The season of harvesting and thanksgiving is upon us again; we would like to wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday!
Thank you for your continued support for and trust in the OCEF! We are deeply grateful for your help, support and participation in any shape or form.
In 2018, we have finally made our dream come true and formally registered our legal presence in Sichuan Province, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of our projects in China. OCEF has had a continuously successful year, thanks to the joint efforts by our full-time and part-time staffers and the volunteers. Below is a list of statistics about 2018 that we have gathered so far:
30：number of rural teachers sponsored by the OCEF
32：number of volunteers from Chinese students in Europe and America who participated in the summer teaching camp in Huining, Gansu, the fifth consecutive year for this event
70+：rural schools receiving financial aid from the OCEF’s Library Program
83：classroom hours per week by our 81 volunteer teachers through the Online Classroom Program
100±：college scholarship applications by high school graduates sponsored by the OCEF
250：schools receiving our magazine Village Kids
848：letters from our Correspondence Team to kids in mountainous and rural areas
2,005：elementary/middle school financial aid packages distributed in the past spring and autumn semesters
2,040：students benefitting from the Online Classroom Program
2,224：high school financial aid packages distributed in the past spring and autumn semesters
4,050：copies of the Village Kids magazine delivered to schools
26,221：books distributed by the Library Program
520,000：RMB devoted to drinking water, heating, building improvement, and sport facility programs by the Special Programs Department
3,800,000：RMB distributed in financial aid in 2018 (spring and autumn semesters)
Even though we have made some progress, we know there is way more to be accomplished. Many kids are still in need of not only financial assistance but also spiritual guidance and encouragement. We have selected some letter exchanges to help our friends understand the work of our Correspondence Team. Volunteers on this team come from all over the world and included teenage students as well as seniors who are over 80 years old. There is also a special group on the team, consisting of students who were previously sponsored by the OCEF. Volunteer Li Zhen, who wrote one of the letter below, was one of them and we have reported his story before.
Donations to the OCEF exceeded $870K in 2017 and we hope to witness another historical breakthrough this year. Our 2018 fund drive has started and the 1-on-1 Sponsorship Program is now open; we invite you to join us!
