Frequently Asked Questions

1.Why does the project sponsor only the students in Tienyang County?

We happen to have the most adequate information about Tienyang County (GuangXi Province). This information comes from the local volunteers and teachers in the county. We would love to help the needy children in other parts of China as well, but at the moment we are limited by our manpower and financial resources. Future collaborations with other organisations might help us realise this goal.

* Note: Starting from 2004, we have also provided scholarships for children in Sichuan. Much of our work and our ability to help students in different parts of China depend on collaborations with charity organisations and volunteers in China, but the aim of our work does not change.  

2. What is the selection procedure for the sponsored children ?

Our primary focus is on helping students at high school level since high school students pay the highest academic and maintenance fees (about 1100 RMB per twice-yearly semester). Primary and secondary school children are exempted from paying academic school fees due to the implementation of China's 'Nine-year continuous education program', but we will also try to help financially those who find difficultis paying for their books and accomodation. In our selection, we first obtain a list of potential students compiled by the volunteer teachers from where we begin our initial filtering process. We communicate extensively with local school officials and volunteer teachers to better understand the students' academic performance and family background. We then make direct calls to the local school teachers for final verification before finalising the names of the students we will sponsor. We will take all measures to ensure that the donors' love and contribution are delivered to the most needy students.

3. What is the selection criteria for the students ?

We shortlist and select our students based on the following selection criteria: A. Students' family background : Parental status. Annual family income. In particular we place priority on students whose family members may be suffering from illness etc. B. Students' aptitude and academic performance : we aim to sponsor promising students who show a strong desire for study, have good academic records, and demonstrate promising talents. C. If there is already two or more children schooling in the family, we will normally consider omitting the student from our list. We would most certainly like to sponsor them as well, but with our current limited resources, we have decided to give preference to families who have only one schooling child.

4. Will the donor get a receipt? Is the donation tax-deductible?

Each donor will receive from our organisation an electronic receipt which acknowledges the amount of donation he or she has contributed, and his/her name will be updated on the donor list on our website. We do not issue hard-copy paper receipts since we are not a registered charity organisation in UK yet. Hence such receipts if issued to the donors will not be legally valid and will not be eligible for tax-deduction.

5. What portion of the donations eventually reaches the hands of the needy students?

We guarantee that one hundred percent of your donation goes to the needy children. All expenses incurred during the relief, such as travel expenses and financial transaction charges, will be borne by ToHope Volunteers.

6. Is the donation sent directly to the students or the school?

To safeguard the interests of the donors and the well-being of the sponsored students, the volunteers from ToHope organisation will pay the schools on behalf of the students. This ensures that the students do not misuse the scholarship. In return we will collect the receipts issued by the school which are to be kept by both ToHope organisation and the students. At no time will the funds be handled by a third-party during the relief.

7. Is ToHope organization an umbrella branch of China's Hope Project, or in any ways related to it?

No. We are an entirely independent, non-profit organisation founded by overseas Chinese students in the University of Cambridge, UK. All of us are volunteers, and we do not have any political motivations or links with any other political parties in Cambridge. Our motivation is based purely on our desire to contribute towards the education of needy children in China. We do believe that we share the same goals and beliefs as the Hope Project in promoting education in the rural parts of China.

8. Who are the organisation's inspectors in China? What are their duties and obligations?

We do not employ inspectors in China. In a way, the local volunteer teachers involved in the Chinese Volunteer Program and the oficials from Project Hope are our 'inspectors' in China. This allows us to obtain true information of the students' academic performance and family background. At the same time we maintain close contacts with Project Hope officials, and rely on their rich experiences in promoting regional education.

9. Can I specify the child I wish to sponsor ?

Our aim is to set up a scholarship which awards the most promising students in Tienyang county on a broad scale. We do not handle one-to-one sponsorship. However we encourage you to look up our website for links to other non-profit organisations which do one-to-one sponsorship.

* Note: We now have a One-to-One project running on a small scale. Please click on the link on the main menu for more information. 

10. When are the relief dates and how can I learn of the outcome of the relief work ?

The tentative date for the relief stage is towards the end of September, when some of our volunteers will arrive at Tienyang County. With the help of the local volunteer teachers and school officials, we will record down all relief details in the form of photos and detailed reports. All receipts issued and signed by the sponsored students will also be photographed and posted onto our website at the end of the relief.