'Family' Help

Ma Feng, born in a poor village in Gansu province, is studying at the University of Liverpool with help from the charity organization, Educating Girls of Rural China.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Giving back

Many beneficiaries of EGRC are now looking for ways to give back to the organization. They actively volunteer in fundraising activities and help with updating its website and official WeChat account.

According to Ma, apart from an annual meeting at which the young women EGRC is helping meet Tien and extend their contracts for a year, they also have support groups in each city where those with same rural background share experiences, report school performances, and get advice and even used clothes from older ones.

Till now, about 700 girls have had the chance to receive education through the senior middle school sponsorship program and university sponsorship program of EGRC.

In 2012, EGRC began to sponsor female middle school graduates who cannot afford further studies. At that point, Tien launched a summer volunteer teaching program that attracts dozens of alumnae providing mentorship to young students.

Financial hardship takes priority when selecting candidates, rather than their school performance.

Nearly 85 percent of the senior middle school girls she sponsors failed the college entrance examination, according to Tien.

"The exam score is not the only criterion. I want to find other options for them," says Tien.

Tien's group now has offers from a restaurant franchise called Wagas, which gives these girls an opportunity to work and live in big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Many young rural women marry early and stay in their hometowns their whole lives. Tien believes that they should go to big cities, gain useful experience and lead an independent life, even though one day they may return to their hometowns.