The Little Boy Sponsored by Ford is About to Graduate from College!

Oct 08, 2024

4 MIN READ

Interests: DEI & Wellbeing Our Ford+ Plan Our People

Interests: DEI & Wellbeing Our Ford+ Plan Our People

The boy in the photo is named Yang Zhou. He is from Yongshun, Hunan, and he was one of the first children sponsored by Ford’s Orphan Education Project when it was initiated in 2012.

In 2021, Yang Zhou was accepted into Hunan Normal University. This past summer, he completed an internship at a hotel in Hong Kong and then returned to school to finish his final year of university, where he is now preparing himself for broader horizons.

Supporting Orphan Education

The Orphan Education Project is one of the earliest volunteer initiatives launched by Ford in China. The program provides living expenses for orphans who have lost parental care, so that they may complete their primary and secondary education.

This year, employees from Ford China, along with their friends and family, raised a total of 519,406 RMB for the Orphan Education Project.

Over 7,400,000 RMB has been raised since the project's inception in 2012, which has gone into helping nearly 3,000 people times among those orphans.

Like Yang Zhou, many children involved in the initiative have continued their studies into college, with volunteers tirelessly providing support throughout their journeys. This year, 17 participants in the project took the college entrance exam, and 12 of them were accepted into undergraduate or junior college programs.

Rainbow Charity Market

The Rainbow Center in Nanjing is home to a group of special needs children with serious illnesses who have been abandoned. They are our beloved “Rainbow Babies” whom we care deeply about. Every year, Ford volunteers deliver supplies to them on Children's Day, and this year they also organized a spring outing for the children.

On Sept. 8, Ford held a “Doing Good Together” Charity Market at the Hua Cai Tian Di shopping center in Nanjing to raise funds for the children at the Rainbow Center. Twenty-five volunteer families signed up for the event, bringing unused books, appliances, tents, and more from their homes to contribute to the charity sale, while also raising awareness about the Rainbow Center and Ford’s Global Caring Month.

The most special stall at the market was the one by the Rainbow Center, which was selling handmade crafts, paintings, calligraphy, and colorful pottery made by the Rainbow Babies themselves. Each piece was filled with heart and sincerity, representing the love of the Center’s children. All proceeds from the charity sale will be donated to the Rainbow Center.

Fire Safety

Fire safety has always been a topic of major societal concern. For children, learning self-rescue skills in case of a fire is crucial knowledge.

On Sept. 23, volunteers and professionals from the Blue Leopard Rescue Team held a safety education session for nearly 600 teachers and students at Mochou Lake Primary School.

The session covered fire safety knowledge, fire prevention, fire escape techniques, and civil defense training. Students also practiced using fire extinguishers and participated in emergency evacuation drills. When the practice alarm sounded, all of the teachers and students evacuated quickly and efficiently, maintaining order and discipline.

Video Classroom

On Sept. 25, Ford China’s Video Classroom hosted a unique Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival. This special online event brought volunteer teachers from Nanjing close together with students from Taguanying Primary School in Yunnan through classical Chinese culture.

Everyone dressed in ancient costumes, as if traveling back in time, transforming into ancient poets and immersing themselves in the unique and melodious rhythm of Chinese poetry.

The first part of the festival involved reciting poetry. The teachers and students recited classic verses together, each line resonating with the profound sentiment of ancient times. After that, a teacher would present a theme word, and students would responded with verses that connected to the theme, filling the “classroom” with inspiration and synchronized energy. The charm of poetry interpreted in a kind of creative dance between the teachers and students, resulted in an enchanting melody and kaleidoscope of culture and creativity.

Child Traffic Safety

Child traffic safety has always been a major concern for parents. Only by strengthening children's safety education and cultivating their traffic safety awareness can we reduce incidents of traffic accidents. So, on Sept. 6, volunteers visited Meiyuan Primary School in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, to deliver an engaging and illustrative traffic safety course for the students.

The volunteers introduced traffic safety signs and their uses, using scenario-based games to help children recognize these signs and enhance their safety awareness skills.

At the end, the volunteers and students worked together to put on a traffic safety-related performance, which the children were very enthusiastic and eager to take part in.

Sunshine Home

Sunshine Home is a non-profit organization established by the Shanghai Municipal Government, serving young people aged 16-35 with cognitive disabilities. On Sept. 13, volunteers visited Yangpu Stadium to engage in a frisbee match with members of the Hongkou District Sunshine Home.

Sixteen members of Sunshine Home were paired with volunteers, and professional instructors taught them how to throw a frisbee. Amidst laughter and joy, everyone practiced their throwing techniques and then participated in frisbee competitions by team. The participants not only learned technical tips during the frisbee lessons, but also strengthened their bodies through exercise and embraced the spirit of sportsmanship.

Through companionship and warm interactions like this, we can better help Sunshine Home members develop communication skills, boost social confidence, and integrate more effectively into wider society.

River Protection

On Sept. 21, under the guidance of professional instructors, volunteers used measuring and detection tools to assess the health of each river across five aspects: water quality, unrestricted flow of water, zones where water meets the land, biodiversity, and human-river interaction. This activity aimed to raise awareness about the health of local rivers.

This Green Weekend River Protection Activity was the most participated volunteer activity during this year's Caring Month. Volunteers, along with their families, explored local water sources, appreciated the beauty of rivers, and helped to identify river health issues. In learning about the importance and challenges of keeping water clean, the participants also enhanced their environmental protection awareness and skills.

“Be Your Eyes”

The “Be Your Eyes” volunteer activity was designed to enhance social inclusivity and empathy by helping participants to better understand people living with visual impairments, as well as promoting the development of a more accessible society for all.

On Sept. 25, participants gathered early at the entrance of Century Park in Pudong to meet with a group of individuals with visual impairments. Volunteers learned about the right etiquette for interacting with the visually impaired, including how to guide them up and down stairs and through narrow passages.

Participants also donned blindfolds to experience walking in darkness. With the help and encouragement of their visually impaired running partners, together, they ran without seeing, giving the participants firsthand insight into the world of the visually impaired.