Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) is the brainchild of Ching Tien who herself used to be an under-privledged girl from rural China, but who was lucky enough to be given the chance for a new life. Since its founding, EGRC has educated and lifted hundreds of girls out of poverty through financial sponsorship and emotional support, as well as providing career advice and opportunities for graduates. By offering to cover tuition and living expenses for rural young women, EGRC gives them the biggest gift of all – education that opens doors to a new world, to opportunities that these girls would not have otherwise had.

EGRC believes that education is the key to changing the lives of young women and that educated women have educated children. It’s the key for whole communities to strive for better lives for themselves and their future generations.

Over the years, philanthropic programs of all sizes have come together in support of EGRC – from the annual Chi Fan for Charity to small acts of kindness like 5-year-old Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) student Nola donating her Girl Scout cookie money. EGRC has grown into a mission that we can all get behind.

On Sep 16, the EGRC executive committee in partnership with Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB), and Canada China Business Council will be hosting their 2nd annual Gold for a Cause – a day of friendly golf tournament followed by a fabulous gala dinner all to raise money to change the lives of young women forever.

To enter in the golf tournament, contact Michelle via the QR code on the poster above. The fee is RMB 1,000 to play a round of golf during the day and the gala dinner at night. For those who want to join in on the fun but don’t golf, a ticket to just the gala dinner is RMB300. If you’re looking for a great evening out with your partner or a girls’ night and an excuse to get dressed up, this is the place to be!

Images: EGRC

Nola is 5.5 years old, lives in Beijing and attends school at Western Academy of Beijing (WAB). Nola is one of the lucky girls who gets to receive great education and see the world. But at the young age of 5, she also knows that not all girls have that privilege. So when her mom, Miao Lu, asked her what she would do with the money earned from participating in the Girl Scout’s Cookie project, instead of spending it on ice-cream or a new toy, she decided to donate it to those less fortunate – specifically girls from rural regions of China. Jingkids spoke to Lu about her daughter’s charitable decision.

How come little Nola decided to donate her money?

“We often talk about how to make the world a better place through our actions”, says Miao, and continues “The concept of philanthropy was introduced to her in a way a five year old would understand. The Cookie project was a great initiative where the participating scouts would price the products, sell them to friends and people in the compound, then decide what to do with their earnings”.

And while Nola, like every other child, wanted to go straight for some of the most tempting earthly joys (read: ice-cream, toys and the like), her mom decided to show her a simple picture book from EGRC. No text, only photographs. Photos of girls in their hometown. Nola was shocked.

These young women have potential to become strong and confident women, but due to the lack of financial resources and emotional support, they’re destined to live their lives uneducated and in poverty. Right there, Nola made her decision: she’s not gonna buy yet another toy or another juice box. She will make her money count. She will make a difference.

The organization, Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC), which Nola donated her cookie money to has been actively helping these young girls and women for close to two decades.

EGRC is the brainchild of Ching Tien who herself used to be one of these girls, but who was lucky enough to escape the same destiny. Lu, a member of EGRC Executive Committee shares: ”Founder Ching is an amazing lady! She’s 70 years old and she’s still doing everything she can to help these girls.”

How does education fight poverty?

Since its founding, EGRC has educated and lifted hundreds of girls out of poverty through financial sponsorship and emotional support, as well as providing career advice and opportunities for graduates. By offering to cover tuition and living expenses for rural young women, EGRC gives them the biggest gift of all – education that opens doors to a new world, to opportunities that these girls would not have otherwise have had.

“After 17 years of doing EGRC’s work, I have learned that our original belief and mission – EDUCATED WOMEN HAVE EDUCATED CHILDREN is forever important. It’s the most fundamental way to lift people out of poverty and change the world for the better”, Ching told us.

Financial, emotional and social support

True to its mission to educate, EGRC fights the social disadvantages that women all over China face from an early age. The young ladies EGRC helps come from very difficult backgrounds and are in desperate need of emotional support, which EGRC whole-heartedly offers.

“In recent years, EGRC has been providing various learning, coaching and training programs, on top of financial sponsorship. They cover everything from mental health knowledge and awareness, communication skills, confidence building, career planning to giving back to their communities. We also have an annual Say No campaign, which teaches the girls how to recognize and SAY NO to any form of sexual harassment“, adds Ching.

Giving back

“Seeing these girls graduating every year is the most rewarding moment of all.They change their lives by achieving an education, they help their families get out of poverty, and make sure the future generations get the same education”, says Ching. She personally keeps in touch with some of the women even after they graduate. EGRC has its own Alumni Association, which is a platform for the graduate ladies to support the organization by getting involved in its work. All these girls find ways to give back to their communities, families and even the organization.

“Many employees of the organization are girls EGRC helped, who went to university and then decided to come work for EGRC to help and inspire others. It is a beautiful cycle!”, says Lu.

Of course, running a charity and helping hundreds of underprivileged women comes with its challenges, the greatest of them being fundraising, according to Ching. But COVID has led to a new issue: “We are not able to connect with the girls in person most of the time, and I am not able to travel to China.” However, there is a positive side to the after-Covid era: “We have announced a scholarship in 2022, which will be given to outstanding rural young women to pursue their graduate studies abroad. I believe everyone deserves this opportunity”.

How can you help?

Inspired to make a difference, there is a way to contribute as the biggest annual fund raising event of EGRC is right around the corner. The “Golf for a Cause” tournament will take place at Beijing HuangGong International Golf Club on September 16 and includes a buffet dinner after. Even if golf isn’t really your thing, you can choose to attend the dinner with a RMB300 ticket.

EGRC operates through our generosity and appreciates all the help and support, so every bit helps towards making a positive difference in someone’s life.

Images: Miao Lu, EGRC

Merry Christmas! In the true spirit of giving this festive season, we wanted to appeal to those of you who have the means and are willing to donate some time to the volunteer communities at Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) and Power Baseball Angels, two non-profit organizations in Beijing that are seeking volunteer English teachers.

Since 2005, EGRC has sponsored more than 1,400 young women to receive a high school and university education. Their mission is to empower rural young women through education, as well as provide opportunities for their personal and professional development, which in turn trains a new generation of women leaders. I had the opportunity to volunteer with them as an English teacher for two semesters last year, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. The girls are so grateful for what little I was able to help them with and I still maintain contact with some of them over WeChat and email.

EGRC is always seeking volunteers to teach English to young girls once a week, online. The students may have some basic to intermediate English skills and are seeking to hone mostly their speaking and listening skills with you, so send your resume with a cover letter to daisy.gong@egrchina.net or admin@egrchina.net.

Conversely, if you prefer working with a younger demographic, there’s another opportunity to volunteer! Spearheaded by Coach M, Power Baseball Angels is building a Cambridge Assessment of International Education (CIE) certified school to provide high school education to underprivileged kids who stand a solid chance of landing overseas scholarships on their sports skills but need a bit of extra help in the English-language academic arena. We were thrilled to receive so many book donations for Coach M’s budding school when we reached out to our readers in a recent book drive, and want to thank you for your support. However, we are reaching out again now, to ask for any English speakers who wish to devote a couple of hours every Sunday to teach English to these kids. Coach M says that even high school students are welcome to volunteer, as many of these beneficiaries have little to no English backgrounds. Contact Coach M at driven200425@yahoo.com to discuss how you can help.

KEEP READING: Cleaning Up Beijing In The Countryside; Call For Volunteers

Images: Unsplash

I’m going to be honest, every year when Women’s Day rolls around I find myself rolling my eyes at the restaurants and bars that promote their Women’s Day with a pink flyer that say something along the lines of “buy-one-get-one free special cocktails”. Having worked in hospitality, to me “special cocktails” usually means whatever the bartender decides to throw together last minute with some low-shelf liquor and juice. Anything to fill glasses fast while keeping costs low.

So, having sifted through this year’s Women’s Day promotions, I’m thrilled to find that there are more than few venues that have decided to celebrate this holiday the right way – by giving back to the community.

Free Coffee for Everyone at Moka Bros!

On Monday (Mar 8) every Moka Bros in China will be giving away free coffee to anyone who donates to Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC). How much would you like to contribute? Maybe the price of a cup of coffee or maybe a little more? No matter what the amount, donate by scanning the QR code in the poster below to give directly to EGRC and show your payment receipt to the Moka Bros cashier for your free coffee.

Sale at Roundabout

From Mar 6-8 all products in the trendy section will be 20% off. All clothes, shoes, and toys in the main section of the store will be RMB 30 off with a purchase of over RMB 150. If you can’t make it to their store, Roundabout’s WeChat mini-program has nearly 6,000 items to choose from.

Roundabout is managed and operated by volunteers. Money spent at Roundabout goes to help children in need. To learn more about Roundabout, scan the QR code below.

Charity Fitness Workshops

Mommy & Me dance fitness, women’s self-defense, women’s strength, and Jindafit. Three She-EOs have organized four fitness workshops throughout the month of March where all the money raised goes to help a good cause. All the proceeds raised from this month’s fitness events are donated to Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC).

To book any of the fitness workshops, scan the QR code on the poster and speak directly with a bilingual reservation person from Warrior One who’ll help you book your spot for the workshop. To learn more about EGRC visit their website at www.egrc.ca.

EGRC’s mission is to empower women in rural regions of Western China to escape the cycle of poverty through education. EGRC has three primary goals: Sponsor female students from rural regions with their four-year undergraduate studies in Chinese universities; sponsor female high school (grade 10 to 12) students with their three-year studies in rural region high schools, and assist EGRC-sponsored students with BA diplomas to enroll in postgraduate programs offered by Canadian universities. EGRC’s girls have a 100 percent graduation rate, with two of their top graduates having gone on to Tsinghua University and Manitoba University in Canada, respectively.

KEEP READING: Women’s Month – Let’s Empower One Another

Images: Courtesy of organizers, Pexels

Educating Girls of Rural China is a charity partner of 2015 Chi Fan For Charity, which will take place this Saturday (Nov 7). Great seats are still available for one of Beijing’s best homegrown charity events, click here to see available restaurants.

Tien Ching has seen both sides of education for women in China. Born and raised in Beijing earlier in her life, Tien and her mother, a doctor, moved to poor, rural Gansu province, during the Cultural Revolution, where she saw up close what her life could have been like if she had been in another part of the country.

For many, education never enters the picture. “Girls were and are married off early to bring cash to the family as a dowry, and to become a source of labor for the new family,” she said. Tien saw other situations that left a deep impression on her, including where women were kicked out of a family for repeatedly giving birth to girls, or were sent to their family’s home to give birth on one condition: if the child is a girl, don’t come back.

After eight years in Gansu, Tien continued her own education in Beijing, before emigrating to Canada in 1983, where she has lived ever since.

Tien stored away the lessons of both her fellow women in Gansu and her own education for later in life. But she wasn’t spurred into action until 2005, when her daughter sang at a show in support of Go Girls! Education for Every Child, a UNICEF initiative to boost education for girls, especially in Africa. “If a woman is educated, her children will be educated,” Tien thought, and conceived of the initiative that has become Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC).

EGRC has three primary goals: Sponsor female students from rural regions with their four year undergraduate studies in Chinese universities; sponsor female high school (grade 10 to 12) students with their three year studies in rural region high schools; and assist EGRC-sponsored students with BA diplomas to enroll in post graduate programs offered by Canadian universities.

To date, EGRC has supported 287 girls, mostly at the university level, but the program has now expanded to include some high school students.

“I’m quite proud that these girls and young women need more than just money. They need moral support,” Tien said. “Every summer I meet all the girls in their hometown.”

Tien has more to be proud of: EGRC’s girls have a 100 percent graduation rate, with two of their top graduates having gone on to Tsinghua University and Manitoba University in Canada, respectively.

“I am happy to study here,” Liu Yanxia, an EGRC alumna and current Manitoba University student, wrote. “I can see that the students and professors are passionate about the research and the projects they are working on. Now I believe if you love and have passion for something you will do well. I look forward to my second term of studying."

A support commitment for a student requires at least RMB 6,000 per year only for tuition, but more like RMB 15,000 per year including food and living expenses. High school students require about RMB 5,000 per year.

Fundraising is EGRC’s biggest challenge, Tien said. And it’s not getting any easier, either in Canada or China. “It’s very difficult to compete with local charities in Canada. People think, ‘China has many millionaires and billionaires, why don’t they help?” she said.

To learn more about Educating Girls of Rural China and how you can help, please visit www.egrc.ca. To participate in Chi Fan For Charity, visit www.chifanforcharity.org.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on November 2, 2015.