JOSEPH LOFTUS is a Vincentian Priest, originally from the Ballina, Co. Mayo. comes to Depaul having spent the last 25 years in China, working on the empowerment of grass roots actors in the emerging Chinese voluntary sector. While in China, aware of the limits of top down responses to social needs, his work concentrated on grass root approaches to empower local stakeholders; this included developing anti-stigma programmes with people living with HIV/AIDS and expanding the reach of rural charities fundraising by creative use of the Internet.