“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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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!
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.
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Students attending an education class about on-campus , off-campus and food safety
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!
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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!
For the children of rural China that attend Luoyan Township Central Kindergarten in Yunnan, standing water often accumulated and surrounded the school grounds. When the kindergartners ran outside playing they would frequently slip and fall on the slick ground, and the standing water interfered with the children’s physical education and playtime activities.
In partnership with CWEF and made possible through your generosity, the Luoyan kindergarten recently constructed beautiful suspended outdoor floors to serve as a physical education space for all the children. It is hoped that through this new space the children will improve their athletic abilities, increase their self-confidence, and develop an enthusiasm for sports.
On March 30th, 2023 the school hosted a kindergarten-wide physical fitness competition called, in part, “Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom.” The children expressed great excitement and anticipation for the competition! Please enjoy the included photos of this event!
Thank you so much for caring and giving generously to the children of rural China! Because of you, these sweet children are able to enjoy these gorgeous new facilities and experience improved physical fitness and overall health.
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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.
Imagine for a minute — it’s the dead of winter. Suddenly the hot water and your shower at home both stop working. How long would you be able to make it?
That scenario is still the daily reality for school children all over rural China, including those in tiny Luoyan township — a small and unknown corner of China’s rural and remote southwest region.
In Luoyan township, there are nine primary schools, and many of the students attending these schools are boarding students. They live in dormitories on the school campus during the week because their families live too far away to be able to conveniently travel back and forth to school every morning and evening.
Thanks to your generous support of CWEF’s HEAL program, two of these schools — Tianjing Primary School and Gonghe Primary School — have became the first in the township to be able to offer warm showers to their students!
Inspecting new solar-heated shower rooms
In October 2022, the transformation of current facilities at the two schools into freshly renovated solar-heated shower rooms was completed, and our CWEF team members, along with local nonprofit, government, and school leaders, visited the Tianjing and Gonghe schools to conduct the official inspection and final acceptance of the project.
Prior to HEAL being launched at these two schools in 2022, none of the primary schools in Luoyan county had shower rooms or proper bathing facilities for the boarding students to use in order to keep clean and healthy while living and studying at school.
In addition to solar-heated shower rooms, your generous donations to the HEAL program also made it possible for both schools to receive much-needed upgrades to their dilapidated toilets and aging sewage systems, as well as 16 drinking water filter units to further ensure good health, sanitation, and hygiene for the students.
The HEAL program — which stands for “Health Education, Advocacy & Literacy” — is not just about buildings and health-related infrastructure like water filters, shower rooms, and sanitary toilets.
In conjunction with these upgrades to infrastructure, the CWEF team and our local partners also made important investments in the schools’ students and teachers themselves through the training of local health advocates and organizing health promotion activities.
Evaluation survey before health training
In November 2022, a health education program was initiated with 426 students and 31 teachers at Tianjing and Gonghe schools. Training sessions, demonstrations, and fun competitions were held to encourage healthy habits like washing hands, washing faces, brushing teeth, and keeping their school and dormitory environment clean and tidy.
Preparing for health training at Tianjing schoolHealth training at Gonghe Primary School
In addition, earlier in the year CWEF and our local partners brought in an experienced facilitator to guide 22 teachers from the two schools through a one-day mental health education workshop. The purpose of this course was to help the teachers understand and strengthen their own mental health, to learn to better understand the inner worlds of their young students, and to train the teachers in simple but effective ways to provide guidance and counseling to their students who may be struggling with poor mental health or challenges at home.
In 2022, your generous support of the HEAL program empowered our CWEF team and local partners to make important upgrades in the health-related infrastructure and external environment at Tianjing and Gonghe schools.
Jenny of CWEF with local partners
More importantly, your partnership has made valuable investments in the long-term physical, mental, and emotional health of the students who live and learn there.
With your help, 2023 will be a healthier and happier year for these special young people who are working hard to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
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p.s. — If you’d like to see an overview of all of CWEF’s work in rural China and Cambodia during 2022, you can watch this 3-minute video. Thank you for helping to make all of this good work possible!
This article was written by Joshua Lange – CWEF Executive Director.
Discover other rural Yunnan health initiatives that your giving makes possible here.
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