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　Project Hope's First Doctoral Student

    Zhang Zongyou, a native of impoverished Jinzhai County in east China's Anhui Province, has been enrolled in Nanjing University to study for a doctorate in classical Chinese literature, thus becoming the first doctoral student sponsored by Project Hope.

    In 1990, Zhang was on the verge of dropping out of high school, as his family could no longer afford his tuition fees.

    But thanks to Project Hope, Zhang was able to continue his studies, and was enrolled at Fuyang Normal College in Anhui Province in 1992, having been granted a special Project Hope scholarship.

    Zhang became Project Hope's first graduate student in 1996, when he was admitted to Nanjing University in east China's Jiangsu Province to pursue a master's degree. At the end of the three-year course, he was offered a teaching position at the university.

    Driven by the desire to be a competent teacher, Zhang worked hard to get admission for doctoral studies.

    "Project Hope has changed my life, and I will use my knowledge and talent to repay my motherland and society for the care given to me," said Zhang.

    Since it was launched in 1989, Project Hope has received over 1.5 billion yuan (about US$180 million) in donations from domestic and overseas sources. The fund has been used to build over 6 000 primary schools and help 2 million school dropouts in China's rural areas return to school.

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　Project Hope - Today's Hope Is China's Future

     China has achieved great accomplishment in education since 1949, in particular in the recent decade when its government pursues reform and open-door policy. It has an objective to realize nine year compulsory education, and basically eliminate illiteracy among young people by the year of 2000. This is a challenging task to a developing country of large size, great population, which is harried by economic disparity. The country's poverty-stricken areas are in great want of educational fund. Many children at school age are forced out of school for the reason of poverty.

    China Youth Development Foundation initiated the Project Hope, a social welfare program, in October 1989 to raise much-needed funds for the improvement of educational condition in China's poor areas and promote youth development in China.

    Goal: Its goal is to safeguard the educational rights of children in poor areas. In line with government policy of raising educational funds from a variety of sources, the Project Hope mobilizes Chinese and foreign materials and financial resources to help bring dropouts back to school, to improve educational facilities and to promote primary education in China's poverty-stricken areas.

    Achievements: The Project has been well received at home and abroad - donations have been received from institutions as well as tens of millions of individuals from all walks of life and different age groups. By the end of 1996, the Project had provided 1.55 million school dropouts the opportunity to return to school, sponsored the construction of 3634 Hope Primary Schools, and given to Hope Special Scholarship to 5426 high school and college students.

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