Educate and Equip Girls in Rural China

Many students in rural China live in dorms at their schools because their home villages are too remote for a daily commute. Xiaohong, a high school student you support through CWEF’s “Concordia Hope Class” program, is only able to visit home a few times each year. To reach her village, she travels four hours by public transportation and then walks another hour along rugged mountain roads.  

Though the journey is long and demanding, she sometimes brings small gifts back to her family. On one trip, she delighted her mother with a traditional Lisu bag she had always wanted. Despite facing many obstacles, students in the Concordia Hope Class have shown remarkable perseverance and academic promise.  

The Concordia Hope Class is located in the remote Nujiang region of western Yunnan Province in China. The class was designed for high school students who showed strong academic potential despite facing difficult circumstances, such as being orphaned, living with guardians affected by chronic illness, coming from families in crisis, experiencing multigenerational poverty, or growing up in remote villages.  

Because of your generosity, fifty students have received three years of instruction from some of the region’s top teachers. The students come from more than nine ethnic minority groups across Nujiang, including the Lisu, Nu, Bai, Pumi, and Tibetan peoples. Your generous giving also provided a monthly living allowance for students, teacher incentive awards, and funding for extracurricular activities. Students participated in enrichment programs, educational travel experiences, and leadership development opportunities alongside a rigorous academic curriculum.

The Concordia Hope Class began in 2023, and I’m thrilled to share that our first cohort of students has graduated in June! More than 90% of these students have identified clear career goals, with most aspiring to work in education, healthcare, public service, or technology. Their ambitions reflect not only academic growth, but also a strong desire to use their skills and talents to serve and strengthen their communities. If you’ve supported CWEF’s China programs, you made it possible for these hardworking students to participate in this intensive class!  For many of these students, graduation represents educational and economic opportunities their families have never had before.

Thank you for your generous support of CWEF and for making academic opportunities like these possible for Chinese students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Your generosity has been a tangible expression of God’s love and provision. As we celebrate the accomplishments of this graduating class, we are also looking ahead. There are many more students like Xiaohong who need access to the same opportunities.