There is no gift better than the gift of education. As 2010 is soon coming to a close, some of you may be considering where to make donations. My favorite charity is the China Youth Development Foundation’s Project Hope (希望工程). In terms of scale and impact, it is one of the top charities in the world. In recognition for how critical Project Hope is to alleviating poverty in China and to provide equal opportunities to all, Deng Xiaoping wrote the calligraphy, “希望工程,” which became part of the logo for the organization.
Project Hope’s mission is to bring education to the poorest parts of China. (By the way, we have been researching China related charity organizations. Too see some other reputable ones, please click on the “China Charities” link in the navigation menu near the top of this page.)
The organization has done extremely well, and here is a recap of the impact Project Hope has had in the last 20 years:
It has been twenty years since the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) launched Project Hope in 1989. By raising 5.67 billion RMB in donations, aiding 3.46 million students from poverty-stricken families to go or return to schools and building 15,940 Hope primary schools throughout the past twenty years, Project Hope has made significant contributions to both the development of fundamental education in the economic backward regions of China and the healthy growth of younger generation. In the past 20 years, Project Hope has advocated of the traditional virtues and modern spirits such as: respect for teachers, aid the poor, and willing to help others, which promoted cultural and ideological progress. Project Hope has grown up to a national non-profit program with great impacts and numerous participants, due to actively cooperation with domestic and international organizations, enterprises, and individuals from all sectors of the society.
Project Hope is very comprehensive as it looks at education for the poor systematically. It helps poverty stricken families pay for the minimal fees and supplies necessary for children to stay in school. It builds schools. It also trains teachers who can teach at remote and poor parts of China.
Everyone in China knows about Project Hope.
Many foreign corporations operate in China also donate to this charity.
Motorola alone has donated over $7.5 million to date. In talking about Project Hope and Motorola’s involvement, Eileen Sweeney, Director of Corporate & Foundation Philanthropic Relations for Motorola, said this in “Restoring Hope and Education in Rural China“:
Project Hope is about promoting social welfare, delivering quality education, and advocating for youth education in China. Children in rural China are often forced to forgo an education because of the fees charged by schools and pressure to join the workforce to generate additional income for their families. In addition, schools in rural China often do not have sufficient resources.
Motorola works to give students hope by creating a path out of poverty through quality elementary education and support through high school and college. To have the greatest possible impact, Motorola and Project Hope establish “Motorola Hope Schools” in rural areas where dropout rates are highest and school standards are lowest. In addition, one Motorola Hope School is located in an urban area to serve students from rural areas whose parents spend part of the year working in the city to supplement their incomes.
Picture below is a “Hope School” built on funds from Motorola.
I should point out that the name “Project Hope” or “Hope Project” has been now used by many organizations around the world; some for similar purposes while others completely different. (Google search for either of these names won’t turn up this particular charity. It is insane, but Google is what it is.)
China is still very poor. A modest amount can really be life-changing for someone. If you are thinking about donating, then seriously consider Hope Project. Their “contact us” page has all the pertinent details.
timothy jones says
Education, Innovation, Talents: Common Focus in a Multinational Context:
International Forum of School Heads held at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China in Beijing in August 2010
The renowned Principal, Madame Liu Pengzhi, was recently inducted into the Chinese State Council: she is one of the country’s leading experts in education and has been responsible in large part for the design and implementation of curriculum reform in China during the last ten years.
The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China arranged a conference in Beijing as part of the school’s 60th Anniversary celebrations and I was invited to speak on behalf of the British Council School, the only representative from Spain to attend the conference: my proposal of a presentation Promoting Intercultural Dialogue through Performing Arts was accepted by the organizers.
I would like to add my congratulations to Madame Liu both for what has been achieved at this school during her time as Principal, and for this excellent conference. I thoroughly enjoyed the Opening Ceremony: it was yet another example of the levels of excellence we have all come to expect of the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China .
My first contact with this school was at a conference in London when I met Vice Principal Zhai Xiaoning. When I heard his description and I watched the dvd of the school’s achievements, I knew that this was the school in China with which we wish to be associated. Groups from High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China have visited my school in 2008, 2009 & 2010, and I was happy to accompany a group of my students who stayed with school families in November 2008. In every way this has been a valuable interchange and I sincerely hope that our association will continue and deepen over the years.
The opening ceremony was held at the Renmin University, with technical support and star presenters provided by the Chine state television company. An indication of this university’s prominence is the fact that an expert from the Renmin University was quoted in a Newsweek editorial in the issue of 14th June 2010. A full colour printed programme was provided for the event which was attended by senior members of the Ministry of Education and by the deputy Mayor and other dignitaries of the city of Beijing.
In addition to outstanding performances in music, dance and martial arts, examples which can be seen in the dvd’s provided, there were short speeches by students in various languages, an introduction of students taking up places at Harvard and other leading US universities, and a presentation by a group of parents, featuring China’s astronauts among them. The event finished with a presentation of students from outlying provinces who have been financially supported to study at High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, and they were joined by their families in a moving celebration of achievement made possible by the school’s generosity.
The Forum proper, under the title Education, Innovation, Talents: Common Focus in a Multinational Context, began the next day at the state owned hotel and conference centre the Beijing Friendship Palace, attended by 200 teachers from the school, 250 principals from schools in Beijing, Shanghai and numerous provincial towns and cities, and 25 speakers from Western schools and universities. After a welcome and presentation of dignitaries, Madame Liu spoke on the need to provide an education directed to the needs of individual students and to developing creativity and innovation. She summed up by insisting that a good education is one which is good for the student, which helps the students make a contribution to society and which thereby makes a contribution to mankind. Love is at the heart of education: the natural flow of feelings enables students to respect those around them and leads to more creativity. This is at the heart of the medium to long term plan for education which the Chinese government has recently published. She closed by saying, “Our future depends on nurturing innovation and creativity”. http://www.rdfz.cn read more… http://interculturaldialogueandeducation.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/education-innovation-talents-common-focus-in-a-multinational-context/