From Aid to Agency

Source: NEWSCHINA July 丨 2025
By Xu Ming

As poverty recedes in China, student-focused foundations are shifting from financial aid to personal empowerment, tackling mental health, career planning and self-development to close the education gap in underdeveloped areas.

As we worked with students, we realized that financial need is no longer the biggest barrier to [personal] growth,” said Li Chanjuan, a legal representative for Zhejiang Xin Hua Compassion Education Foundation (XHEF), which organizes similar study tours and brings its beneficiaries to companies and universities in developed cities every year. “The real challenges lie in areas like mental health, personal development and career planning.”

Big Assists

When XHEF founder Wang Chienshien launched the Hope for Pearl project 20 years ago, financial hardship was the primary obstacle blocking students’ educational paths.

In 2004, after taking over a high school in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, Wang discovered that several promising students never arrived, unable to afford the costs of attending. In response, Wang initiated Hope for Pearl, which waived tuition and accommodation fees for students in need and provided stipends. The model was soon adopted in other regions. 

Today, his foundation partners with high schools across the country, providing eligible students with an annual subsidy of 2,500 yuan (US$343), while schools waive their fees. In areas with partner schools, XHEF raises awareness among junior middle school students so they can apply for aid after passing entrance exams.

By the end of 2024, the project had collaborated with over 200 schools in 25 provinces, helping nearly 100,000 students complete high school, according to XHEF’s annual report. 

Back when rural families depended almost entirely on farming, high school costs were a significant burden, said Tang Yunpeng, XHEF’s secretary general. A child attending school also meant lost income from potential labor.

Tang noted that aid distribution is linked to local economies. “Most of our students are from provinces and regions like Gansu, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, less-developed regions in China’s southwest and northwest,” he said. 

In some families, gender bias presented another barrier. “Without timely aid, many girls would go straight to factories after completing their nine-year compulsory education,” Tang said. In 2023, 60 percent of the 6,022 students the foundation supported were girls.

Decreased Burden

With rising incomes and stronger government aid policies, the role of private financial assistance is gradually diminishing, several foundation staff told NewsChina. 

Driven by nationwide poverty alleviation efforts, per capita disposable income in formerly impoverished rural areas more than doubled from 6,079 yuan to 12,588 yuan (US$836-1,371) between 2013 and 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 11.6 percent, according to the State Council.

“Most families can now afford high school unless they’re in extreme circumstances, like being orphaned or having family members with serious illnesses,” said Ren Yalin, an employee at XHEF who has visited numerous applicants’ homes.

Today, the bulk of XHEF’s beneficiaries are students facing more complex disadvantages. According to the foundation’s 2024 annual report, among the over 6,800 students funded in 2024, 20.5 percent come from single-parent families and 1.7 percent are orphans or “de facto orphans” – children of parents unable to be guardians due to imprisonment, illness or other reasons. The remaining 77.8 percent with both parents were from low-income families of varying circumstances, from disease to heavy debt.

Lan Xiuzhen, an 18-year-old from a mountainous village in Fu’an, Fujian Province, joined the Hope for Pearl project three years ago. Her grandfather is paralyzed, which prevents her father from working outside the home. Her mother suffers from a chronic illness and earns a meager income washing dishes.

“My parents would have supported me no matter what, but it would have put them under huge pressure,” said Lan, now a student at Ningde Nationality High School in Fujian, where about 150 students are supported by the project.

“Without support from the school and foundations, many would struggle. Some might even go hungry,” Ren said.

Since 2012, the government has steadily expanded its student aid system to cover all educational stages. High school students from low-income families can now apply for tuition and fee waivers, as well as support for meals and accommodation through partnerships among local governments, nonprofits and businesses.

Located in a major settlement of the She ethnic group, students at Ningde High benefit from targeted support for ethnic groups, in addition to national and corporate aid. “In this environment, students rarely drop out just because of money,” said Ding Yi, the school’s vice president.

“Our support, combined with that of the government and schools, eases families’ financial stress and improves students’ quality of life,” added Tang Yunpeng from the XHEF. “But it’s increasingly becoming the icing on the cake.”

‘Natural Evolution’

In recent years, growing attention has turned to barriers beyond financial need that hinder students’development in underdeveloped areas. As social mobility appears to slow, there is increasing concern about how students from humble backgrounds are losing access to quality education and good jobs. This is due not only to unequal schooling resources but also to a lack of earlylife family support in many aspects of development.

Teenagers, especially in underdeveloped areas, face heavy academic pressure and rapid physical and emotional changes. However, psychological guidance is often lacking, especially in low-income families, where parents may have high academic expectations but overlook their children’s mental well-being.

In 2018, XHEF launched a mental health initiative that trains frontline teachers, delivers lectures and offers counseling services. By 2023, the program had supported 150 schools in 24 provinces and trained over 900 teachers.

“The shift toward empowerment is a natural evolution,” said Li Chanjuan at the foundation. “It reflects higher aspirations after basic needs are met. These programs are rooted in what we’ve learned from years of working closely with students, parents and teachers.”

Difficult Shift

Li Chanjuan with XHEF agreed. “Donation and support only come when values align,” she said. To address this, her team has been conducting both qualitative and quantitative assessments, such as observing student behavior before and after attending empowerment camps and developing professional evaluation tools, to make their impact more visible and understandable to supporters.

Another challenge lies in staffing. “There are many experts in various fields,” Li said, “but it’s hard to find people who not only share our values but also have the time and energy to work directly with the students.” 

Despite these hurdles, everyone interviewed believes empowerment offers a deeper and more lasting impact.

Lan Xiuzhen is a pseudonym