OCEF

亲爱的捐款人：

您好！又到一年一度和您书面聊天的时候了。

金秋时分，是收获的季节；首先祝您家庭、健康、事业吉祥、和顺！

秋高气爽，也许您会选择携家人户外出游，也许您会选择为子女在学校的运动会加油助威，也许您会选择带孩子去看场演出、买本新书，也许您会选择呼朋唤友、找个影院消磨一场时光，也许您会选择安坐在咖啡馆的一隅静听怡人的音乐，也许....也许，这些再普通不过的事不值得和您提及，因为这实在是最平常不过的情景了。

也许，环球不同此凉热。在您关心牵挂的太平洋另一端的中国大陆，这些再普通不过的事也成为越来越多人的日常情景；但同时，在一些地区尤其是集中连片特困地区，却是另一番光景：一些家长选择离开子女外出打工，全家团圆成为逢年过节专有的奢侈品；一些家庭选择默默承受重大疾病或意外伤害带来的沉重后果，维持生存成为一生不可摆脱的永恒且唯一的主题；一些学生在本该学习的年龄却选择早早踏入社会，只为分担父母肩上的生活压力；一些学校选择奔走呼告，希望拥有几间不那么拥挤的宿舍、一个独立的食堂、一口能取水的井、一座能冲水的厕所、一批能御严寒的冬衣被褥......

也许，您也感觉到了，与其说这些也是一种选择，不如说是种种艰辛和无奈！中国对扶贫、对教育投入的资金不可谓不多、成效不可谓不好，但毋庸讳言，要实现教育优质均衡发展仍然还有很长的路要走，尤其在集中连片特困地区的村小。

但是，凡此种种不易，并没有磨灭当地师生家长的愿力。他们选择了坚守——纵然很多代课老师每月只能拿着几百元的工资，但他们在三尺讲台一站就是几十年，唯一的心愿就是不希望看到孩子们失学或多走几里路去上学，而他们自己的子女却也游走在失学的边缘；他们梦想孩子们能有学可上、有学好上。他们选择了坚定——纵然年复一年是单薄的衣服和单调的糊口饭菜，他们仍然毅然决然地坚信知识是走出世代贫穷的利器，只要有一线的机会，咬断牙根孩子们也要上学；他们梦想父辈的今天不再是孩子们的明天。他们选择了坚韧——纵然疾病、贫困、离散不应笼罩于那些学生本该快乐的童年，但这些都没能带走他们心中的太阳，他们用一封封或热烈或滚烫的回信告诉我们：他们并不向命运认输，不向困难低头，不向未来妥协；他们感恩父母老人、感恩国家社会、感恩大洋彼岸不知姓名的叔叔阿姨哥哥姐姐，他们梦想用自己的双脚走出一条属于自己的人生大道，梦想自己的家人也能过上好日子至少不用那么艰辛，梦想以后也能像大洋彼岸不知姓名的叔叔阿姨哥哥姐姐一样做有益于社会、尽力帮助别人的人......

谁天生就该负重、就能负重？谁又天生就该坚强、就能坚强？谁不曾向往自由和美好？谁又不配拥有自由和美好？我们很欣慰，在走向这条让明天更光明的道路上，我们选择了与他们并肩同行，而您选择了在背后默默支撑我们！25年前，基金会几位创始义工遥望东方，萌生了教育兴国的朴素想法；25年来，在和您一样不计名利的捐款人的支持和我们义工、志愿者的共同努力下，我们的项目涉及助学金、教师资助、建校和设施（包括教学和生活）、图书和阅读、远程网络课堂、支教夏令营、刊物出版和回信等等。

2017年春秋两季，我们共计资助了小学及初中生1694人次，高中生1988人次，总金额320多万元人民币；131名OCEF资助的高中生收到了我们发放的大学录取奖学金；72所学校收到了我们捐赠的图书共2万多册；在100多位义工的参与下，让远在山区和乡村的孩子收到了我们回信组寄出的482封回信；我们为25位乡村教师提供了资助；网络课堂项目78位义工在7所小学和6所中学每周上课83节，受益学生2350人；特别项目部完成了总金额43多万元的饮水取暖、校舍改善、冬衣棉被等项目；两期《乡村少儿》杂志共计4400册发送到了100多所学校供孩子阅读。同时，暑期我们继续在会宁和银川分别举办了支教夏令营和教师研习营；OCEF资助的广州冯路远老师入围马云校长奖......

受人之托，忠人之事。我们深知，尽管您不求回报，但于我们是一份信任，更是一份责任。我们兢兢业业、诚惶诚恐，像爱护眼睛、珍惜羽毛一样，维护基金会的声誉，以使您的爱心能够照亮、鼓励、支持更多的受助人，也使基金会能够汇聚更多的力量推动更多的受助人走得更远......

上善若水，厚德载物。我们深知，教育问题不能全然归责于经济和贫困，也不是每一个梦想都有机会能实现，但是，每一个梦想都值得尊重，每一份努力都值得尊重，每一个机会都值得尊重......路漫漫其修远兮，我们将以“不忘初心、方得始终”的信仰，继续选择做海边捡鱼的孩子。您呢？

祝福大家秋日安康！平安吉祥！

Paypal捐款链接：https://ocef.org/paypal
捐款说明：https://ocef.org/donation
OCEF捐款系统/1对1选择：https://ocef.org/pub

Dear donors:

Once again it is the time of the year for us to write to you. First, please let us wish you and your family a happy and prosperous autumn!

Autumn is the season of harvesting; it is also a great time for hiking and other outdoor activities. Or maybe you are cheering your kids on in a sport event at school; maybe you are enjoying a movie with friends; or maybe you chose to sit in a quiet corner in a café and enjoy some music. There are so many choices for you, all too common even to think about.

At the same time, you may be thinking about places across the Pacific in China, where for many families such choices are too becoming very common. Yet there are still many in China for whom even a family get-tegother is quite a luxury to have, as the parents have left their home to find work thousands of miles away. For some, survival after a major injury or illness became the one and only theme in family life. For some the kids chose to start working at school age in order to share the burden on their parents' shoulder. Some schools plead for wherever they can get to make life a little better for the students, maybe a few more dorm rooms, a dedicated dining hall, a water well, a restroom with better sanitary facilities, or some coats and blankets to keep the kids warm in winter...

As you know, many of these “choices” are really not choices but simple necessity. Even though China has made significant investment to eradicate poverty and to improve education in rural areas, there is still a long way to go, especially for elementary education in regions of extreme poverty.

Despite all the hardships, many teachers chose to stay. Sometimes they get only a few hundred RMB yuan a month, but they stayed on the podium for decades so that the pupils have a place to study. Those are hard choices, but they stick to it, teaching the students not to compromise, not to give up, in hopes that one day they will be able to achieve their dreams and that they can in turn help others in need just as the people who are helping them now.

Who is born to be burdened with so much heaviness in life? Who doesn't deserve some leisure and beauty in life? We are very proud that we chose to go forward with them, and that you chose to back us up in our journey. Twenty-five years ago, a few founding volunteers brought up a simple idea to improve rural education in our motherland. Through the past 25 years, with the support of many dedicated donors and volunteers like you, we have successfully launched a variety of programs such as Financial Aid, Teacher's Stipend, Building and Facilities, Library, Online Classroom, Summer Teaching Camp, the Village Kidsmagazine and Letters to Students.

In 2017 alone, we sponsored 1,694 primary and junior high school students and 1,988 high school students, distributing a total of RMB￥3.2 million. 131 high school graduate students who have had financial aids from OCEF received college admission award, and 25 teachers received stipends from OCEF. 72 schools received over 20,000 books in total. With the help of more than 100 volunteers, kids in remote areas received 482 letters from our program. 78 volunteers taught 83 classes per week at seven elementary schools and six junior high schools, benefiting 2,350 students. Special Program Department completed projects ranging from drinking water supply to student housing renovation and winter coat, for a total of RMB￥ 430,000. 4,400 copies of Village Kids were delivered to over 100 schools. Meanwhile, we once again conducted our Summer Teaching Camp and Teachers' Training Camp in Huining and Yinchuan. Feng Luyuan, a recipient of OCEF stipend for teachers, was recognized by a School Principle Award sponsored by Jack Ma of Alibaba.

Even though our donors are not asking anything in return, your trust is our responsibility, and we cherish OCEF's reputation like our eyes, so that the love you shared would light the way and inspire more rural students in need. Only with total trust from donors like you can we recruit more helping hands and in turn help bring more children in need to a brighter future.

We know the issue surrounding rural education is far more than a simple matter of economy, and not every dream can become true. However, we believe each dream, each effort and each opportunity deserve to be respected and supported. We are holding on to the same ideal that inspired us to start off on the path. Can we count on you to continue backing us up?

Once again, please accept our best wishes in this season of plentiful!

OCEF Paypal donation link: https://ocef.org/paypal
Other ways to donate: https://ocef.org/donation
OCEF donation system/1-to-1 aid program: https://ocef.org/pub

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