possible. The upgraded Backbone Project will continue to enhance and broaden the outcomes of the battle against poverty, strengthening efforts to protect low-income people in underdeveloped areas.

In the future, CFRD will strictly focus on the requirements of the Central Government regarding the effective connection between consolidating and expanding the results of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, strengthening the coordination of basic public services in counties, promoting the construction of close-knit county medical and health care communities, and timely implementation of social assistance, medical protection and other support measures. CFRD will also continue to strengthen cooperation and interaction with all sectors of society to further expand the coverage of public welfare projects and social participation, and will definitely hold the bottom line of not returning to poverty on a large scale, and will continue to contribute to the revitalization of the countryside and the construction of a moderately affluent society in an all-round way.