Nanjing YMCA Visit Funds Destitute Children and College Student Families in Anhui Province

In late August, 5 project leaders from the Nanjing YMCA and Hong Kong Christian Council responsible for the "pass it on project" and "extremely poor child sponsorship program" went to Yu'an district in Liu'an, and Lixin county in Bozhou city and other places in Anhui province. They visited several needy children and college students' families to find out about the current condition of the sponsored children.

According to the Civil and Religious Bureau of Jiangsu province, in six days, they visited 250 families who applied for "the most needy children program", and met with more than 40 college students who applied for the "pass it on project" to understand their family situation and evaluate whether or not they could be included in the program and to match the children with corresponding sponsors for the 2016-2017 season.

It is reported that the "pass it on project" and "extremely poor child sponsorship" is a non-profit project that the Nanjing YMCA and Hong Kong Christian council have been working on since 2010. The "pass it on project" is intended to help those who got into college but due to family financial difficulties, are unable to start school and face extreme difficulties in doing so. Each college student receives 5,000 yuan per year. The "extremely poor child sponsorship program" mainly sponsors children from a single or extremely ill parents and families with unexpected disasters . Each child receives 2,000 yuan per year.

Not only does the "pass it on project" offer financial support, it also encourages sponsors and the recipients to set up mentorships similar to parents and children or teachers and students so that the students can learn how to treat people and do things with their sponsors, learn gratitude and humility, and pass on the torch to others. The "Pass it on project" aims to train recipients to repay society and dedicate their love for its development, and encourages the students to carry out different public social welfare work. The sponsored students not only have reduced stress, they also appreciate the love from the school and society. They create a loving community, actively participating in the public welfare events and charity events, and help more people with their actions to pass on the essense of a good heart.

In this trip, they contacted nine students who have graduated or are still in school to participate in the program. These students volunteered actively, visiting the families door to door, and expressed that they would continue this voluntary work in the future. "This truly embodies the good results of passing the torch."