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Country OfficeProgramme Unit

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XixiangChunhua

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Longde

3 GOOD REASONS why Plan works in China

CHINA FACTS

Children in Chaijiapan Village feeding pigs.• Despitemassiveeconomicgrowth,therearemillions

ofChinesestilllivinginpoverty

• Lessthan40%ofchildrenintheareaofChinawherePlanworkshaveaccesstonurserycareandeducation–despitesuchcarebeingvitalforyoungsterstoreachtheirfullpotential

• Twentymillionmigrantchildrenareexcludedfromsocialserviceslikeeducation,healthandsanitation,andtheyareatriskofabuse

Our priorities in China• Workingtoimprovethehealthofmothersandbabies

• Advocatingforchildren’srights

• Improvingstandardsofeducation

• Helpingtoprovidecleanwaterandsanitation

• Helpingtocreatesustainablelivelihoods

Capital: Beijing

Population:1.29billion

Language: Mandarin,withmanylocaldialects.

Climate:TheclimateofChinavariesgreatly.Thenorthernzone(containingBeijing)hassummerdaytimetemperaturesofmorethan30degreesCelsiusandwintersofArcticseverity.Thecentralzone(containingShanghai)hasatemperatecontinentalclimate

withveryhotsummersandcoldwinters.Thesouthernzone(containingGuangzhou)hasasubtropicalclimatewithveryhotsummersandmildwinters.

Economy:TheChineseGovernmentcallstheireconomicsystem“SocialismwithChinesecharacteristics”.ThesizeofChina’seconomyhasbeenrapidlyincreasing,thoughsomenowquestionwhetherthecosthasbeen

toogreat,andwhethertheeconomyhas‘overheated’, withsideeffectssuchaspollutionandasubstantialgapbetweenrichandpoorworryingmanyChinese.

CHINAA YEAR IN

SUMMARY REPORT09

StudentsofBeiXiPrimarySchoolreadingintheirnewclassroom.

Education – from nursery-level up – is crucial to lifting families and communities out of poverty in the long term. In China, our aim is to increase the number of children going to nursery school and lobby the Chinese government to improve the standard of nursery and primary education. We also aim to help more girls (whose schooling is often neglected) to go to school, and increase the ability of schools, Chinese organisations and the government to provide children with a quality education.

The Bigger Picture

FOCUS ON:

Tolearnmoreabout Plan’sworkinChinanvisit plan.org.au/ourwork/asia/china

Planisworkingwithchildren,familiesandwholecommunitiestoaddresstheproblemsthatChinafaces.Thisreportcanonly tellasmallpartofthatstory.Asafurtherinsight,lastyearwealso:

• Setupanetworkofschools,governmentbodiesandotherorganisationstoprotectchildren(especiallymigrantchildren)fromviolenceandabuse

• Improvedruralwatersupplyandsanitation.1,589waterpointshavebeenupgradedand9,704latrinesconstructedorrebuilt

• Helpedtrain4,300farmersinpoorruralareasonmoresustainablefarmingandproductionmethods

• Supportedthedistributionofmaterialstomakesheltersandothersuppliesfollowingthemassiveearthquakeof12May2008.

Yoursupportasasponsoriscrucialtoachievingthesepositiveresults.Soonbehalfofthecommunities,partnerorganisations,andmostofallthechildrenweworkwith–thankyou!

StudentsatBaiYangPrimarySchool.

A YEAR IN

SUMMARY REPORT 09

ProducedforChinabytheAustralianNationalOffice.

plan.org.au

THE LOCAL EXPERT

IMPROVING STANDARDS OF EDUCATION

For a child, the early years are so important. It’s when they first learn to care for themselves,

play constructively and interact with others.

Yetinmanycountries,children’searlydevelopmentisneglected,becauseparentshavetoworklonghourstoensurethefamily’ssurvival.Theylackthetimeandenergytospendwiththeirkids.Andnurseryschools,wheretheyexist,frequentlyhaveanoverly-rigid,old-fashionedapproachtolearning,orsimplydon’texistatall.

Planisworkingwithlocalpeopletochangethat.InChina,we’vefoundthebestwaytomakeadifferenceistotrainateamofexperts,eachofwhomwillpassontheskillsthey’velearnedtoamuchlargergroupofteachers,parentsandotherswhoworkwithchildren.Thisapproachcreatesa“multiplier-effect”,reachingasurprisinglylargearea.Lastyear,wetrainedmorethan35EarlyChildhoodCareandDevelopment(ECCD)trainers.Theyinturnhavegivensupporttoover200nurseryteachers,eachoneofwhomwillworkwiththousandsofchildrenovertheircareers.

Maisonesuchtrainer.He’salocalgovernmentworkerinPucheng,centralChina,whohasattendedaseriesofPlantrainingcourseswhichhavehelpedhimdevelophisskills.Henowhasanextensiveknowledgeofmodernmethodsofnurseryeducationandcarewhichfarexceedswhat’sgenerallyonofferinruralChina.

A new experiment

Ma’scareerasa“localexpert”reallytookoffin2005,whenhereceivedtrainingfromPlanaspartofourECCDproject.Thecoursegreatlyexpandedhisideasoncaringforchildren,buthewantedhardevidencethattheywouldworkinpractice.SoheputthenewideastothetestinakindergarteninPucheng,settingupan“experimentalclass”totryoutnewmethodsintheautumntermof2007.

ByDecember2007,aftertheexperimentalclasshadbeenrunningforthreemonths,Macomparedthechildrenintheexperimentalclassestothoseinotherclassesandnoticedarealdifference–animpressionsharedbyparents.Inthewordsofonemother:“Ifindmychildhasbecomebraver,politerandcleverer.Nowhecandomanythingsbyhimself,suchastyinghisshoelaces.”

Lastyear,MaorganisedthechildrenofPuchengKindergartentoputonaschoolplay.Inthepast,suchperformanceshadbeenratherdullandrepetitiveactivities,butunderMa’sleadership, thechildrenandparentsfoundtheplaywasatotallydifferentexperience–fun,light-heartedandenjoyable.

Maalsoholdstrainingsessionsforparents,teachingthemhowtocareforandeducatetheirchildren.Otherteachersnowfollowhisideas.

A role model

NowMahasbeeninvitedtodifferentpartsofthecountrytogivetrainingtoparentsandteachersonhowbesttodealwithyoungchildren.Hisreputationhasspreadtosuchadegreethatnowparentscomeandconsulthimonthebestwaytobringuptheirchildren.He’sevenpublishedaseriesoftrainingbookswhichhavebeenpraisedbylocalleaders.

Overtheyears,Mahaskepttryingtoimprovehimself.HisambitionistobecomePuchengCounty’srecognisedlocalexpert.Butofcourse,it’snotreallyabouthim.Hisprogresshasraisedtheprofileoftheimportanceofcareandeducationfortoddlers.Ashesays:“IamdeeplyproudofmyroleasanECCDtrainer.Isincerelyhopethatthroughmytraining,therewillbemoreandmorehigh-qualitytrainers,whomay,themselves,beofmuchgreaterusethanme.”Somenameshavebeenchanged forchildprotectionandprivacypurposes.

CHINA

“Ma’s progress has raised the profile of the importance of care and education for toddlers.”

“Nursery schools, where they exist, frequently have an overly-rigid, old-fashioned approach to learning.”