I’m excited to share with you that, if you partnered with CWEF in 2025, you made it possible for 73 Chinese girls to continue their education! Through CWEF’s help, these young women received scholarships. Depending on the specific school (we support two), some of the girls also received emotionally supportive care while others participated in enrichment programs like academic competitions and preparation for university.
***In our high school program, 2/3rds of students consistently maintain scores above the university admission benchmark!***
Other benefits your generosity gave to Chinese students last year:
1) High School Tour – Middle school students explored campus life, participated in advanced classes, and met teachers.
2) Newspaper Competition – which exercised students’ creative abilities
3) University Prep – admissions officers from local universities explained available programs and standing policies to students. Senior students shared study tips and time-management strategies.
4) Home Visits – from the school staff for our high school scholarship recipients, to monitor their progress and build up their social network
5) Counseling Sessions – provided for students with the greatest needs
If you partnered with CWEF in 2025, you had a tremendous impact on the lives of students in rural China. Without the help of people like you, we couldn’t offer these scholarships and programs, offering students a much-less-burdened path to a financially stronger future. Thank you so much for your generosity and partnership.
This year CWEF held a ceremony for its new scholarship recipients in Yunnan, and Bangmei, the student representative, gave this speech with gratitude for your support:
Hello everyone! I am Bangmei from Class 515, Grade 10. I am honored to stand here, still trembling slightly as I hold the microphone. I know that the light before me is the result of countless warm hands pushing aside the clouds for me. The ability to calmly share my dreams today is because you have paved my path out of the mountains with love. Please allow me to first bow deeply to all the caring individuals from the CWEF and Kunming Yixing Public Welfare Development Center — thank you for making dreams come true.
I used to be a child struggling in poverty. My family’s financial difficulties were like a heavy yoke making it hard for me to pursue my studies. Watching my father work day and night to cover my tuition and living expenses, seeing his growing white hair and bending back, I asked myself countless times: Must my educational path be forced to end like this? Must my small dream be shattered by reality’s cruelty? In my confusion and helplessness, your support came like a warm ray of sunshine, bringing me hope and strength.
It is you who, with selfless love and generous support, have allowed me to study in bright classrooms and pursue my dreams without distraction. You have shown me that there are many people in this world who care about poor children like us, making me believe that as long as we do not give up, we can overcome difficulties and move towards a better future.
Thanks to your support, I can devote more time and energy to studying, read more books, participate in more activities, help more people, and pursue my dreams.
When it comes to dreams, I have always held a firm belief: I hope to become a people’s teacher, using my knowledge and love to nurture more children, so they can go out to see the wider world and find their own value. I hope to become as warm-hearted as you in the future, illuminating the path for more children to realize their dreams. I know this road will be full of thorns and twists, but I firmly believe that faith will guide me to my ideal destination. In future studies, I will work harder and stay grateful, passing on your love so that more people can feel the warmth and care of society.
Finally, I want to say again: Thank you! It is wonderful to have you!
-Bangmei
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Did you know that most of the scholarship recipients you support live on less than 20,000 yuan (less than $3,000USD) per year? That most of them come from single-parent homes or homes where a primary caregiver is disabled or chronically ill? Many of them spend nearly half of their modest income on educational expenses. Your generosity is relieving tremendous burdens and bringing light and hope to these young people and their families. Thank you for giving CWEF the honor of your partnership! Thank you for giving education and hope to girls from rural China!
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My name is Yinglian, (a CWEF scholarship recipient). Throughout my freshman year, with your generous support, I was able to overcome the financial burden that had been weighing heavily on my academic pursuits, allowing me ample time to focus on my studies. I am here to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your selfless contributions. Your kindness is like a warm ray of light that illuminates my path towards the future.
As a child from a poverty-stricken rural mountainous area, I understand the profound importance of education. Through relentless efforts in junior high school, I was fortunate enough to be admitted to the best high school in Nujiang Prefecture. While the country’s favorable policies have played a crucial role in helping me realize my dream of attending high school, the financial strain on my family only intensified once I started my high school journey. My family’s already tight finances were further strained by my mother’s unemployment, leaving us at a loss for what to do. It was then that my teacher introduced me to (CWEF). Just as its name suggests, (CWEF) has become a beacon of hope shining in the darkness, filling me with aspirations and visions for the future.
Thanks to this program, I can finally concentrate on my studies with peace of mind and have access to funds to purchase educational materials, helping me address my weaknesses. Consequently, the pressure on my parents has eased significantly, and I have seen smiles return to their faces. With the support of the Concordia Hope High School Program, my academic performance has also improved. It has not only extended a helping hand during my difficult times but has also nurtured my intellect and nourished my soul. It has taught me gratitude and planted in my heart the seeds of responsibility, gratitude, and courage to strive forward. These seeds will undoubtedly grow into towering trees, forever lush and thriving.
No matter how flowery the words or how eloquent the language, they cannot fully convey the immense gratitude I feel within.Thank you for your wholehearted support, which has given me the courage to face life’s challenges, the confidence to venture out of the mountains, and the vision to embrace a bright future filled with shining stars and endless hope.
May I wish all of you, the kind-hearted individuals, good health and success in all your endeavors!
With utmost respect,
Recipient: Yinglian
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Help more young people like Yinglian by donating to scholarships here!
“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!
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!
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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!
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Hello! THANK YOU for your generous support of education for girls from rural China!
Please enjoy letter excerpts from Dan, a CWEF high school scholarship recipient:
Working for a better life. “At home, grandma and mom and dad tell me to study hard; so that I can get into a good university. It is only after I graduate that there will be more employment opportunities for me. I know this because my parents have struggled to earn a living and have often not qualified for job interviews because of their limited education. Since I started going to school, I always remember my parents’ expectation has been for me to enter the best school in our county, and I have been fighting for it.
I’m more of a home body. During my 14 days of summer vacation, I busily study and work on the farm. I have little free time; but for hobbies, I like to sing – not only Chinese-style songs, but also some English songs. I like that, in the song, I can experience a different world, feel the singer’s emotions, and expand my English vocabulary.
The exterior of Dan’s home in rural Yunnan
Facing failure. The most impressive thing for me this year was my parents’ response to my academic focus. I initially chose to study science with great anticipation. I listened carefully in class. Afterwards, I rigorously completed the homework. And yet even though I mastered the class material, my grade on the final exam was too low.
One time my grades really dropped. I felt a little scared. When I went home, my parents saw that I was tired of studying and cautiously asked me if I was okay. At that moment, I couldn’t hold back all my stress, and I told them that I couldn’t keep up with my studies. I didn’t know what to do. Dad was silent for a while and then asked me if I was only struggling with physics, chemistry and biology; or if I felt that I couldn’t keep up with the calculations. My father let me switch to the liberal arts, which focus on accumulating knowledge so that learning will be easier for me.
The interior of Dan’s family home
Living a happy life every day. Now my grades are keeping up. In school, I live a happy life every day. Through CWEF, people can give love and help to others. Included in this educational support, there are living supplies, which make the lives of poor families less strenuous; school supplies, which make studying easier for children that can’t afford school supplies; food items, which improve the quality of life in poor families, and charity grants to help people recover that have suffered major accidents.
Doing charity work is a very meaningful thing. I want to join in. And what I can do at the moment is volunteer. I will participate when I have the chance.“
You have provided pivotal support in Dan’s life. Many children from rural areas of China are never able to graduate high school because they cannot afford it. But through Dan’s determination and your generosity, she now has the opportunity to graduate high school and pursue college! Your kindness inspires young Chinese girls like Dan to not only excel academically but also to pass the kindness on to others!
Hello, everyone. My name is Chang Die; a student from Yunnan Province; who has been supported by Concordia Welfare & Education Foundation. I would like to share my story with you here, in the hopes of helping other students with similar experiences.
For as long as I can remember, my parents have been busy working hard every day. Planting and harvesting time are the most difficult: getting up before dawn to work and then going to bed close to midnight. Growing up I saw how hard my parents worked, so I felt that I also had to work hard. When I went to school, I always got up early and went to bed late, not willing to waste a minute of learning time. My parents also had too many expectations of me. I couldn’t live up to them.
Unfortunately, I did not get an ideal score on the college entrance exam because of the great emotional and study pressure I was experiencing. However, I am grateful that I was admitted to the major of medicine (medical laboratory technology) at last. Although I am not currently a clinician in a hospital, I can still contribute to the medical cause right now. Because my family and I have also experienced being sick in the hospital, I deeply understand the feelings of every hospital patient; so I perform my patient examinations and write my patient reports meticulously.
INSPIRED BY CWEF
I’m grateful to have been a grantee of CWEF since my first year of high school in 2013. Different from any other funding program at our school, CWEF not only provided financial aid to us but also paid attention to how each student was doing individually every semester. Until I graduated from high school in 2016, CWEF also regularly organized activities and inspirational education for us.
I remember once learning about a physically disabled boy who lost his hands. Instead of complaining about life and clinging to others for help, he used his feet instead of his hands to do everything on his own. After watching a video about him in class, my teacher had us try writing by biting a pen with our mouth. Writing this way, the words came out crooked. The teacher came up behind me to see the name I had written down, and she read it out loud. My heart felt both excited and happy because I am introverted, but the teacher clearly noticed me in that moment. Even though there are many stories out there like this boy’s, this lesson impressed on me how tough the disabled boy was. His example encouraged me that those of us with sound hands and feet have no reason to give up!
At the end of the third year of high school, CWEF teachers brought some foreign friends to visit and talk with us, encouraging us to study English well and have a broader vision for our future. To guide those of us struggling with college applications after the college entrance exam, CWEF also invited high school alumni to share their experiences with us, which was helpful.
Many different details and activities of CWEF not only brightened my whole high school experience but also encouraged me to forge ahead and study further, giving me strength to move forward. It was a time of high motivation and hard work for me. This high school season is still my best memory and has benefited me all my life.
PASS IT ON
During my college years, I seriously studied specialized courses, participated in work-study programs, actively participated in some volunteer activities in the university, and got to know many important people. All these things have led me to grow up, made me always grateful and full of goodwill towards society, and encouraged me to try my best to help the people around me that are in need.
The world is big and wonderful, and there are many things worth hearing, seeing, and trying. I will always remember CWEF’s help and care for me. If there is a suitable opportunity, I am still willing to participate in a public-interest organization. I’d like to pass on the warmth and help I have received to other people in need.
Thank you so much for your sacrificial giving towards young Chinese students like Changyi! Having received love and support through you, she is now eager to give back by spreading goodwill and generosity to others in her sphere of influence.
As a young adult, Weifang is living out the value of “local people serving local people.” She has donated much of her time in recent years to serve others.
“In my spare time, I help the community as a volunteer in the local area, especially through anti-epidemic work…. Social stability is everyone’s responsibility. I am one of them, too!”
What Scholarships Make Possible
When she was younger, Weifang was an academically strong student and received a scholarship from CWEF in 2011 until 2014, when she graduated from high school. The scholarship support, made possible by generous supporters like you, relieved a financial burden to her family.
“I’m grateful for the financial aid from CWEF and the professional guidance I received. It reduced my personal psychological pressure, and I could devote myself to studying with more piece of mind.”
During her high school years, Weifang and other scholarship recipients received resiliency lessons and social/emotional encouragement. These lessons and activities provide additional support to scholarship students. Weifang remembers them fondly:
“I felt hope for the future, love and hard work for my life and study, and I grew self-confidence. I also gained a group of friends who I have maintained deep friendships with to this day.”
Weifang performed well in high school, going on to Guangdong Technical Teachers College to major in accounting. Once she graduated in 2018 she went on to be an accountant before ultimately shifting to be a math teacher in 2021.
She notes that the scholarship program and additional support lessons have had a long-term positive impact in her life:
“I was able to grow and maintain a healthy mental state to face problems I encounter in life and work.”
Choosing to Serve Others
Weifang joined a group of volunteers, comprised of other CWEF high school scholarship program graduates, in a domestic non-profit called Shining Star. As a volunteer, Weifang began teaching left-behind children through Shining Star’s GROW program.
“When I became a teacher of the GROW program (leading resiliency activities and lessons), I liked the feeling of teaching and learning. It’s destiny! I am now in the education profession.”
Supporting left-behind children with Shining StarWith Shining Star volunteer teammates
Inspiring Future Leaders
Sometimes life comes full circle in more ways than one. This former scholarship recipient and accountant is now paying it forward as a teacher. Being a part of Shining Star’s community has introduced Weifang to her love of teaching, as she is now a math teacher.
During 2022’s Spring Festival, Weifang asked some children what they thought of the volunteer work she was involved with, and if they wanted to do it as well when they were older.
Weifang has been doing a great job of paying it forward, because they all said “Yes!”
Your generous giving to the CWEF scholarship fund made it possible for young people like Weifang to focus on their studies, complete high school, learn valuable life skills, and form deep bonds with a supportive community!
Each of these has been a key component in her ultimate success. And more than that, your sacrificial giving empowered and equipped Weifang so that she can pour into and inspire other future leaders.
Thank you for stepping up to help transform the lives of young students in China!
This article was written by Elena Semler, CWEF volunteer.
Meet more inspiring Chinese scholarship recipients! Read Lijuan’s story of transformation here.
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Hello everyone! My name is Lijuan, I am from Guangdong province, China.When I was young, my father, the only breadwinner in my family, fell ill and was unable to financially support my education. And so first of all, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my teachers and all the caring people of Concordia Welfare & Education Foundation for helping me in my most difficult time and for choosing me among so many people to receive financial support.
In addition to that, the summer and winter camps held by CWEF & Shining Star every year made me and the other students feel happy and cared for and exposed us to new things and new friends. I have become a more cheerful and confident person because of this organization.
Looking back on these ten years of schooling, I am very happy that I was able to receive a higher education with the help of many kind people. Growing up in such a difficult family, I knew that only studying could change my fate; so I studied diligently from elementary school through high school. I have been asked many times by other parents, “Do you have any tricks to study? How come you study so well?” I would usually laugh and think, “I don’t have any tricks. It’s just that I have no one behind me, so I have to work hard.”
The moment I received my university acceptance letter, I was both happy and frustrated. Happy that my hard work for more than ten years had finally paid off, and I could change my destiny; frustrated that my debt-ridden family could not support my college expenses. Thanks to the good policies of the Party and the Country, and thanks to the kind-hearted organizations like CWEF, I was able to fulfill my dream of going to college!
I entered the university knowing that the opportunity to go to university is not easy to come by, and I kept telling myself that I should cherish it twice and that studying should be the first priority. So I studied hard and ranked in the top 20% overall, while also pursuing a minor in administration over the weekends.
Every year I have worked hard to get scholarships, some of which were supplied by Concordia Welfare & Education Foundation, and these scholarships have largely relieved me of my worries. By using the scholarship funds I received only for my studies and real needs and by not comparing my food and clothes to those of other students, I relieved my family of some financial burden.
As a college elective, I decided to try a new challenge: tennis. When I began, the coach thought I was short and had no advantage in playing tennis. So I just followed the other players and taught myself. When I had time, I went to tennis lessons, played on the courts every day, and consulted with the coach and other players. After another year, I became the best player, and the coach was impressed with me.
The tennis coach wholeheartedly trained me every day. Soon I became the assistant tennis coach, and I worked part-time during weekends and holidays. Because of the coach’s help and teaching, I became a better version of myself during this period of my life. And after four years of ongoing practice in college, I had the honor of winning the tennis championship my senior year.
After graduating from college, I began regularly supporting charity work, and I started a tennis club along with some of the other athletes. I also began studying for the teacher preparation exam. I was unsuccessful in the first round of exams, but I studied and prepared for the exams again. Fortunately, I got into the teaching profession. I am now a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Guangdong Institute of Petrochemical Technology. I like my job, and my life is the way I want it. Thank you for all the people who have helped and encouraged me over the years.
Many times over the years, I was confused and torn by the choices I faced, but as long as you follow your heart, not afraid of failure, not afraid of hardship, and dare to try; I believe you will become what you want to be.
Thank you for your generous donations to Concordia Welfare & Education Foundation’s scholarship fund for Chinese girls! Because of you, young women like Lijuan have been empowered to change their destinies and reach their professional dreams. And now they are helping others do the same.
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This letter was originally written by Lijuan in Mandarin; translated to English with the help of Qian Qian, CWEF volunteer; and edited for length and flow by April Chiasson, Communications Manager.
This summer, during our Join The Community campaign, we are looking for more people with a heart for students like Lijuan. Would you consider joining The Community as a monthly donor today?
