During GIFT’s 3rd Global Young Leaders Programme (YLP) held inYunnan Province, China, in June 2007 the team became aware of the fact that local farmers in Pingzhang village were struggling to pay costly school fees causing half of the students in the area to drop out of school as a result. To provide students with a chance at a brighter future, the YLP team instituted an 18-month scholarship over and above the Pingzhang business plan which gave three recipients access to fees and living costs at a larger town’s school.

Now 16 months later, The YLP team’s contribution has allowed girls like Chu Huanying and Yang Cuiying, to be the first ones in their family to go to university. With financial support from GIFT, Huanying says she was able to “stop worrying about money and concentrate on preparations for the College Entrance Examination.” As a result, she was able to graduate among the top five in her grade and has been admitted to Yunnan Nationalities University. Similarly, Yang Cuiying performed well in her college entrance exams and is now considering different universities for her future studies.

The third scholarship recipient, Yang Zurong has recently graduated from college and is now pursuing his career in Chinese medicine. He is currently working part-time at the Yixin Drugstore which allows him to support his family while pursuing further studies at the local university. Zurong dreams of using his newly acquired knowledge and skills to make a wider impact in his community. He hopes to “work hard and contribute his share to the development of Pingzhang and the broader society.

The students’ success has shown how a small amount of funding can create a lasting impact on developing communities.

GIFT continues to work towards promoting sustainable development initiatives in the Pingzhang farming community. For information on the Pingzhang business plan for Non-Timber Forest Products please contact Thomas Tang at E: