Report_2005

In 1982, while Howard Chen and his wife were visiting Sichuan, they learned about the ridiculously large number of kids who were not able to acquire an education because either their families could not afford tuition or the schools were too old. Shocked, Howard handed his friend $2,000 hoping it would help in any way. Soon after, Mr. Chen received news that his money had paid for the tuition of 183 students. It was then that he realized just how many people may be helped if more donors contributed what ever they could spare. The Enlightenment Education Program was born.
To attain a better understanding of the program, I joined the Sichuan and Guizhou inspection team last October. To my surprise, I learned that EEP uses every penny they receive for the schools, and all volunteers had to pay for their own expenses. There are two main purposes for inspection teams. First, as representatives from the United States, we had to inspect each newly built school. The contributions of donors only make up 30% of building costs (approximately 30,000 RMB or $3,800). The local governments, residents, and local material donors make up the other 70%. Donors, who have the privilege of naming the schools, can get an idea of how their money is being used through pictures we take and interviews we do with teachers, principals, and students.
The second task of our mission was to distribute tuition money to those who needed it. Most students who receive free tuition are either orphans, children with single parents, those with handicapped parents, or extremely poor middle or high school students. Money is sent to these kids in March and October of each year. The scholarship procedure is quite a long one. Before they receive the money, each school posts the name, grade, and available scholarship money for each student so that the students may prepare thank-you letters for their sponsors. Then, each child is called up for an identification check, collection of his thank-you letter, and a review of his transcript before finally receiving his money. To encourage the students, they are told that they can only receive support if they keep their grades up.
Ten days into the inspection, I had already done 10 newly built schools. Altogether my team had inspected 60. Since we were in a very poverty stricken area, we had to split up and only one person was able to inspect a school at a time. Each day, local villagers would patiently accompany us on the 2-3 hour car ride to the foot of mountains, at which point we would hike for another 2 hours to the school. While we start each journey in the morning, we wouldn’t get to the school until the afternoon. Tired and hungry, we would eat, inspect, and spend the rest of the day getting home. Though I was physically exhausted at the end of each day, I felt such an enormous satisfaction about what I was helping accomplish.
Before I reached each school, I would already hear the kids cheering loudly for my arrival. Upon entering, I would see the smiling faces of kids, parents, teachers, and farmers welcoming me. In some lightly populated areas, children would be dressed in their best traditional costumes for the occasion. I feel their excitement. After being welcomed, we would inspect classrooms, teachers’ offices, bathrooms, etc. I would sit in for a few classes and interview some kids and teachers to get an idea of the learning environment.
At times they would bring me to their old schools. I could not believe how anyone could learn in such a depleted setting. These schools were dark, dreary, and severely damaged. It felt like we were visiting the ruins of an immense disaster. The new schools could not even compare to the ones they were replacing. The new buildings were made from brick or stone, and had one or two floors. While the local people provided most of the materials, gratitude is still owed to EEP for initiating the project. It moves me to know how grateful these children are.
It was raining one day, but the students at the school I was inspecting still waited for me, drenched in water. I was speechless. I didn’t know what to think or say. I was so touched that I cried. Most of these kids were children of farmers and had to travel by foot for an hour each day to get to school. They are such an inspiration for American students.
Before distributing tuition, I had a chance to talk with some of the kids. I learned that they had to be at the top of their class at every school they went to in order to get this far. Furthermore, we only give tuition to the top students as well. This demonstrates the incredible strength and determination of the deserving students that receive money. Most of them have at least one deceased or sick parent so they cannot afford much. Thus I believe that EEP uses donations for a really great cause. They help those who truly deserve it. Through my life I have been involved in many charitable organizations such as the Senior Center and Chinese school, but EEP stands out as one of the most benevolent organizations I have ever encountered.
This inspection really helped me realize what we can do for our country and for society. In my entire life, I’ve never been shown so much gratitude as I have on this trip. Before me were the grateful faces of innocent children, old and gray senior citizens, and young, vital teenagers. Just how much is our donation worth? When an old man holding my hand said to me, “I’ve been working in this old school for 40 years. My son went here too. But I am so happy to be able to see my grandson finally attend a newly built school. My entire family really appreciated this. Thank you.”
My eyes began to tear up once again. I didn’t even know how to respond to such a statement. I feel that coming here was the right thing to do. As long as my body can handle it and my wife understands, I will do everything in my power to help these kids. EEP is an amazingly selfless, compassionate, and genuine organization. Every penny donated is used for someone who truly needs it and they make sure of it. EEP has already built over 400 schools and helped 30,000 students. I feel privileged to have worked with such kindhearted men and women.