The economic boom along China’s eastern seaboard has contributed to the phenomenal growth of the country’s GDP. However, inland provinces like those of Northwest China lag far behind, resulting in a divide between the haves and have-nots.

In recent years, the Chinese government has invested heavily in infrastructure projects and implemented policies to develop these impoverished areas. International agencies and social entrepreneurs are also directing their resources to the region.

Ultimately, community development is increasing people’s capacity to better their own situations. Here, education is the key. PESi is partnering with Town & Talent Technologies http://www.yellowsheepriver.com/plan/ttp/ttp.htm which is a visionary social enterprise that has received extensive coverage in both the Chinese and international media. We support T&TT’s vision to contribute to China’s development by providing English language training and cultural education. 

The internet and the English language are important tools for accessing information. T&TT has donated internet equipment to over 150 high schools and vocational high schools, which are the centers of education in rural Northwest China. Besides library donations and scholarships for needy students in these schools, PESi also sends volunteers to provide training for their English teachers. As North American volunteers and rural Chinese teachers meet, they learn about each other’s worlds. As friends and mentors, some volunteers continue to encourage the teachers through emails and visits.

The Rural Education Fund (REF): Give a Gift that Gives Back

PESi has been providing scholarships to impoverished students in rural West China since 2006. We partner with the company Town & Talent Technologies, who screens students locally and recommends the neediest and most hardworking students to us. These students show great academic promise, but cannot afford the annual school costs. REF scholarships help alleviate the immense financial pressure faced by their families, as school costs take a large portion out of their small incomes. Sometimes in rural China, younger children are pulled out of school so an older sibling can afford to continue their education. The cost to such families is not just financial.
 
With these scholarships, students receive a golden opportunity to continue their education and strive for a better, poverty-free life for themselves and for their families. We especially support girls and ethnic minorities, who face the most obstacles to schooling.

We invite you to help us provide the basic right of an education to a student in rural China. Your scholarship donation will help lay a brick on their road out of poverty. 100% of your donation goes directly to the student.

Here are the action steps you can take below:

1. Visit http://www.yellowsheepriver.com/eng/index.php to choose a student for donation. Their photos, statistics, and personal stories are posted in both English and Chinese.
2. Decide on the scholarship amount you would like to donate. You can donate one scholarship (the scholarship donation amount is set at $130 on this site, although individual needs for older students can range from US$192 to US$292); a partial scholarship of any amount (what you can comfortably contribute); or more than one scholarship (in which case you can choose more than one student). In any case, you can decide your level of support.
3. Send a tax-deductible donation (check or money order) payable to PESi at 3536 Arden Rd., Hayward, CA 94545 and attach a note "Rural Scholarship Donation for (student's name)" (do not write in the memo line of your check). Also see, more ways to give. When we receive your donation and scholarship recipient information, we will remove that student from our online list once his/her needs are fulfilled.
4. Provide us with your current email and mailing address along with your donation. You will receive a receipt from us for your tax records. You have the option of communicating with your scholarship recipient, which is optional though encouraged. It can be an amazing learning experience for both parties.

Thank you for your heart in giving these students the gift of an education. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions: lucy@pesintl.com.