Providing scolarships for unpriviledged children represents one of Thien Chi's biggest commitments. We truly believe that education can represent of way out of poverty for many families in the poor communities. However, school fees are usually hard to bear for families who struggle to get enough food on the table. The higher the grade, the higher so fees, so it is not unusal for children to drop out of school after grade 9 and go help their parents.
In close collaboration with the local authorities, the village workers and the schools, Thien Chi provides scolarships to more than 1,500 students in 135 schools each year. Thien Chi visits the families to assess the situation, and decide whether or not to provide a scolarship. If the family is chosen, talks with the parents and the children help to decide which child will be supported. Thien Chi provides maximum one scolarship per family, and the government can contribute for the other children. The family commits to send the child to school every day. If the school reports that the child is not attending classes, all of Thien Chi's support for this family will be stopped. Also, to make sure that the scolarship money is actually used for school fees, Thien Chi gives it after the families already paid them. The school knows that Thien Chi will provide scolarships, so even if families cannot afford to pay beforehand, children can still attend classes until Thien Chi pays for it.
Each year, the schools send a list of the poor children in need of a scholarship. This list represents 20 to 30% of all children in the school. Thien Chi then selects the families who need it the most. So students who benefit from a scholarship one year do not always have one for the next year, as other families are more in need. The local authorities also take action to make sure that children can get an education.
Scolarships are a huge relief for the families and they play a key role in the children's development. Going to school everyday keeps them busy and allows them to learn about many different subjects. It opens up their perspectives. Instead of doing daily jobs with their parents, they can look forward to a better future where they do something that they like and that can pull them out of poverty. The social value of school cannot be underestimated: children can spend time with their friends, but also learn how to behave in a society, respect the rules, be kind to others. This is particularly important in a child's development. Children who cannot afford to go to school usually stay at home all day; they have no social interaction with anyone but their families. On the other hand, a child that has good results in school is a source of pride for its family. The dynamics shift completely as they are more optimistic about their future too.