In China’s cities, migrant workers and their families are undervalued, underpaid, and undereducated. They are marginalized and have little stability in their working and living environment. Compassion for Migrant Children (CMC) is one organization working to change that. This Beijing based NGO, offers tutoring and training for migrant children, their parents, and teachers through community centers strategically located in migrant neighborhoods. I spoke with Jonathan Hursh, the founder of CMC, to learn more about their work.
Recently, the China Charity and Donation Information Center released the 2009 First Half-Year Report on Charitable Donations in China. The report provided macro data of philanthropy given to Chinese charitable causes including the total size of donations, the portion of donations received from overseas sources, a breakdown of donations received by each charitable sector, and a demographic of donors. Below I summarize some important findings from the report.
Human trafficking affects an estimated 600,000 to 800,000
people every year. This global problem affects every part of the world and
devastates not only those who are taken from their homes, but their families
who are often helpless to find missing family members. The majority of
trafficked persons are women and children who are often the most vulnerable to
predators. Because of the nature of trafficking it is impossible to know just how
many people are kidnapped each year. Estimates range broadly with anywhere
between several thousand to several hundred thousand women and children
trafficked both internally and internationally. Current news reports say that between
30,000 and 60,000 children are reported missing each year and it is certain
that many of these are trafficked.
As
millions of workers have migrated from China’s rural areas to factories and
urban areas, they have left behind millions of children. In 2005, China
Daily reported
that approximately 10 million children are growing up without their parents and
in 2007, the All-China
Women's Federation estimated 40 million children
under 15 have been left-behind (click
here for a map of where these children live).These children are
often cared for by a remaining parent, grandparent, or family member and do not
see their parent(s) for months or even years at a time. Parents are, of course,
reluctant to leave their children, but with the lack of employment and the
promise of work in cities, they feel that leaving is the best way to provide
for their families. While they send money home, the kids left behind are also
left to their own devices.
I was doing some research on literacy
in China this week and came across a great report by UNESCO. The history and
progress of China’s literacy is an important part of the country’s overall
educational health, so I wanted to highlight some of the information I’ve
gleaned in my reading.
Trying to find a consensus on the
growth of literacy in China is like trying to find a grey rock in a quarry of
gravel. The one agreement is that literacy is growing, but sorting through the
data for the most reliable information proves challenging. For the first fifty
years of the 20th century, illiteracy (不识字或识字很少) in China remained at
a steady 85-80% of the population. Thereafter, the figures start to vary. Below
is a broad view of literacy rates:
It almost goes without saying that education drives China.
Every family has hopes that their one child will not only graduate from high
school but from there to college. China has a 9 year compulsory system. Beyond
that students must pass a middle school exam to attend high school and likewise
a high school exam to matriculate. For
China’s rural population, the dream is out of reach more often than not.
According to a recent article on CSR Asia, only
17.7% of the country’s university students come from rural areas, down from
nearly 30% in the 1980s—clear evidence of China’s wealth chasm. Still, it seems
strange that the situation would be getting worse when more resources are
available than ever. Several factors do contribute to the problem including:
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