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"Dripping Water" Tea Sale Brightens Hope for Needy Children
For several years the Phelex Foundation has been exploring
ways to make school-run projects sustainable for the support of needy
children's education. The "Dripping Water" Tea Sale at the
Beijing Spring Book Fair in May 2002 brought us hope by clearing a
path to solve the problem of project sustainability.
Along with the Overseas Chinese Tea Business Foundation and Beijing
Callan Service Center, the Phelex Foundation invited Zhang Jiarong,
the principal of the Dripping Water Elementary School, and three of
his students from Gucheng County, Hubei Province to participate in
this charitable Tea Sale event. The children brought 114 kilograms
of processed tea (about 4,021 ounces) to the Book Fair. This crop
had been harvested from the Frances Rollins Tea Garden. It was sold
for Rmb 24,280 (US$2,961) in 7 days. The "Dripping Water"
tea meets the international standards set by Zeta Enterprises, and
passed the local quality control inspections. The event received overwhelming
attention, and people donated books, stationery, musical instruments,
and other goods to the Dripping Water School children. (Please
see the list of donations)
The Dripping Water Elementary School is located in the northwest of
Hubei Province, 80 kilometers from Xiangfan, the nearest large city.
As a small school, it used to have 98, and now has 57 students, in
grades 1-4. Many students cannot afford the Rmb 300 per year tuition.
In 1998, the Phelex Foundation helped the school establish "The
Frances Rollins Tea Garden" hoping that income from the growth
and processing of tea would be available for tuition payments. As
of 2001, the Frances Rollins Tea Garden had brought RMB 29,134 worth
of revenue, which helped pay tuition fees for 398 students within
last four years.
Several Beijing media outlets reported the event. On three consecutive
days, the Beijing Youth News featured "Selling Tea to Raise Funds
for Tuition at the Book Fair" , which each day attracted more
and more people to the Book Fair. Principal Zhang Jiarong and one
of his students were also invited to a radio hotline program to answer
questions. (please see the Beijing
Youth News reports on May 1-3)
The event was also supported by the Hubei Province Education Committee,
the Xiangfan City Education Bureau, the Dripping Water village and
its Community Council, a Beijing TV station, the China Alleviation
Foundation, Wuyutai Tea Ltd., and many other caring organizations
and individuals. The Phelex Foundation was pleased to see the overwhelming
public support and successful results of the tea sale. These results
created for us a sustainable solution to the problem of needy children's
education. There are now 11 other schools managing tea gardens as
a sustainable source of income to help impoverished children. Theses
Phelex project schools are spread in rural Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi,
Guangxi, Guangdong and Yunan Province. Helping them find markets is
one of the biggest challenges for the Phelex Foundation.
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Thomas Saccardi,a visitor from Wall Street,inspected Dripping Water project and Xieshan project
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American volunteers' teaching activity in Xinglong County during the May Day Holiday
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In April 2006,The Raybin Q.Wong Educational Foundation’s representative Ms.Shaopeizhen visited the tuition aid project in Xinglong Vocational School.
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In April 2006,UPM representative Ms.Soile visited the tuition aid project in Lukou, Jiangsu Province, accompanied by Phelex staff.
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In March 2006,community council elelction meeting was held Sichuan and Guizhou Province.
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Between November 22 and 28, 2005,visit elementary schools in Henan Province.
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Cultural communication between Chinese and American students in 2004.
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In 2004,report from the Ansi Elementary School in Yanan.
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In August 2003,Making Connections-- City Youngsters meet Rural Children.
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MORE HIGHLIGHTS
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