On the eve of a brand-new year, OCEF would like to take this opportunity to extend to you our sincere gratitude and best holiday wishes. Over the past two decades, OCEF was able to offer a helping hand to countless rural students and rural schools in need, all of which was made possible only by your generosity and that of others like you. We hope you and your family find 2015 a wondrous, prosperous year!
The One-on-One Sponsorship is again a hot hit among our programs this year. At this time, there are only 137 elementary school students, 228 junior high school students and 505 senior high school students remaining on the list to be sponsored. It takes only $100 to sponsor an elementary school student for a year, $150 for a junior high school student, and $350 for a senior high student. A gift of financial aid is a long-lasting legacy, and there is no better way to give in this season of giving. Please visit the project webpage and help a student return to school.
On November 23, 11 runners from all over the world participated in a half-marathon charitable event held at Hong Kong Disneyland on behalf of OCEF. They were running to raise funds for a building expansion project at Chengzhuang Elementary School in Dingtao County, Shandong Province. To date, a total of 157,411 RMB has been collected, with 342,589 RMB remaining to reach the final goal. We hope more people will join the effort to help the students there and make their dream come true soon!
There are currently over 300 students at Chengzhuang Elementary School. The existing school building is not enough to meet the needs of the student body, and often three students have to share a desk for two. There is no dormitory at the school, and all students and teachers, except three teachers who live too far away, have to commute daily to school from the nearby villages. Although Shandong is a coastal province, Dingtao is a well-known impoverished area. Zhuo Yunbao, then chairman of OCEF’s China Affairs Committee, visited the school in 2013 and determined it was in critical need for financial assistance. About 800,000 RMB is needed to expand the school building, out of which OCEF will provide 500,000RMB. The rest of the funds will be raised locally. OCEF will also help monitor the construction work to ensure quality and compliance to the appropriate standards.
OCEF launched the Online Book Donation program in August 2013. The program carefully picks out books for each school according to the age group and size of its student population and compiles a wish list on a bookseller’s website. Donors need only to log onto the website and select books from the wish list to donate. The books will then be delivered directly to the school. Pictured above are some of the schools and the kids who have received books from online donation.
Since its commencement, the program has received overwhelming support. So far more than 3,500 books have been delivered to over 1,500 students in 10 rural schools. Donation for the 11th school, the Dawu School for the Hearing Impaired in Hubei Province, will be kicking off soon, and we welcome your continued participation (further information).
特殊项目成果展示（一）/Report on Special Projects (Part 1)
编辑：卓韵宝；翻译：许汉卿；校对：张晶 Compiled by Zhuo Yunbao; translated by Xu Hanqing; edited by Zhang Jing
Huining County, in the northwestern province of Gansu, is situated amid towering mountains and steep canyons. Mother nature has been very tough on the people living the arid region, which suffers from severe drought in most years. This little county, however, is known for the dedication of its impoverished population to education, and for the excellent performance of its students in the national college entrance examinations. Located in the northern portion of the county, Touzhaizi Central Elementary School has a total of 550 students in 12 classes, 485 of whom are from impoverished households. During the winter, the school used to rely on briquette stoves for heating, which are not only ineffective but also dangerous and unhealthy. In November 2013, OCEF provided 55,000 RMB to install a modern heating system for the dining hall, dormitories, and the library.
Pingjiang County in Hunan Province is an under-developed rural area surrounded by mountains. Donggang Elementary School in that county has a student body of more than 300 and a staff of 13, including the teachers. The students come from seven villages in the vicinity. Due to the crippling poverty, the vast majority of their parents have been forced to leave their hometown to seek work in big cities. Since all students have their lunch at school, the staff had raised enough funds to build a dining hall, but it was so poorly equipped that the students had nowhere to sit during lunch. In 2013, OCEF raised 19,520 RMB and bought brand-new tables, chairs, and other essential equipment for the dining hall.
Hongshui Township Central Elementary School is located on the mountainous northern outskirts of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The school has a staff of 32 and a student body of 402, of whom 295 are boarding students from far-flung villages. The school suffered from a serious shortage of proper classroom furniture, and the classrooms were full of old tables and chairs of various shapes, sizes, and heights. In 2013, OCEF bought 200 sets of desks and chairs for the children with 29,250 RMB.
