Community Outreach

China Study Abroad is committed to providing educational opportunities for Chinese students as well as international students. Each year CSA allocates a portion of its budget and resources to improving education in rural China. CSA’s efforts fall into three major categories: donations, volunteer work, and development.

Donations

The largest problem when it comes to global education is a lack of funding. To combat this, CSA sends a percentage of its yearly profits directly to rural schools and orphanages in China - one recent beneficiary is the Golog Orphanage in Qinghai Province.

Founded in 2004, this orphanage takes in children regardless of ethnicity, gender, and religious affiliation. Because of its location on the Tibetan Plateau, the vast majority of students are Tibetan who were either abandoned by their parents or whose parents are unable to care for them. The Golog Orphanage was founded by a Tibetan from the region who was also an orphan who raised funds after immigrating to Europe. Residents of the orphanage are guaranteed college funding if admitted, which is of huge benefit for children living in in this poverty-stricken area.

CSA has made multiple donations to Golog orphanage, including school supplies, clothing, toys, and sporting goods. While the orphanage is currently building bigger and better facilities, its greatest needs are facility upgrades and educational supplies. Due to its location on the frigid Tibetan Plateau, one of the its most egregious expenses is heating costs.

Other schools that have benefitted from the CSA volunteer and charity trips include the Zixing Elementary School in Hunan Province and the Shilin Boarding School of Yunnan Province.

Volunteering

CSA also works with various organizations to send volunteers to rural schools throughout China. All CSA students have the opportunity to volunteer in rural schools on the CSA bi-annual volunteer trip. CSA staff members also work with these schools to develop their volunteering programs, infrastructure, and publicity opportunities.

Development

CSA’s primary charitable focus is its development of community schools in impoverished areas. Our current project is the CSA Community School in Golog, which promotes community and cultural awareness. As an area of ongoing ethnic and religious tension between the Hui people, Tibetans and Han Chinese, Golog is in desperate need of such a center. Founded and overseen by famed human rights activist Wenzhou Hou, the school is in its fledgling stage; funded entirely by donations from CSA, it school admits students regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and religion and teaches basic classes in literacy, hygiene and arts, while also promoting ideas of cross-cultural collaboration. All thi comes entirely free of charge to the students. The goals of the Golog community school are to promote cultural awareness and provide upward mobility for community members lacking fundamental life and working skills.

We hope that the Golog Community School is the first of many community centers initiated by the efforts of CSA and its constituents, galvanizing our ideals of a porviding a truly global education to as many children as possible.