January 2013

Partnering for Scholarships | TARGET

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CWEF has been partnering with Target International since 2009, to provide scholarships to impoverished female students in the Guangdong Province of China. In 2012, they were responsible for funding 50 students; in 2013, they have pledged funding to 56 students. We are grateful not only for their donations, but also for the time they volunteer with the girls they sponsor during our REACH activities. Below is a speech given by CWEF Director of Advancement and Service Learning Persephone James at Target International’s annual ceremony recognizing the NGOs that work with the corporation in China.

“It’s my great honor to represent Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation at this ceremony hosted by our partner, Target Corporation in Guangdong. Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation is a Hong Kong foundation dedicated to improving lives in rural Asia through education and health programs.

CWEF began partnering with Target International in 2009 to support the education of high school women in Guangdong. These young women are students who have achieved entrance to the top school in their county; however family situations make it difficult for them to attend. The high school expense is a heavy burden and brings much pressure to these young women. In many cases, this financial burden causes the student to drop out of high school. Target has generously seen this need and stepped in to support schooling expenses for 50 young women annually. We are pleased to work together to improve education for low-income and impoverished families, so their children can complete three years of high school education.

In addition to financial support, Target also focuses on providing services to these young women. Most recently in June 2012, 10 Target volunteers went to the Heshan No.1 Middle School to conduct a graduation counseling workshop. A survey from this event shows that 100% of the participants gained useful information from the workshop and feel it is necessary for grade 12 students. We really appreciate the service Target provides to the local community.

We are very excited to report that 16 of the 50 scholarship recipients are grade 12 students and 100% of them graduated from grade 12 and applied to university. It is even more exciting that all who applied were accepted into university, 4 of them to key universities. These great results reflect the dedication of the school officials and teachers to providing the best education possible.

CWEF thanks the students who have persevered through many challenges. Each young woman has her own story, including loss of parents, lack of education for their parents and therefore unpredictable family incomes, lack of access to land to provide for daily food needs, family members with health problems or long-term disabilities, and the list goes on. In the face of these challenges, these young women continue their diligent studies and look forward to the benefits of education for the long-term welfare of their families. Their hope for a better future is inspirational!

Thank you to Target for your continuing generosity to the impoverished district of Guangdong and for your trust in working with CWEF. With your support we are able to expand the scholarships to more young women. We hope that CWEF’s partnership with Target and Heshan No.1 middle school and Renhua Middle School will continue through the future – always focused on that better future which education provides.”

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Cambodia: Clean Water for 40 Families

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Kampong Chhnang Province is the 15th largest in Cambodia with a population of 471,616 people. Located in the heartland of Cambodia, most parts of the province contain fertile soil reservoirs with abundant fish and rice paddies. Unfortunately, as with many places in Cambodia, Kampong Chhnang suffers from a shortage of clean drinking water.

During the month of December 2012, CWEF staff and local partners completed the installation of 8 waters wells with hand pumps supporting 40 families in Kampong Chhnang. Five wells were installed in Phnom Taos village and the additional three wells in Dom Nakklong village. These two villages are approximately 5 hours north of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Prior to the installation of the wells, the residents of Phnom Taos and Dom Nakklong were collecting water from a nearby pond, which was not suitable for cooking or drinking.  During the dry season, this pond would dry up.

CWEF staff met with the village chief and the water well contractor to determine where, when and how the 8 water wells might be completed. The contractor confirmed that it would take one week to finish all the wells and the cost for each well would be US$450. In addition to the installation of the wells, five individuals in charge of well maintenance received ‘safe water’ and ‘well maintenance’ training from CWEF staff. The wells were dedicated in a ceremony at the end of December allowing the families to come together, celebrate, enjoy fellowship, and envision a stronger and healthier future as a community.

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Deqing Winter English Camp

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December 28-30th, a group of 20 volunteers from Church of All Nations and HKIS went to work with CWEF scholarship students in Deqing, China. The Winter Camp provided English lessons to more than 50 girls. The scholarship recipients visited during this trip are all supported by EMBERThe following reflection was written by one of the volunteer trip leaders. 

“The highlight of the trip for most Hong Kong participants was the enthusiasm for learning that these girls exhibited throughout the 3-day camp. As soon as our lessons began, they gave us their utmost attention. Their palpable desire to learn confirmed that the scholarships are a wise investment in the girls’ future.

Given the challenging home situations these girls face, their acceptance to high school speaks of their persistence to learn. To enroll at either school where the girls attend – Xiang Shan or Confucius Middle Schools – students need to score in the top 1/3 of the country. As these are the two top schools in the area, the scholarship recipients are all high achievers.

In conversation with the girls, we were surprised to learn their daily schedule. Their first class is at 6:50 AM. They have about two hours in the middle of the day for lunch and a nap, and then they have afternoon classes.  After dinner, they have additional study sessions in their classrooms from 7-10 at night. They get back to their rooms around 10:15, and lights go out by 11:30 PM. They have classes all week; Sunday is the only day off for students. Our respect for the girls grew when we visited their dormitory. Each room has 6 bunk beds. The twelve girls in a room share one bathroom facility. The beds are planks of wood with no mattresses to sleep on. No lighting is available during the day, so reading a textbook during mid-day hours requires a battery-powered light. With a cold front bringing near 0-degree temperatures on Saturday night, staying warm is also a challenge for the girls.

Our English lessons focused on the theme of giving during the Christmas holiday season. Students read O. Henry’s classic story, ‘The Gift of the Magi’ in the morning. In the afternoon, the students learned about the tradition of Santa Claus. The key reading piece was ‘On Santa’s Team.’ Both stories emphasize the idea that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

In keeping with the theme, the scholarship girls and the Hong Kong group visited a local elderly home. The girls were just as attentive to the elderly as they were to our lessons. When we returned to their schools, they expressed how much they enjoyed helping older people, a form of learning that is not generally part of their education.

For the volunteers, the great gift of this Christmas trip was to meet such hard-working students who give so generously of themselves to us, to their teachers, to their fellow students, and to the elderly that we visited.”

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