BOOK PROGRAM DONATION 2013

Book Program Donation 2013

Three people from the Canadian Fund for International Understanding through Culture (Can4Cuture), Dr. Nelly Ng, Ms. Monique Horth and Ms. Sylvie Morel, travelled to China in July and August 2013.  The purpose of the visit was two-fold: to conduct another pilot book donation in a remote area of Guizhou and to have on-site visits to schools in Inner Mongolia and Beijing to assess the needs in relation to the Canada-China Book Program.

We conducted another pilot project for book donation. The purpose of the pilot project is to ensure proper logistics and accountability are in place. We are very pleased with how this all went.

The minority rich region of Guizhou is another learning experience for us. Madame village chief, in her full minority attire, was joined by the old, the young, students, principal and teachers.
It is touching to see how Canada and Canadians are recognized when the whole village came out to cheer.

We visited 6 elementary schools in Inner Mongolia and 2 in Beijing.  The schools have similar characteristics.  The children come from migrant worker or single parent families or have parents who work far away; many are left alone like orphans. Not only do the teachers have to teach academic subjects, they also have to parent the children, teaching them ‘morality and character building’, health and grooming habits and discipline.

Some of the schools are boarding schools.  Although the fees for room and board are low, many cannot afford the fee.  There is a great need for help and for educational support.
We have very open and long engaged conversations with the principals, deputy principals and teachers.