Press Release: EdTech Program Prepares Underprivileged Children for Tech Dependent Job Market

​Chao Foundation and Transparent Fish Fund collectively donated $112,908 to Orphan Impact in March 2016, which will enable their computer training programs to expand from Vietnam into China this year. $64,908 of the grant will go toward the pilot program for migrant children in China.
 
Orphan Impact equips disadvantaged students with the critical thinking and technology skills they need to succeed in the future. Orphan Impact has already trained over 600 Vietnamese children in 20 different orphanages. $48,000 of this year’s grant will go toward expanding the program in Vietnam to 10 more orphanages, bringing the total to 30.
 
The international expansion of the program will enable Orphan Impact to establish computer classes in 2 Chinese migrant schools. The pilot program will be started in Shanghai in partnership with Stepping Stones. Stepping Stones is a nonprofit charitable organization with a mission to improve the education and welfare of underprivileged children in China.

​Mr. Zhang is the principal and founder of one of these schools, which has 700 students and 30 teachers. Although they have a computer room, the equipment is too old to use. The outdated bulky desktop monitors just collect dust.
 
Mr. Liu is the principal of the other school, which was started in 2000. They have 600 students from 7-15 years old, and although there are 26 teachers, none of them specialize in technology.
 
The grant will enable these migrant children to receive new computer equipment and lessons from trained teachers on how to use technology. These foundational skills are essential to helping the students eventually make a livelihood.
 
The classes will benefit middle school students, who have been selected for the pilot program because they are at the end of their educational road. At the end of grade 9, they will go out to work, or at best receive vocational training—they won’t be able to continue to high school or college.
 
The tech education will be taught in lieu of English, which the students have no motivation to learn. Orphan Impact’s educational model will give the youth more consistent attention and support. A computer training based around practical skills and focused on broader life skills can make a big difference in the future of these children.
 
The grant was officially given to Orphan Impact on March 12, 2016 at the Evening of Hope gala. The dinner and auction event was hosted by Kidspire (Orphan Impact’s parent organization) in Portland, Oregon.
 
“With their previous grants, Chao Foundation and Transparent Fish Fund have already helped us double our impact in Vietnam,” said Tad Kincaid, Orphan Impact’s Project Director. “We’re excited that this year’s grant will enable us to not only reach 300 more orphans in Vietnam but to also start helping 1300 children in China too.”

​About Chao Foundation
Chao Foundation was founded in California’s Silicon Valley in 2005 by Ping and Amy. The foundation was established to fund nonprofit and public welfare initiatives that (1) improve children’s health in developing countries; and (2) nurture a spirit of philanthropy among the younger generation in China and of the greater Chinese Diaspora. While the Chao Foundation is based in the Bay Area and has local projects, many of its programs focus on developing countries in East Asia.
 
About Transparent Fish Fund
Transparent Fish Fund is a 501(c)(3) US non-profit organization founded in 2011 in Palo Alto, California, established exclusively for charitable purposes to connect credible Chinese and East Asian grassroots NGOs with individuals from the West. The greater mission behind this work is to foster a sustainable long-term NGO culture in East Asia, and in doing so, spread a global spirit of philanthropy.