Comprehensive Support Program Part I
Zhijing Comprehensive Sponsoring Program, Guizhou
Zhijin, a poor county in Guizhou Province, has a significant number of village-run schools due to its special minority’s policies. In this rural county, 48.3% of residents are minority ethnicities that live in mountain area.
Zhijing Comprehensive Support Program launched in 2010 is the first comprehensive support program of OCEF. OCEF supports village-run schools through our School Building Project, Financial Aid Project, Library Project, Teacher Training Project, School Facilities Project and Health Project. 96% of the students sponsored by the program are Miao ethnicity. Up to April 2012, OCEF has built 2 school buildings, 1 toilet, 3 school libraries and 1 community library in this county, while another 2 building projects and more library proposals are on-going.
In April 2012, OCEF sent a program officialMs.Ai Ling Zhang to Zhijin. Ms Zhang work with two local program coordinators to support the work of the Comprehensive Sponsoring Program.
The Blue Moon Community Library
A community library in the rural area may carry its functionalities of educating village people, facilitating communication, and hosting holiday celebrations, etc. In this case a good librarian oftentimes becomes a secondary governor and forms the hub of the village’s community network.
Dr.Deqing Zhao, an OCEF coordinator who has dedicated to bring about changes to such places, runs a community clinic in Guan Zhai Town, Zhijing County. Before she volunteered for OCEF as program local coordinator in 2010, Dr. Zhaohas organized Health Education Programs for the local women and children in collaboration with a Hong Kong based charity in 2004.
It had always been Dr. Zhao’s dream to set up a community library in the community she lives in, which only became firmer after she attended the pilot library training offered by OCEF. During OCEF program official Xis Liu’s visit to Zhijin, Dr. Zhao disclosed her plan to Xiu. She then built a new room next to her clinic, which became the Blue Moon Community Library later. Xinping Foundation, a grass-root China NPO has partnership with OCEF, donated brand-new books worth of ￥6,000 while OCEF provided desks, chairs, a computer and a projector (which also serves for the Health Education Program). The first community library in this town was thus formed.
The community library locates at the center of the village, which is on the crossroad of many student commuters’ routes. It is therefore very convenient for the kids to borrow a book on their way to school in the morning. With the projector in the reading room, they are able to play movies and educational videos to the villagers.
Project Timeline
February 2011 Adolescent Health Education Program and Community Reading Room applications submitted by Dr. Deqing Zhao.
March-June 2011 Adolescent health education classes carried out in four village-run primary schools. They are Minghua School, Zhongshan School, Xihu School and Jiale School.
April 2011over 400 books donated by Xinping Foundation were in place at Guanzhai Community Clinic, Zhijin, Guizhou, marking the opening of the community reading room.
May 2011 with a sponsorship offered by OCEF, Dr. Zhao attended the 1st
Non-Governmental Library Symposium hosted by the China
Non-Governmental Library Association in Beidaihe. On behalf of OCEF, Dr. Zhao gave a talk at the symposium.
May 2011small training sessions were held in the community reading room for teachers and parents of the students.
October 2011community library relocated to a street-side building and officially named Blue Moon Community Library. Projection screen donated by
OCEF put into use, Blue Moon Community Library opened to public.
November 2011 Periodical screening of health education videos are in trial run
School BuildingProject &School Facilities Project
Mission: The Bricks of Joy program is the first phase of a Comprehensive Support Program to improve such situations. The program focuses on the infrastructure improvements to provide a solid foundation for future facilities to build on. It serves as the foundation to improve the quality of education in remote areas.
In poor remote areas, many teachers and students endure difficult conditions in rundown classrooms. Moreover, in mountainous regions, many children are too young to walk hours to attend schools that are miles away, thus often postpone or even never go to school.
Achievements
Zhong Shan Primary School
Zhong Shan Primary School is a village-run school without government sponsorship. It is one of the most remote village schools in Zhijin County, Guizhou province. The school consisted of a two-story building, hosting only 7 teachers but over 400 students.
- May 2011, the school received funding from a China-based NGO and started to provide free lunches to students. However, without a physical cafeteria, students have to have lunch on the outdoor playground.
- July 2011, OCEF started to build a new two-story building for the school, with a cafeteria on the first floor and a library on the second floor, total budget of which is approximately US$16,920.
- December 2011, the construction of the OCEF funded Zhong Shan Primary School Library and Canteen Building was completed. The students and teachers could now enjoy the dedicated library and reading rooms.
- Upon completion of the building, OCEF will proceed to establish Library Program and Teacher Training Program to further improve the quality of the education.
Jia Le Primary School
Jia Le Primary School is located within the Jiale Subdistric in Lianmeng Village, Guanzhi Township, Zhijin County, Bijie District of Guizhou Province. Lianmeng Village is a remote mountain village of Hmong people, neighboring the famous natural attraction Zhijin Cave.
In 2002, Mr.Guang You Yang, a local who worked as a construction worker in Anshun, Guiyang, left his job and came back to his home village to build the Jia Le School in order to provide educational opportunities for the village kids. It started with a makeshift residential house, and later a three-room adobe house built by the villagers. The desks were provided by the Education Support Station at the village. OCEF’s donation helped to build the four classrooms that are currently in use, which house four local teachers and over 70 students, comprising four grade levels.
February 2011, Jia Le School submitted the application and budget
March 2011, OCEF approved the building budget RMB 91,180 (about $14,473)
April 2011, desks and chairs were delivered to Ja Le School
May 2011, the school submitted a toilet construction proposal
June Construction started
September 2011, Classroom and toilet construction completed.
October 2011, OCEF VP Fundraising & PR Ms. Vicky Kwan visited Jia Le School
OCEF’s funding project at Jia Le School also includes books donation, classroom renovation project, Teacher Aid Program and toilet construction project, while Scholarship Program is on its way.
In April 2011, OCEF donated a total of 300 sets of classroom desks and chairs to Jinshuiying, Xihu, Zhongshan and Jiale Elementary Schools.
Ming Hua Primary School
Formally known as Tianba Primary School, Minghua Primary School is located on the top of a mountain in Zhijin County, Guizhou Province.
OCEF has furnished he school with desks and chairs. OCEF is going to build a 2-floor building for the school including one library, one canteen, and one function room.
Xi Hu Primary School
August 2011, new desks and chairs were delivered to Xi Hu School after the lighting project was finished.
