Project Hope
Encyclopedia
Project Hope is a Chinese
public service project organized by the China Youth Development Foundation
(CYDF) and the Communist Youth League (CYL) Central Committee. http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/poverty/95783.htm Started on October 30, 1989, it aims to bring schools into poverty-stricken rural areas of China
, to help children whose families are too poor to afford it to complete elementary school education. Through Project Hope, the CYDF has also sought to improve educational facilities and improve teaching quality in poorer regions.
Some 80 percent of the Hope Project primary schools and students aided by the project are located in China's middle and western regions, which are less developed. (Liu, 2004)
In 2002, Project Hope was reportedly involved with embezzlement of donations. National Audit Office
confirmed that in 2002 it audited financial situations of Project Hope but the report was never publicised. Then head of the project Xu Yongguang later went on as vice director of China Charity Federation.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
public service project organized by the China Youth Development Foundation
China Youth Development Foundation
The China Youth Development Foundation is a national non-profit and non-governmental organization founded in March 1989 in Beijing. The CYDF works to develop Chinese youth through education, science and technology, culture, physical education, health, and environmental protection...
(CYDF) and the Communist Youth League (CYL) Central Committee. http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/poverty/95783.htm Started on October 30, 1989, it aims to bring schools into poverty-stricken rural areas of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, to help children whose families are too poor to afford it to complete elementary school education. Through Project Hope, the CYDF has also sought to improve educational facilities and improve teaching quality in poorer regions.
Achievements
By the end of 2004, Project Hope has- raised over 5.6 billion RenminbiRenminbiThe Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
in funds. - financed education of more than 3,400,000 poor rural students
- built 15940 "Hope Primary Schools" (希望小学), which consists of 2.5% of all the rural primary schools.
- established "Project Hope Scholarship"(希望之星奖学金), providing financial assistance to about 130,000 secondary and tertiary students.
- funded over 14,000 primary schools in rural areas to build libraries
- built over 150 distance learning centers to help students living in remote areas.
Some 80 percent of the Hope Project primary schools and students aided by the project are located in China's middle and western regions, which are less developed. (Liu, 2004)
Influences
According to a report by National Research Center for Science and Technology for Development (Xu, 1999), 93.9 percent of residents in 29 provincial capital cities aged above 16 have heard of Project Hope, and 63.5 percent have contributed to it in various ways. The report drew the conclusion that Project Hope has become the largest and most influential non-governmental welfare project in China.Controversies
In January 1994, the Hong Kong tabloid Next Weekly reported that Project Hope could not account for HK$70 million in donations, implying the donations from the people of Hong Kong to help the Chinese children have been misdirected to the pockets of certain people. The affected party filed a libel lawsuit that did not get resolved for six years. The net outcome was that Next Weekly had to pay HK$3.5 million in damages as well as court fees.In 2002, Project Hope was reportedly involved with embezzlement of donations. National Audit Office
National Audit Office of the People's Republic of China
The National Audit Office of the People's Republic of China is the supreme audit institution in the People's Republic of China. It was established in 1983 according to the Constitution...
confirmed that in 2002 it audited financial situations of Project Hope but the report was never publicised. Then head of the project Xu Yongguang later went on as vice director of China Charity Federation.