By Jason Yang | Financial Executive
Albeit online, Chinese New Years for our students was incredible. From engaging history-themed lessons to feudal robes and hair styles, our teachers wished the students good health and safety as we persevere through this unprecedented period together. The Year of the Ox brings prosperity and wellness to all; so from our students and volunteers, we wish you a happy Chinese New Year.
In additon to this celebration, today marks a special day for our organization as exactly one year ago, we made contact with Leroy, a local teacher in one of our rural village schools. Characterized by dilapidated housing and chronic poverty, the learning environment of this village school paralleled our other schools: Leroy lacked the funds and technology to deliver her lessons effectively, but it was the students’ exceptionality that caught our eye. Underdressed, unfocused, and unruly, the students came to class in despair. Of the 35 total students on the roster, a meager 5 attended class regularly; other times, the class was barren and neglected. However, what we saw was the potential to captivate Leroy’s class with EFA student-teachers’ overwhelming passion and excitement for providing educational opportunities—a chance to change their perspective of the classroom and the topic of education.
Fast forward to present day operations, Leroy’s class has grown to double its previous size. Students from neighboring villages flock to her classroom to be taught by us, Education for All; Not only have these students shown more passion in the classroom, but they have also developed a greater sense of community with those around them.
The funds you have kindly contributed to our organization have gone towards students like those in Leroy’s class. We have recently allocated over $1000 USD worth of scholarships to our Emotional Development Guarantees Excellence (EDGE) Mentorship program. This program assists left-behind children develop healthy mental habits by providing an older-sibling-like figure in the form of one of our trained volunteers. Specifically, these scholarships will be used towards our students’ tuition and tools that facilitate their learning experiences.
As for this year’s goals, we are currently in the process of expanding our Education/Teaching and EDGE programs to other schools beyond China to truly bring education for all. Thank you for your unwavering support and stay tuned for more of our amazing accomplishments.
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