DATONG
L
a G r a n d e C o n c o r d e
大
同
PRINCIPLES
“When the Great Tao prevailed,
civic sense ruled the world. Only men of merit or talent were
promoted. Only teachings promoting sincerity and harmony were taught,
in a spirit of self-improvement
and of practising good.”. (Book of Rites, Book of Mutations).
The two characters used to form the
world Datong, which means Great Harmony or Great Concord, frequently
appear in traditional Chinese proverbs. Datong is thus associated
with civic sense, merit and solidarity.
Inspired by this Taoist text, and informed by
eighteen years of experience in humanitarian aid worldwide, two “
French Doctors ” of Médecins Sans Frontières have struggled to
identify the most appropriate way to support local attempts at
social development in China.
Datong’s aim is to initiate a
chain of development and solidarity in China and North Korea. This
will be achieved through the talent and merit of the group of people
we have worked with in both countries, as we share a spirit of
initiative and support to projects that will make a difference for
human beings at risk, while respecting their own values and
contributing to the development of their societies.
Our
key principles are quality,
solidarity
and
accountability
Datong
primarily relies on the quality
of the commitment and the experience of its initiators. It therefore
aims at achieving a high level of quality in all its services and
activities.
Datong
initiates a
chain of solidarity
through the reinvestment of surplus
income
in like-minded projects.
Datong pledges
overall accountability
to members, staff, beneficiaries, partners, local authorities and
funders.
Our projects aim at encouraging social development for
groups of people excluded from mainstream economic development.
These projects will bring direct benefits to them in the areas of
education, training, health care and the economics of elderly
people.
Datong
triggers off a chain of solidarity through the reinvestment of
surplus income in like-minded projects.