When Zhang Yuxi grows up, he wants to join the Special Forces in the military, because, in his words, “they protect people.” He may be only in Grade 3 now, but he has already started taking small steps towards realising his dream, for example by reading more than 100 books in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series (the original edition has more than 1,500 pages) and running every day. His confidence is clear on video, and I’m not surprised to learn he is a leo, born in the Year of the Snake.
A child of Mongolia, Yuxi is one of the primary school students currently studying at Dandelion School, the first and only school for low-income migrant families in Beijing. Established in August 2005, it is a non-profit and charitable educational institution located in Daxing. Originally a middle school, Dandelion recently expanded to include primary school students around 7-9 years old, in March of this year. The school’s students are migrant children from more than 20 provinces around China, mostly Hebei and Henan.
Dandelion’s purpose is to achieve equality and excellency in education and secure a bright future for this marginalised group of children. The school is credited “AAAAA,” which is the highest rating of business management achievable for non-profit organizations. Dandelion also provides support to school students who face financial challenges. Every year, they waive the tuition fee of nearly 10 percent of their student body according to their family income level. In some cases, when a parent is stricken with severe sickness, the school may even help connect them with potential donors to give extra support.
Beyond government funding, the school enlists corporate and individual support to provide quality education and nurture good character in their students. Dandelion can only achieve its success through a long-term approach to encouraging physical, intellectual and emotional growth, by discovering and developing their students’ potential, and by building lifelong learning habits in students. Only then can their graduates go out and make the world a better place, like how 9-year-old Yuxi hopes to join the military forces and protect people.
We have a great opportunity to help this child realize his dream, and to support Dandelion School’s noble cause, all while standing the chance of winning some attractive prizes! This year, for the third time, Dandelion School was carefully selected from more than 12 charities to be the recipient of Chi Fan For Charity (CFFC) fundraiser. Tickets may be sold out but you and I can still join in the fun by purchasing raffle tickets at the CFFC Raffle! I myself am gunning for the top two prizes – a week-long cruise to Sanya and a private guided tour of Guilin – but there are plenty of prizes to go around. Check out the full list here, and don’t forget there will be 216 winners, so those are some good odds!
KEEP READING: Chifan For Charity: Filling Bellies and Hearts Since 2009
Images: Courtesy of Dandelion School, CFFC
