Maovember is a month-long charity campaign that teams restaurants, bars, shops and customers in China for good causes. The name is a play on mao, a coin worth one tenth of a yuan (1.5 cents), and Movember, a global health campaign that sees men grow mustaches. The theme is small businesses and small donations can yield big results.
Maovember backs projects that produce visible results. Past campaigns have funded a migrant children’s school library on Beijing’s outskirts via The Library Project. (2013) and cataract surgery for over 200 elderly men in rural China via Orbis (2014 and 2015). Funds are raised via Maovember pin sales, personal donations, and events such quizzes, wine tastings and poker, beer pong and corn toss tournaments.
- The 2016 campaign is October 14 to November 19. The last half of November has been tough due to school fairs, impending holidays and colder weather, so the focus shifted to earlier dates.
- The 2016 charities are Library Project, the 2013 partner, and Good Works, which trains developmentally challenged late-teen orphans for jobs in the coffee trade. Details on the specific schools and trainees that Maovember helps will be posted..
- More events are expected beyond Beijing this year, with Tianjin and Shanghai already on the slate.
- Event partners will continue to be encouraged to raise funds in two ways. First, with a food / drink special that clearly shows how much money per purchase goes to charity. Second, with a fun activity, such as a tasting, quiz or sports tournament, with the entry fee to charity. This formula has inspired much creativity.
The 2016 steering group includes venue reps Paul Rochon (Paddy O’Shea’s), Zach Lewison (Irish Volunteer), donor reps Steven Schwankert (Beijinger and SIno Scuba), Alex Jennings (education) and Edouard Simon (IT) and Jim Boyce (website and central planning). Everyone involved is a volunteer.
If you need more info, or are interested in holding an event or selling pins, please contact us via nihao (at) maovember.com.
Maovember focuses on quirky events for good causes. Our 2022 partner is Library Project, which has furnished thousands of reading rooms in rural schools. Learn more about Maovember here. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.