3 minute read
Opportunity Through Education, Ching Tien - Educating Girls of Rural China
from PARADOX
by WomanScape
Opportunity through Education: Ching Tien - Educating Girls of Rural China
By: Yara Zgheib
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Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) empowers women in rural regions of Western China to escape poverty through education. Its founder, Ching Tien, believes every girl deserves opportunity.
Mao Zedong once declared. In China today, they certainly are a valuable resource, comprising 49% of the population and 46% of the labor force. “Educated women also have educated children,” believes Ching Tien, founder of Educating Girls of Rural China. The organization is built on the premise that an educated woman is empowered; she can lift herself and her family out of poverty and have an impact on society.
When Ching was a child in China in the 1960s and 70s, she had dreams of becoming a dancer. She loved music and theatre. She also wanted to be a journalist and a writer.
Her grandfather had told her that with a good education, anything was possible. Education opened doors, so she studied hard at an elite Beijing school.
The Cultural Revolution changed everything, though; Ching’s father was jailed and her mother sent to work in Gansu Province, the poorest in China. Ching herself was pulled out of school and sent to work in a factory.
In her eight years there, she witnessed dire poverty; people living in caves with few possessions and no access to running water or electricity. Boys were also favored over girls; they were the ones sent to school. Women actually had the added burden of supporting them.
Ching refused this reality, and to give up on her education. Thus, in 1983, she left China for Canada. She built a life there:
“From that point of my life every decision I made was my choice. I owned and ran an art gallery and exhibited works by top Canadian artists. I raised a son and a daughter on my own.”
But she never forgot the girls who stayed behind in Gansu province.
She wondered what these women could do if empowered with education.
She returned to Gansu after more than twenty years. She met with the government officials and visited schools. Back in Canada, she raised $27,000 dollars through an art auction and concert. By 2005, she had founded EGRC and was able to sponsor 24 university and 130 elementary school students.
Since then, EGRC has sponsored the high school and university education of over 1,000 young girls. It now has a high school sponsorship program, a vocational training school sponsorship program, and future leader scholarship program. Beyond offering them money, Ching keeps close contact with the girls; she visits them every summer, provides online and in person training on career and personal development, as well as intern and employment opportunities.
“Education gives a woman the ability to make decisions that will improve her life and ultimately improve her society.”
In the 14 years since the foundation of EGRC, Ching’s girls have achieved a graduation rate of over 99%. Also, with the income they are earning after completing their education, all have been able to lift their families out of poverty.
The impact of this program has spread beyond the girls and their families, to their communities where many more are taking on leadership roles. These girls are also giving back to the organization; ensuring EGRC’s sustainability. That is because they want to give other girls the same opportunity.
Ching never returned to school, but she has no regrets. Her greatest pride is in each of the girls, with whom she has a personal connection. She mentors and guides them, she listens, and now she is focusing on providing further opportunities for their development after graduating.
Her advice to any young woman who wants a future for herself:
“Find your passion. Define realistic goals. Stick to them, impact oriented. Adjust your approach to evolving circumstances.”
Last but not least:
