April Chiasson

You’re the Big Dipper

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“I remember when I first entered high school, I was very anxious and uneasy. At this moment, the hope (of a scholarship from CWEF) surged into my heart like a clear spring in the desert.

I was hesitant and uneasy because I feared losing my education due to financial difficulties, but CWEF has alleviated my anxiety. With the progress of the CWEF’s hope project, I began to move forward with determination.

In this context, I became a member of the experimental class for physics, chemistry and biology in combination. In the last joint examination with Yunxian County, I achieved the seventh place in the whole school.

Without the hope given to me by CWEF, I would not be able to learn without any hesitation and may stop due to external interference. If I am a lost pedestrian, then you are the Big Dipper.”

From a letter by Yue, a high school student from Yunnan China that received a CWEF scholarship.

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Because of you, fewer obstacles stand in the way of higher education for Chinese girls like Yue! Thank you for being, as Yue said, their ‘Big Dipper’ and ‘spring in the desert.’ Your sacrificial giving is educating and equipping these girls to become strong leaders in their own communities!

Note: due to current policies in China, we are no longer able to share pictures of the students who receive our scholarships. Please allow Yue’s words of gratitude to paint the picture of your impact on her life instead!

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Yingping, CWEF high school scholarship recipient from rural China, standing in front of a wall framed by flowers

She’s Now Determined to Get Ahead

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This letter is written by Yingping, one of CWEF's high school scholarship recipients in China.

Dear Donors:

Greetings to all of you!

Thank you very much for the attention of the state, the school, and the donors to us poor students and for giving us practical help. We can’t express our gratitude in person, but we can only express our deep gratitude to the school and all the people who care about us and help us poor students.

SCHOOL-RELATED EXPENSES ARE TOO HIGH

Society is developing. For a poor family, educating a student is not easy. Besides, my family doesn’t only have one student to provide for, but I also have a younger brother in junior high school.

The distance from home to school is quite far for me, traveling back and forth costs 90 yuan.  So sometimes I stay at school overnight.  

MANY FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE CHRONIC ILLNESSES

When my parents were young, I didn’t have a lot of pressure.  But now my parents are slowly getting older. In the blink of an eye, they are more than halfway to 100 years old.  Their bodies are not in good shape.

My father has bronchitis.  He takes medication all year round.  My older brother and younger brother also suffer from bronchitis. 

When I was a child, my brother fell ill, and we had to spend the family’s savings on his treatment. My parents often say that their bodies hurt, but they refuse to go to the hospital for checkups because they are afraid of spending money. 

In a year, they cannot afford to buy one pair of shoes. All their clothing was given to them by relatives who did not want them anymore. This makes my heart ache deeply.

YOU PROVE THAT YOU CARE

Under such circumstances, the state and the school allowed me to have better study conditions, in part, by providing me a CWEF scholarship.  Thanks to the state and the school for not forgetting us poor students.

In the school, the teachers prove that they care for us students by their actions. Thanks to your help I have the heart to work hard to get ahead.

“Thanks to your help, I have the heart to work hard to get ahead.”

Yingping, CWEF Scholarship Recipient from China

I will try my best to finish my current studies and be ready for my future studies. Thank you to the country, the school, the leaders, and all the donors.

Yingping

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THANK YOU to all of you who have demonstrated your caring heart for young girls from low-income families in China through your giving and volunteer work! 

You are making it possible for Yingping and many others like her to pursue higher education. Your generosity through CWEF is raising up hundreds of Chinese students to become strong servant leaders in their own communities!

Love the work of CWEF? Get connected with us! Receive our updates and newsletters by clicking here.

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One of CWEF's mental health course teachers giving a student at Bohua school in Yunnan a big hug

How to Prepare Students For Their Next 90 Years

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As an adult, are there things you wish someone had told you earlier in life? To help young people be well-prepared on important life issues, CWEF is incorporating practical life lessons into its mental health course. CWEF partners teach this course to 250 migrant children at Bohua School in a rural area of Yunnan, China.

Connecting with the students through humor

Icebreakers before the start of class

Preparing for Adulthood. One of these recent mental health classes focused on preparing sixth grade students for many of the physical and emotional changes they will experience in puberty. At first the students shyly declined to speak. But under their teacher’s guidance, they eventually opened up about this normally-taboo subject. Through the class, teachers encouraged the students to also accept themselves and the changes they will experience. Teachers encouraged students to look forward to becoming adults.

Talking about the physical changes of puberty

Live intentionally. To help students be intentional with their futures, the teachers gave every student a paper which was folded into 10 sections. The students assumed, for the sake fo the exercise, that their lives would be 100 years long and that each section of the folded paper represented 10 years of their life. Then each student closed their eyes. They reflected on how they felt about the first ten years of their life, which is all the years that they’ve lived so far.

Writing down one of her dreams for the future

After this they tore off the first section of paper, wrote their feelings down, and put the torn off paper into a box. Then the teachers instructed them to take some time to think. Think about what they wanted to do with the 9 remaining sections of their lives. In this way, students appreciated how they can’t get the past back. But they also reflected on how they can make the most of the time they have left.

By supporting our work in Yunnan, you are providing migrant children with the opportunity to cultivate vision for their futures and learn practical life lessons that may pay out enormous dividends over their lives. THANK YOU for partnering with CWEF to educate and equip children from disadvantaged areas of China, helping them to become servant leaders in their own communities!

Would you like to hear about opportunities to help educate young people from disadvantaged areas of China? If so, sign up for our mailing list by clicking here: RECEIVE CWEF UPDATES.

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Pov, a young Cambodian and Concordia Welfare & Education Foundation (CWEF) college scholarships recipient, working on a 3D cardboard 'S' statue that he spray painted gold for one of his college visual design courses.

Actually, Textbooks are Really Helpful to Have

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When I was a child, I often felt scared. The other people in my village didn’t like me. They didn’t like me because of my father: he would often get drunk and do violent things. When I was 4 or 5 years old, my mom and dad decided to divorce. In my dad’s absence, my mom worked the land as a subsistence farmer, took care of the household chores, and raised me and my four sisters all by herself. Then many years later when I was 17 years old, my dad died.  

Pov recently reading in his university-level English class!

My mom worked as a subsistence farmer; so she did not earn money like other people do from their jobs. Therefore, it was challenging for her to fund the education of me and my four sisters. The financial situation caused me and my sisters to miss classes. We also didn’t have the money to buy study materials. Like books. Or backpacks. Or other materials. 

Pov and his friends showcasing some products that they made to sell for a class!

The next concern for my family was that we didn’t have enough money to pay for university. When Concordia Welfare & Education Foundation (CWEF) awarded me a scholarship, my situation got a lot better. It relieved the burden on my family to pay for my school. CWEF pays for my school fees and school supplies every year from the first year until now.

When Concordia Welfare & Education Foundation (CWEF) awarded me a scholarship, my situation got a lot better. It relieved the burden on my family to pay for my school.
-Pov, a Cambodian college student

Pov making an ‘S’ statue for a visual design course

Pov speaking at church

Finally, I am so grateful to CWEF for providing me with a scholarship to help me purchase my study materials and pay for college tuition. I appreciate that the donors support my university education. It is so helpful to all the students that need knowledge who come from impoverished communities or other places where people do not have enough support.  

Pov and his classmates discussing various class assignments

Today, I am 22 years old, and I’m in my 3rd year at Phnom Penh University of Arts (PPUA) studying visual communication. 

Thank you!

– Pov

THANK YOU for your willingness to help a young Cambodian in need go to college! And thank you to each of you that sacrificially gives to pay for his college expenses so that he can leave a life of poverty behind him!

Are you new to CWEF? Would you like to help more young Cambodian men like Pov attend college? $1500 sends one student to college in Cambodia for a year but any amount helps! Click here to donate today!

Actually, Textbooks are Really Helpful to Have Read More »

A profile picture of CWEF high school scholarship recipient, Keyu.

Your Support is the Greatest Help: Scholarships for Chinese Girls

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Excerpts from a Letter Written by Keyu, who received one of CWEF’s high school scholarships for Chinese girls made possible by the generous gifts of CWEF donors like you:

“My name is Keyu. I’m a 17-year-old high school student. My father died in an accident when I was 14 years old, which was a heavy blow to me and my family. There are six people in my family.

HOW CHINESE EDUCATION HAS CHANGED. I was born in a poor family, but also in a beautiful society. When my parents grew up, they could not afford books, which led to the end of their education in primary school. Now, the national compulsory education gives many of our children the opportunity to enjoy too many educational resources. I am very lucky to be born in this era, when education can change my fate. 

Inside Keyu’s Family Home

THE FUTURE KEYU DREAMS OF. I often fantasize about my future life and hope that my mother will live well. I want to be a very successful person. Even though I am ordinary now, I still want to grow up and become different.

MEMORIES WITH DEEP IMPACT. My father was always a person I admired. I think that I learned to drive a car mostly because of my father, who passed the driving license when I was very young. His driving skills made me feel very safe. So I always wanted to be like him. My father was sometimes meticulous and serious, but he would use the only money left in the house to buy a few kilograms of mutton to eat at home in the winter. Many memories have a deep impact on me.

The Outside of Keyu’s Family Home

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR HELP!  I am very grateful for the precious opportunity given by the foundation. Thank the country and society, Thank you for the kindness that this golden age has also given us. China is a country with warmth. Poverty makes our starting point backward, but I believe that as long as we persist, we will achieve what we are pursuing. 

Finally, I still want to thank my motherland, thank you! Your support and love are also the greatest help and encouragement to me. Here, I would like to thank you with respect for everyone who is helping with the “development of youth education.”  I sincerely thank each of you, thank you! Thank you for your help. I am very grateful! I also wish you all the best!” ~ Keyu

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BECAUSE OF YOU and your generous donations through CWEF, Keyu’s family received extra financial support so she could finish her high school education. Now she dreams of attending college, succeeding in her career, and giving back to her family. You are helping fulfill Keyu’s dream that someday her mother will live well. THANK YOU for sacrificially standing in the gap for Chinese girls like Keyu!

Stay up-to-date on the latest with CWEF!  Sign up for our update letters here. 

See more of your impact in real time!  Follow us on Facebook.

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four girls students sitting at desks listening to CWEF supported mental health class lectures on bullying

How to Prevent Toxic Bystanding and Bullying

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How common is school bullying? Over half of the 36,000 participants in a school-bullying survey conducted by Tencent reported being bullied at school. Whereas one-fourth of survey participants admitted to bullying others. 

Because of the generosity of people like you who donate to our programs, CWEF and its nonprofit partners can host mental health classes for students in the Chinese province of Yunnan. In the hopes of protecting more students from the distress and dangers of bullying, the teachers of our mental health courses taught students all about this important issue!

The instructors shared real and heart-breaking stories about children that had been so badly bullied at school that they considered killing themselves. Through these stories, students could feel the deep and sometimes irreparable pain their actions can bring to someone else. 

From there, the teachers talked about all the types of bullying: physical, verbal, social, and gender-based; and they gave the students clear examples of what these different types of bullying look like. Finally, they educated the students on how to protect themselves by avoiding playing alone far from other people, for example, or by telling someone in authority about the bullying when it occurs.  

In all of this, the teachers emphasized how watching someone get bullied but doing nothing to stop it is just as harmful as being a bully yourself. Students were admonished to take courage, do the right thing, and stand up for others in need! Through this course, students gained a deeper understanding of school bullying, grasped concrete ways to protect themselves, and realized that they should not ignore bullying but stand up against it.  

THANK YOU for caring so deeply for the children of China! And THANK YOU for demonstrating that heart by giving generously through CWEF to make life-changing classes like these possible for children from rural areas. You are equipping young people to become strong servant leaders in their own communities! 

How to Prevent Toxic Bystanding and Bullying Read More »

Children entering the gate to Shigang Primary School in the mountains of Yunnan, China

A Primary School In the Mountains of Yunnan

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Students in the courtyard of Shigang Primary School, Yunnan, China

Shigang Primary School

Shigang Primary School is located in a rural area of the mountainous Chinese province called Yunnan. There 178 3rd – 6th grade children attend classes. Twenty-five percent of them are ‘left-behind children.’  This means that their parents work full-time in other cities and possibly only come home once or twice a year.

Students using 1 of the 10 water purification systems you provided

The Children Didn’t Have Clean Water

Shigang Primary School had a great need for cleaner water as well as more health education for its students. Because of you and your generous support, CWEF was able to provide 10 water purifications systems. Now all the children can have plenty of clean drinking water during the school day. CWEF also offered robust safety and health education classes. At the beginning of the class, as many as 40% of surveyed students were not regularly washing their hands. In the health education classes, students were taught all about germs.   They also learned the importance of washing their hands and brushing their teeth. Your generous giving also provided the students of Shigang Primary School with very practical items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and towels to help them practice what they’ve learned.

Students receiving the hygiene gifts you gave them, like toothbrushes and towels

Check out this beautiful view from the school basketball court!

Because of You, These Children Will Live Healthier and Happier

Through these health education courses and hygiene-related gifts, students grew in their knowledge and understanding of disease and how to prevent it. Now they will be able to share their new knowledge with their parents and families, creating a ripple effect throughout their community. Because of their access to clean water and deeper understanding of hygiene, students will suffer fewer sick days and benefit from increased participation in school helping them to grow up to be healthier happier adults.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND CARE FOR THE CHILDREN OF RURAL CHINA! Your generous giving through CWEF is bringing greater health and happiness to hundreds of Chinese children.

See more of your impact on the lives of children in rural China – follow us on Facebook!

Expand your impact!  Become a CWEF monthly donor today to help even more children grow up to be servant leaders in their own communities!

Students attending an education class about on-campus , off-campus and food safety

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You Were There for Her

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Hello CWEF Family!

Your giving is, in part, helping to support mental health at Bohua school in Yunnan. Xiaodie, a fourth grade student there, is very grateful for all your help!

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In the eyes of her teachers, Xiaodie was a diligent well-behaved student. However, in the eyes of her parents, Xiaodie had become rebellious. Why the stark contrast?

To find out, staff members accompanied Xiaodie home from school one day. Xiaodie’s family of eight lives in a small one room house.The room has a single table which is always covered with things; so Xiaodie completes her homework kneeling by the bed.

Due to the epidemic, Xiaodie’s parents have no income. In fact, Xiaodie had to take a leave of absence recently because she wasn’t getting enough to eat. When our staff learned about this, they helped the family acquire 500rmb in funding to get through this difficult time. 

Xiaodie is usually confident. However, as our staff discovered during their visit, her family’s struggles had caused her to feel inferior to her classmates. At the same time, her parents lack education and cannot help her study. Xiaodie responded to her parents’ authoritarian methods by talking back to them and leaving home without permission.

The counseling staff met multiple times with Xiaodie and her parents. During the counseling sessions, Xiaodie described various family dilemmas, friendship crises, and mental health problems she was experiencing. Under staff guidance, she was able to express and examine her own feelings. Her behavior changed, and she came to understand her parents and try to help them. During one counseling session, Xiaodie gave a beautifully crafted note to the accompanying social worker, expressing gratitude for all the ways they had helped her during this difficult time.

THANK YOU to each of you who gave generously through CWEF so that children like Xiaodie could have experience extra love and support during their time of need!

Read more about your impact on the lives of children in rural China by clicking here.

Receive more casual updates about the work you support by following us on Facebook.

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Profile picture of Dyna, a young Cambodian student that received a scholarship from CWEF to study accounting at the university

A Bright and Bankable Future: Becoming a Money Expert

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Dyna, a Cambodian teenager, dreamed of having a stable job as a banker. She wanted a wide range of professional opportunities. In order to fulfill this dream, she began studying accounting at a university in the city. But now…not far into her studies…she struggled with whether or not she should continue.

Her father had served God as a pastor for almost thirty years in Cambodia where they live; and during those years, his income was irregular and unpredictable. Because of the irregular income, he had to take out loans which he then struggled to pay off completely. Because of her family’s debt, Dyna’s family could not pay her school fees or support her life in the city where she studied. Dyna saw that whenever she needed money to pay for tuition or buy school supplies or just pay for life in the city itself, it all increased the heavy financial burden on her parents. Should she continue to study when it would put so much stress on her family? “But,” Dyna says, “the whole time God never forgot me.”

Singing at church

At this point, Dyna got connected to CWEF. After completing the application and interview process, she was eventually selected to receive a university scholarship. This would allow her to continue pursuing her accounting degree!! In addition to the scholarship, Dyna also found a Christian dormitory where she lived for the beginning of college.

Dyna says:

“The faith that I have in God has helped me a lot in my life and my living…without God, I also wouldn’t be here.”

I’d like to thank my scholarship donor because if I didn’t have the scholarship to support me, I wouldn’t be able to study here because we don’t have enough money to study; and we’d also have to spend a lot of money on school fees, textbooks, and other expenses. That is hard for me. Without the donor who gave me my scholarship, my life after 12th grade may have beeen uncertain. I may have found a random job to do. Studying at university is very important. After finishing grade 12, I don’t know what (marketable) skills I would have had.”

Dyna volunteers her time teaching English and Khmer at her church and also teaching math to children. Someday she wants to educate people in her community about how to budget and invest wisely as well as how to resolve financial hardships and avoid money-related scams.

Dyna prays:

“Thank you, God. I prayed to you for my future plan. Thank you for answering my prayers and my family with support by giving me a scholarship from CWEF. I am excited and very happy…The fact that I received a scholarship from CWEF was a blessing in disguise as it helped me to continue my studies at the school I wanted to attend and helped ease my family’s burden of paying for school fees and school supplies…I truly thank CWEF and the staff for helping me continue my studies at the university, and God bless CWEF and all the staff.”

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THANK YOU to each of you that has sacrificially given to bridge the gap for young people like Dyna!  Without your help, she may have never been able to finish pursuing her dream of becoming an accountant. But now, her education will be a blessing not only to her but also to her family and community! It’s exciting to see the ripple effect of kindness, isn’t it?

Check out our Facebook page to catch the latest news of your university scholarship recipients!

Tutoring children in math

Studying accounting at the university

Volunteering with children at church

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Great Barriers to Clean Water in Cambodia

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Please enjoy part of an interview with Kanhchana Thoy, CWEF Director in Cambodia: 

  1. How many people in Cambodia do not have clean water? According to the latest available data from 2020, More than 12 million people in Cambodia (72% of the population) lack access to safe water.  Most of them live in rural areas. 
  2. What keeps people in Cambodia from getting clean water? There are multiple factors. The first is that the income people earn is too low to afford better access. The second is a lack of knowledge about the nature and impact of the water they are using as well as lack of knowledge about how to make the water safer.  The third major influence is cultural practices. For example, one group of rural people receiving clean water support from CWEF is the Jerai people. Their habit is to use mountain runoff water directly without boiling it, and they previously did not realize how nearby human waste and animals contaminate their water. But through your support, CWEF has been able to teach and equip the Jerai people with the knowledge, skills, and tools to have clean water on a daily basis.  
  3. How does CWEF choose who to give water filters to? Since the need is greatest in rural areas, we seek to work with low-income communities in rural areas of Cambodia. Also, we look for communities whose leaders are motivated and interested in partnering with us. 
  4. How many water filters did CWEF give out in Cambodia last year? Last year we gave out 30 biosand water filters in Chang Village and 30 biosand water filters to the villages of Deh and Samkanigh in Rattanakiri province.  So far this year, we have distributed 60 biosand water filters in Davealeng village, Deh village, Banlung, and other villages.

Think of each of these individual families – their grandparents, parents, and children – who now not only understand how their drinking water was contaminated and causing illness, but they are now empowered to sustainably access clean water every day!  These families are experiencing greater health and happiness and are spending less money cleaning their water and treating water-borne illnesses because of you and your generosity!  What better way to transform someone’s life?  Thank you so much for your heart for clean water for families in Cambodia!

Help more people in Cambodia have access to clean drinking water! Click here to give today!

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