新华社(Xinhua News Agency)
May 14th 2012
公益商业“两条腿”让更多中国穷孩子学会做法式面包
新华网上海５月１４日电（记者刘天 吴宇）３年前，１２位在上海工作的法国人发起了一个名为“海上青焙坊”的公益项目，免费教授中国贫困家庭的孩子学习地道法式面包制作技艺，使其拥有一技之长安身立命。
作为上海市慈善基金会的一个项目，“海上青焙坊”项目迄今已让７４位中国孩子拿到了上海市人保部门颁发的初级或中级“西式面点师职业资格证书”，成为星级宾馆和面包房抢手的技术人才。其中三人还赴法深造半年，回国成为“青焙坊”的老师。
曾经担任一家法资建筑材料公司人事主管的塞西尔·卡瓦齐，现在是“海上青焙坊”的专职项目经理。她告诉记者，“海上青焙坊”项目每年需要１００多万元人民币的运营费用，其中九成以上来自中法企业和社会各界赞助和捐赠，资金来源一直是个问题。
在一段时间里，“海上青焙坊”只能在上海外国人办的“集市”或相关义卖活动上“非法”销售学员制作的面包。为了能让这件好事长期做下去，他们选择了公益和商业“两条腿”走路。
所谓“商业”，就是２０１１年成立“海上青焙坊管理咨询（上海）有限公司”，通过出售自己的面包产品，弥补资金不足。
这家公司的法人代表、法国人托马·麦洪表示，成立公司有望让“海上青焙坊”这一公益项目慢慢自立起来。“这是最简单、最合法的一个办法。”他说。
但是，公益项目能否成立经营性公司，是一个具有“挑战性”的问题。对此，中法方面都予以了理解和支持。一方面，公司可以申请出售食品的许可证，以便将教学生产出来的面包出售，补充教学资金不足；另一方面，公司可以开设面向大众的有偿授课，让一些对法式面包和西式糕点有兴趣的人参与到这个公益项目中。
“目前，我们正在改造面包制作间，使其符合食品销售所需的各项条件。”卡瓦齐说。
她强调，的确要考虑公益与商业的划分问题。今后，“海上青焙坊”的正式学员还是要从中国贫困家庭挑选，对他们的吃住和教学不收取任何费用，并负担部分学员赴法深造的费用。
上海师范大学慈善与志愿服务研究中心副主任张祖平认为，“海上青焙坊”项目“两条腿走路”的模式值得其他公益项目借鉴。因为当前大多数公益项目都依赖社会捐赠和企业赞助，而捐赠和赞助时多时少，造成一些公益项目发展不稳定。公益、商业“两条腿走路”，有利于提升相关公益项目自身的“造血”功能。
张祖平强调，公益项目成立商业公司也要防止偏颇。如果相关公司将其所有收入都投入到公益项目中，是值得提倡的；同时还应该建立相应的监管机制，通过制度约束，防止社会爱心成为个别人牟利的工具。
据了解，为让慈善和公益事业走上法治轨道，中国目前正在制定《慈善事业促进法》，《上海市募捐条例（草案）》也已于近日递交上海市人大常委会“二审”。
卡瓦齐告诉记者，“海上青焙坊管理咨询（上海）有限公司”的收入都要交给上海市慈善基金会，并由这家上海市最大的公益机构对公司财务进行监督。今后，随着公益项目的资金来源得到保证，贫困学员的来源也有望从现在的河南、安徽、湖北等地区进一步扩展。
Charity and business help train poor Chinese youth in French baking
By Liu Tian and Wu Yu SHANGHAI, May 14 (Xinhua) -Three years ago, 12 French volunteers who were working in Shanghai created a charity program called Shanghai Young Bakers (SYB). The project provides free training in traditional French bakery to disadvantaged youth in China, so they can gain professional skills and lead independent lives.
As a program of Shanghai Charity Foundation, SYB has enabled 74 Chinese youths to obtain the Occupational Qualification Certificate of Pastry Chef (Elementary/Intermediate), issued by the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. They have become sought-after technical talents for top hotels and bakeries. Three of these students were selected to go to France for further study and they became SYB teachers upon their return.
Cecile Cavoizy, a former HR manager for a French industrial group, is now the full-time program manager of the SYB project. “SYB needs more than 1 million RMB annually to operate, and over 90 percent comes from sponsors and donations by Chinese and French corporations, as well as, communities. The source of funds has always been a problem,” said Cécile Cavoizy. Over a period of time, SYB could only sell their trainees’ baked goods at “fairs” or related activities organized by foreigners in Shanghai.
In order to sustain the program, the SYB team decided not only to do charity but also turn to business.
By turning to business, SYB established Shanghai Young Bakers Consulting Co. Ltd in 2011 so that SYB can sell its baked products to make up the lack of funds.
Thomas Meron, the legal representative of the company, expressed his hope to make the SYB program self-reliant through the company model. “It is the easiest and the most legal way,” he said. However, it is a “challenging” question whether a charity program can set up an operating company or not.
Both Chinese and French sides have expressed understanding and given support towards SYB Company. On the one hand, the company can get a license for food sale, in order to sell baked products made in class that would supplement inadequate teaching funds. On the other hand, classes with fees are opened to the public, and individuals who are interested in French baking and Western pastry can also join in this charity program in this way.
“For the time being, we are refurnishing our baking centre to meet all the criteria of food sale,” said Cavoizy. She stressed that SYB does need to distinguish charity and business.
The official trainees of SYB are still selected from disadvantaged Chinese families and are not charged for accommodation and their education. SYB will also pay the fees for selected graduates if they are to further their study in France.
The “dual approach” mode is worth modeling by other charity programs, said Zhang Zuping, Deputy Director of the Institute of Charity and Volunteer Activities of Shanghai Normal University. At present, most charity programs rely on social donations and business sponsors, which is unsteady, and results in the unsustainable development of some programs.With charity and business carried on at the same time, a charity program can improve its self-help ability.
Zhang also emphasized that a charity should avoid being partial to one side once it sets up a company. It is worth advocating that a concerned company puts all its income into its charity program. Meanwhile, however, a regulatory mechanism is to be set up. A system of regulations helps prevent good intentions from being used as a tool to make profits.
It is understood that China is making the Charity Promotion Act to lead charity careers on the legal track. Recently, the Shanghai Fund-raising Regulations (Draft) have been submitted to Shanghai People’s Congress Standing Committee for a second deliberation.
Cavoizy told reporters that all the income of Shanghai Young Bakers Consulting Co. Ltd. is handed over to Shanghai Charity Foundation, the largest non-profit organization in Shanghai, which also supervises the company’s finances. In the future, it is hopeful that a wider range of trainees from outside Henan, Anhui and Hubei will also get a chance for training with the guarantee of funds.