Digital Skills for Disadvantaged Children in China

As 2026 begins, we reflect on the past year — a journey defined by learning, collaboration, innovation, and meaningful impact. We are proud to highlight the key achievements of our 2025 Digital Literacy Program.

Building on strong momentum from 2024, the program continued to grow in 2025, reaching 2,076 students through a combination of in-person and online delivery. With the support of more than 250 volunteers and teachers, a total of 1,486 lessons were delivered across under-resourced communities in Shanghai, Tianjin, Anhui, Guangdong, Gansu, Jiangsu, Henan, Sichuan, Hunan, and Yunnan.

The curriculum combines project-based learning with hands-on, collaborative activities, covering core digital competencies such as STEM education, coding and programming, computer fundamentals, and artificial intelligence. In 2025, we further refined existing courses and introduced new AI and online coding modules, ensuring the content met the needs of both younger learners and more advanced students.

As the program matured, a small number of participants developed more advanced technical skills, with some achieving recognition in regional and international robotics competitions. While these achievements represent a subset of students, they demonstrate the program’s ability to identify potential, nurture talent, and inspire higher educational aspirations — contributing to students’ long-term readiness for future learning.

Student feedback remained overwhelmingly positive, with participants consistently describing the program as engaging, creative, and hands-on. Programming and game creation — particularly using Scratch and other graphical coding tools — were most frequently cited as favourite activities. Many students highlighted the sense of achievement and confidence gained from designing their own games, animations, and interactive projects, noting that overcoming initial challenges made success especially rewarding.

We extend our sincere thanks to our volunteers, donors, and partners for their continued support. Your commitment makes this work possible. As we look ahead to 2026, we value your ongoing partnership and look forward to creating even greater impact together.

Links:

• Read more about our programs on our website

As the fall semester begins, we are delighted to share that our Digital Literacy Program continues to grow in 2025, empowering disadvantaged students across China with essential 21st-century skills.

From January to September 2025, the program reached an impressive total of 1,650 students across eight provinces — Jiangsu, Henan, Gansu, Guangdong, Yunnan, Tianjin, Anhui, and Shanghai. During this period, we recruited and trained 209 dedicated volunteers, who collectively delivered over 900 online and offline digital literacy lessons — a clear testament to the reach, quality, and impact of our work.

As the new semester unfolds, we are excited to welcome more than 1,000 new students into the program, continuing to expand our impact and inspire learning across China.

Over the past few years, we have made significant strides in developing a broad, innovative curriculum designed to equip students for the challenges of the digital age. Our courses now cover a wide range of critical areas, including STEM, coding (Scratch 3.0, Scratch Jr., Code.org), C++, Java, LEGO Spike, graphical programming, 3D printing, computer basics (Microsoft Office, internet safety, online research), and artificial intelligence (AI).

In 2025, we have not only refined existing courses but also introduced new AI and online coding modules, tailored to engage both younger learners and more advanced students. This expanded curriculum empowers students to deepen their understanding of programming concepts, enhance creativity, strengthen problem-solving skills, and cultivate adaptability — essential competencies for their future academic and career paths.

These accomplishments are made possible by the tireless dedication and generosityof our volunteers, donors, and supporters. Your continued commitment enables us to expand access to transformative educational opportunities for under-served children across China, fostering both their digital skills and their confidence to navigate an increasingly complex world.

Links:

• Read more about our programs on our website