Village Children's Fund

FIRST PROJECT

Expedition - In March of 2004, VCF coordinated with Guiyang province officials to conduct an expedition into the mountainous regions of Guizhou to witness and survey some of their most impoverished school systems. The target schools were in such remote regions it required the expedition team to drive for hours at often less than five miles per hour in SUVs over treacherous mountainous rock and dirt terrain inaccessible by regular automobiles.

Realizing the Mission - The VCF team arrived with many preconceived notions about what the impoverished village school systems neeeded.

Our top assumptions included: school supplies, clothing and perhaps food. However, in surveying each of the school principals directly, we discovered there was always one consistent answer: new schools. In the village of La You, for example, there are over 700 kids, and only enough facilities for 350. And thus, it became clear that VCF's mission would focus on funding and building new schools, and La You would become our first beneficiary.

Corporate Sponsorship - In the following months, while doing business in China, VCF officers spread the word on the incredibly inadequate school facilities to colleagues at Wistron and the urgent need of La You village. Individuals were so moved by the reports that a corporate initiative was enacted and enough funds were raised to build an entire school from scratch.

•••Government and Local Sponsorship - The Chinese Guiyan Provincial Government was so enthusiastic about receiving a donation to improve the school system that they also contributed funds. And the citizens of the recipient village of La You were so excited to receive a donation from a corporate sponsor and from the government they too pulled together whatever measly savings they could to contribute funds as well.

•••Groundbreaking - The official groundbreaking commenced in August of 2004 with great ceremony, celebration and fanfare. It is certainly not every day one of these villages has the opportunity to build a new school. In fact, it's more of a historic turning point for one of these villages.

•••Determination - Despite the grand start within weeks the transfer of building materials and all subsequent construction came to a grinding halt. It quickly became evident that there was no way for the trucks to deliver the materials by way of the treacherous mountainous dirt road. Weeks went by with no resolution. But the government was so determined to make this first partnership with VCF work they actually decided to fund the building of a brand new road to the village so the supplies could be delivered!

••• Completion - In the spring of 2005 the road was completed and the construction for the school continued. And most notably the actual construction labor costs for the school was free because it was the townspeople of La You, driven by the dream to improve the education of their children, who banded together to build the school with their own bare hands.

••• The School - The La You school was completed and opened in April, 2005. It has four classrooms, 50 square meters each. It will accommodate an additional 200 students to meet the demand for the current La You population.

••• The Future - And so the first VCF school building project was completed. Our first achievement serves as an example of the feats that can be accomplished when people band together for a worthy cause and stands as a bellwether of the future projects VCF hopes to accomplish with your help!

••