CWEF Scholarships and CWLA

March 2010 Newsletter

Due to poverty and discrimination, there are many talented girls in the rural areas of Yunnan that have no opportunity to go to school. As part of our commitment to furthering education, CWEF provides scholarships to rural girls in order to allow them to continue their education. To date, CWEF has donated over 500 scholarships to students in the Yunnan Province

In addition to providing scholarships, CWEF has also implemented a youth development program called the Concordia Women’s Leadership Academy (CWLA). CWLA is a training program that concentrates on the personal growth and development of the scholarship recipients. Rural girls often lack support and guidance in their education because none of their family members are educated.

CWLA addresses this need by mentoring the girls in four core subject matters: communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-evaluation, and study skills. Participants become more confident and skilled at dealing with their environment giving them a better chance to succeed personally and professionally in the future.

Li Daoli, a CWEF high school scholarship recipient, experienced the positive impact of CWLA firsthand. As described by our CWEF Education Director:

“Whether in others’ eyes or her self-image, Li Daoli is a ‘strong’ girl. As she said, studying to enter high school was a life-changing decision. She wants to enter college and become a policewoman. CWEF’s scholarship will help make that possible and help relieve her family’s financial worries. What is more, CWLA inspired her to begin to think about a lot of life questions. Now, she has some new ideas about herself and the world. What impressed her most about CWLA activities was the exercise entitled “12 changes I want.” In this exercise, the girls are required to write down 12 changes they want to see in themselves in 1 year and in 3 years. Li Daoli said, ‘I learned to ask myself questions and reflect about myself.’”

If you would like to know more about sponsoring a scholarship through CWEF, please visit www.cwef.org.hk for more information or email me directly. **Some of this information is taken directly from CWEF materials**

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