Poverty Alleviation by China Children and Teenagers' Foundation

　　【Overview】 China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) was founded in July 1981 as the first charity organization in China. Over the past three decades, CCTF has scientifically understood the characteristics and laws of charity work, given full play to the advantages of social organizations, created a number of influential charity brands and charity projects including "Spring Bud Project" and "Safe & Healthy Growth Project" starting with serving children, serving society and serving the overall situation, and done a great deal of fruitful work in children's education funding, environmental improvement, disaster relief, battlefield support, cultural development, etc. As of the end of 2010, CCTF had raised a total of 1.83 billion Yuan of donations to benefit more than ten million poor children nationwide and accumulated useful experience for promoting the implementation of the basic national policy of gender equality and the principle of children first, protecting and improving people's livelihood and promoting social harmony and stability, making a positive contribution to boosting the development of philanthropy with Chinese characteristics.

　　【Spring Bud Project 】 In late 1980s, about 2 million school-age children dropped out of school every year and two thirds of them were girls. In order to help the out-of-school girls to return to campus, in 1989, CCTF launched the "Spring Bud Project" – one of the public welfare brands of China with the highest reputation, opening up a new chapter in China's public welfare. As of the end of 2010, the "Spring Bud Project" raised a total of more than one billion Yuan, built more than 1000 Spring Bud schools, aided more than 2 million poverty-stricken girls to return to campus and provided technical training for more than 400,000 girls. With support from all circles of society, a large number of "Spring Bud Girls" have grown into teachers, doctors, civil servants, soldiers of people's army and rural leaders in getting rich and are playing a key role in all walks of life. In order to consistently expand and enrich the meaning of the Spring Bud Project, four actions were launched in June 2009, namely "Spring Bud Project- Student Aid Action', "Spring Bud Project - Talents Cultivation Action', "Spring Bud Project- Employment Action", and "Spring Bud Project - Special Action in Caring for Left-behind Children", which put together social forces in solving actual schooling and living difficulties facing the needy girls and left-behind children in the poverty-stricken regions.

　　In 2010, the "Spring Bud Project" continued to build schools and classrooms and implement "one-for-one" activity to subsidize girls. It newly built 35 "Spring Bud Schools" and subsidized nearly 20,000 "Spring Bud Students". For the eighth time, the Air Force officers and soldiers donated 10 million Yuan to the "Spring Bud Project", subsidized 3,044 "Spring Bud Students" in Qinghai, Xinjiang and Tibet and donated for the construction of three "Spring Bud Schools".

　　【Safe & Healthy Growth Project】 In 2000, CCTF launched the "Safe & Healthy Growth Project" to prevent children from dropping out of school or from succumbing to illness, injury, or crime. Over the past decade, it donated 60 million Yuan of nutritious foods for tens of thousands children in poverty-stricken areas, cured the amblyopia eye disease of nearly 2700 poor children, subsidized more than 30,000 orphans who fell into poverty due to AIDS, and donated for the construction of 25 "child safety experience classrooms", 320 "community children moral centers" and 8200 "community well-being billboards". In 2009, together with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, CCTF launched the "Orphan Assistance Action" and established the relief mechanism combining charity with commercial insurance. So far, it has issued public welfare insurance for 300,000 orphans and poor children.

　　In 2010, the 10th anniversary of the "Safe & Healthy Growth Project", after careful investigations and feasibility studies, CCTF further clarified the development direction and working idea of the "Safe & Healthy Growth Project". At present and in the future, the "Safe & Healthy Growth Project" will focus on protecting children’s safety and health and, through the implementation of "Safe & Healthy Growth Project - Child Safety and Emergency Education", "Safe & Healthy Growth Project - Child Nutrition and Health Project" and "Safe & Healthy Growth Project - Children's Medical Relief", further mobilize social forces to support and participate in children’s public welfare to promote the development of welfare projects for children in China.

　　In 2010, the "Safe & Healthy Growth Project" donated for the construction of 24 "Safe Emergency Experience Classrooms", one "Safe Emergency Experience Center" and 29 "Safe & Healthy Libraries", build one rehabilitation center for orphans and disabled children in ten disaster-hit areas of Sichuan Province, donated more than 36 million Yuan to Rizhao Iron and Steel Group, continued to subsidize the "Safe & Healthy Homes" in Sichuan, and launched the "Love 1 + 1" public service action jointly with the Ministry of Civil Affairs to promote the smooth implementation of "Special Fund for Children's Insurance in China". So far, it has raised a total of 5.48 million Yuan, donated more than 117,000 public welfare insurance for children’s serious illness for the orphans of 7 provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Sichuan, Liaoning, Qinghai, etc, and provided financial aid for the treatment of eye diseases of 245 poor children with amblyopia in five provinces including Ningxia, Shandong, Liaoning, Henan, etc.

　　【Lasting Love Initiative】 In 2005, China Children and Teenagers' Fund and Heng Yuan Xiang Group jointly carried out the Lasting Love Initiative –knitting sweaters for orphans and disabled children. Over the past five years, the women’s federations of 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and many warmhearted people from HK, Macao and Taiwan participated in the activity, issued more than 160,000 jin of love knitting wool and collected more than 540,000 sweaters with love for children, basically achieving the goal of providing one sweater for each of the 573,000 organ and disabled children nationwide. 60% of the participators of this action are low-income people. Relevant media stated that the “Lasting Love Initiative” has created a new era for all Chinese people to share charity.

　　In 2010, CCTF continued to implement the “Lasting Love Initiative” and mobilized all warmhearted parents nationwide to knit sweaters for orphans. At the same time, the “Lasting Love Initiative” was launched abroad to deliver warmth for the orphans and disabled children in six African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, etc. It is an innovative model for China’s non-governmental charity to go abroad to carry out international non-governmental exchanges on charity through in-kind charitable donations.

　　【Let Me Play】  “Let Me Play” is a public welfare sport project for urban migrant youth jointly initiated by China Children and Teenagers' Fund and  Nike Sports (China) Co Ltd in 2006. Through organizing sport games, donating basic sports equipment and building basketball playing ground for the schools concentrated with migrant children, training teachers and volunteers and carrying out interschool basketball games, the “Let Me Play” program aims to build migrant children’s self-confidence through playing sports and games, develop their awareness of constructive communication and teamwork, enhance their ability to adapt to society and develop their creativity. Since inception, the program has benefited 450,000 migrant students of over 400 schools in ten cities of China. Since 2006, a total of 50.14 million Yuan (23.45 million Yuan in cash and 26.69 million Yuan in sport facilities) has been invested for this program.

　　In 2010, the “Let Me Play” program was implemented in 300 schools receiving migrant children in ten cities, namely Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Zhongshan, Wuhan, Qingdao, Shenyang, Jinan and Yichang. The project is under the unified management of China Children and Teenagers' Fund and implemented by local women’s federations. It advocates active participation of volunteers, sports gym instructors and women’s federations. Trough carrying out teacher training, volunteers’ joining in school teaching, basketball (football) games and training camps, the project gives play to the active role of sports games in character creation and social skill improvement to help migrant young people develop their potential, improve learning skills, grow healthily and positively face the future.

　　【Sound of music,  I want to go to school】In 2003, CCTF and the Sound of Music of Central People's Broadcasting Station jointly initiated the large-scale charity activity - "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School" to provide financial aid to help poor children complete their schooling. As the first professional pop music program welcomed by national audience, the Sound of Music of Central People's Broadcasting Station covers 36 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, etc and has more than 100 million audiences. With its own advantage as a media platform, through the Sound of Music of Central People's Broadcasting Station, the charity event of the "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School" broadcasts the public service advertisement of "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School" frequently every day. Through organizing Stefanie Sun, Sun Nan, Leehom Wang, Han Geng and many other star performers to participate in the activity as goodwill ambassadors, it organized road shows in many cities. The star performers went to the impoverished regions, donated for poor children, carried out the activity of "Face to Face with True Love" for children by shooting videos and guided all circles of society to participate in the event. Meanwhile, it organized charity clock-golf in many places and holds a large charity evening party at the end of every year to make propaganda and raise funds for the charity event. Television, newspapers, Internet, outdoor and other media also made many reports on the event of the "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School".

　　Every year, the charity event of "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School" invites well-known artists to create a theme song. From "Let Love Fly with Music" in 2003 to the “Doll” created by Li Zongsheng in 2006, from the "Do Re Mi Fa So" of Huang Yunling to the "Light up Hope with Love" jointly created by Mortal Combination, and from the "Twilight Playground" of Li Weisong and Yi Jiayang in 2009 to the "Big Hands Little Hands" by Yuquan in 2010, the theme songs have all become music bridges to spread love and attracted widespread concern, arousing many caring businesses and enthusiastic audiences' attention and active participation.

　　Over the past eight years, the "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School" has covered 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Beijing, Hebei, Henan, etc, donated for more than 60 Spring Bud Primary Schools and Spring Bud classes and raised more than 6 million Yuan of relief funds (materials). With its own advantages of media, it has mobilized all circles of society to donate for poor children and help poor children change their fate by learning, advocated to establish the modern concept of public welfare of "charity by everyone", promoted the construction of the modern system of public charity, and created a good atmosphere to care for charity and participate in philanthropy to promote the development of public welfare, forming a strong joint force and a good habit of public support and participation in helping the poor, which played a positive role in boosting the development of China’s child charity.

　　In 2010, CCTF continued its cooperation with the Sound of Music of Central People's Broadcasting Station in conducting the large-scale charity activity - "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School". Themed "Sound of Music, I Want to Go to School - Kappa1200 Student Action", the event was carried out for the public, raised 3.278 million Yuan thanks to the social influence of the Sound of Music Program and donated to set up 54 Spring Bud classes in 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities nationwide.

　　【Emergency relief】 In 2010, five southwestern provinces suffered from natural disasters, including Yushu Earthquake and Gansu’s debris flow. CCTF promptly took actions to build a donation platform and mobilized all circles of society to donate for the affected women and children in disaster areas. After the drought occurred in five southwestern provinces, CCTF immediately launched the "Sweet Dew Action- Sending Water to the Children in Drought-hit Areas". After Yushu was hit by the earthquake, it immediately carried out the "Emergency Earthquake Relief Action – Support for Affected Children in Yushu", strived for the support of mainstream media, opened up special columns in the Website, printed public service advertisements in newspapers and raised relief funds for affected women and children in disaster areas through a variety of channels, including telephone, Internet, banks, post offices, etc. Many caring businesses and warmhearted individuals responded to the call and donated money and materials through various channels. In the one-month charity activity, it raised a total of  7.053 million Yuan of relief funds for the five southwestern provinces, sent water to 619 schools and 256,400 students and constructed 5 wells and 7 impounding reservoirs with the donated funds for disaster areas. After the earthquake occurred in Yushu, CCTF held the charity evening party of "Lighting Hope for Yushu with Shining Dream of Music" jointly with the Central People's Broadcasting Station and raised more t han 20 million Yuan of relief funds and materials. At the event, "Tencent Net Friends’ Love Fund" raised more than 13 million Yuan to support the construction of kindergartens in Yushu of Qinghai and drinking water projects in the campus of drought-hit areas in Yunnan Province. After the Zhouqu of Gansu Province was hit by a severe debris flow disaster and Hainan was hit by a severe flood, CCTF immediately allocated emergency relief funds and materials of 3.66 million Yuan for the disaster areas.

　　【My first bag】 In 2010, in order to address the learning difficulties of the first grade children from needy families, CCTF carried out the charitable activity of "My First Bag" with relevant enterprises and donated bags and stationery for 10,000 poor children from 128 schools in 14 provinces and autonomous regions.

【Poor children's visit to the Expo】Jointly with world-renowned brand GUCCI, Amway (China) Co., Ltd., AIA (China) Insurance, Hengyuanxiang Group and Mary Kay (China) Cosmetics Co., Ltd, CCTF has successively organized 295 affected children from disaster areas, left-behind migrant children and poor children with amblyopia to visit the Expo, which broadened the children’s horizons, increased their knowledge and helped them experience the passion and technology charm of the Expo