The Spring Bud Project, like a warm spring breeze blowing across every corner of the motherland, has lit the light of knowledge for countless girls and illuminated their path to a bright future.

Since its implementation by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) under the guidance of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) in 1989, the public welfare project has been committed to improving the education conditions of girls in poverty-stricken regions and helping the girls realize their dreams. It has witnessed the growth and transformation of numerous girls and written a number of moving and inspirational stories behind them.

Planting Seed of Hope, Helping Girls Chase Dream

At the beginning of its implementation period, the project mainly supported government departments in the universalization of the nine-year compulsory education, provided in-need primary and junior middle school girls with financial assistance such as studying and living allowances to relieve burdens of their families, and helped dropout girls return to school. 

In late 1980s, tuition and miscellaneous fees and textbook fees had not yet been waived during the nine-year compulsory education in rural areas. Some poverty-stricken families in rural areas couldn't afford to send their daughters to school. Meanwhile, girls in remote areas are more likely to drop out of school because of outdated traditions. Therefore, the project cast its focus to girls in poverty-stricken areas, improving school conditions in such areas and supporting dropout girls to continue their education.

The opening of a special class, Hong Yao Girls' Class in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1989 has set a precedent for its endeavors to help girl dropouts continue their education. During the past 30-plus years, over 500 girls of Hong Yao, a branch of the Yao ethnic group, in Rongshui have enrolled in school and more than 30 of them have made their way to universities. Since then, CCTF has kicked off the national implementation of the Spring Bud Project.

In 1992, Temuli Primary School and Xixihe Central School in Butuo County, in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, opened Spring Bud Girls' Classes as well. Wang Fumei, deputy head of Temuli Town, used to be a student in the class. The access to the Spring Bud Project has fundamentally transformed Wang's life, and Wang has grown up to become a grassroots official who unite and lead villagers on the path of rural revitalization in the new era.

While offering financial assistance to girls, the Spring Bud Project has also promoted gender equality among in-need families to win the support of parents for the education of their daughters, organized training for teachers and advocated gender equality education.

Right now, the Spring Bud Project has expanded the scope of its beneficiary population from dropout girls during the nine-year compulsory education period to in-need girls of high school and university.

In 1996, 30 disadvantaged girls of 11 ethnic groups in 14 provincial regions walked out of their mountainous hometowns for the first time and went to Beijing to study at Beijing No.171 High School. With the support of people from all social sectors, they have completed their middle school, high school and university studies and become backbone forces at the workplace.

In 2001, Beijing Bailie University participated in the implementation of the Spring Bud Project and opened China's first university-level Spring Bud class with the support of CCTF. So far, the Spring Bud class at Beijing Bailie University has been held for seven sessions, assisting 236 in-need girls with outstanding academic performance in the completion of their university studies.

By the end of 2023, the Spring Bud Project had raised 3.2 billion yuan (US $439.7 million) to support 4.22 million girls of 56 ethnic groups from 31 provincial regions in the continuation of their education.

A rising number of Spring Bud girls have embraced a brighter future and their inspirational stories have brought positive influences to social norms and driven the progress of social civilization.

Upgrading with Times, Promoting Girls' All-Round Development

With the passage of time, the Spring Bud Project, like a thriving tree that expands its branches and leaves, not only offers shelter for more girls, but also provides impetus for their all-round development. 

While supporting girls to complete their studies, the project has also stressed the cultivation of the girls' comprehensive quality, responded in a timely manner to their needs in terms of sci-tech and digital literacy, adolescent education, mental health and protection of lawful rights and interests, and expanded services to empower girls.

In 2014, Professor Peng Liyuan became the special envoy of the Spring Bud Project for the advancement of girls' education. 

In September 2019, Professor Peng unveiled the Spring Bud Project — Dream of Future Action initiative. As the updated version of Spring Bud Project, the Spring Bud Project — Dream of Future Action is aimed at fulfilling the fundamental task of nurturing virtue through education, adhering to its original aspiration in serving girls, adopting a number of specific actions featuring the assistance of girls in their academic studies, the protection of girls' physical safety and health, the organization of study tours and the formation of pairing-up assistance, and ushering in a new frontier in terms of financial aids, spiritual inspiration and accompanying services.

On October 11, 2021, Professor Peng called on the public to contribute to the implementation of the Spring Bud Project — Dream of Future Action and pool greater strength for the innovative development of the Spring Bud Project in the new era.

On September 28, 2023, the Spring Bud Project won the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education. 

In 2024, the Spring Bud Project was honored as one of the best poverty reduction practices during the 5th Call of Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices Campaign at the 2024 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships.

Moreover, the Spring Bud Project and its affiliated programs, including Spring Bud Companion Project, the Chinese People's Armed Police Force Spring Bud Project and the Blue Sky Spring Bud Project have won the China Charity Award respectively.

By the end of 2023, the Spring Bud Project had held practical technology training for 527,000 girls and delivered one-to-one companion services and personalized mental health consultation services to 190,000 girls. The project has conducted a number of caring and assistance work in terms of girls' education, safety and health to further empower girls and support their healthy growth.

"The Spring Bud Project shed a light in my life when I was confused about my future. Its support has helped me enter the university and regain confidence in life," said Wen Xiaomei, a beneficiary of the project.

"The Spring Bud Project has offered assistance to me and allowed me to focus on my studies. I was admitted to Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in 2015. After graduation, I became an automobile engineer and realized my dream," Wang Yunling, another beneficiary of the project, said with gratitude. 

The Spring Bud Project has helped more girls obtain the opportunities and abilities to participate in economic and social development on an equal footing and realize personal values, promoted the education and gender equality concepts among thousands of families and communities, and made positive contributions to promoting girls' education, sustainable development and the country's gender equality progress.

Writing New Chapter, Marching Toward Broader Prospect

The past 35 years are a glorious journey of the Spring Bud Project and its mission isn't over yet.

In the years ahead, CCTF will continue the implementation of the Spring Bud Project — Dream of Future Action, scale up its assistance to girls in difficulties, underscore its support to girls from remote rural, ethnic and border and economically-underdeveloped areas, and endeavor to help about 100,000 girls receive a good education every year.

Additionally, the project will further enlarge its content, take into account girls' multiple development needs in terms of health, digital and science education as well as sci-tech literacy, help girls grow up healthily in an all-round way and embrace a better future and assist more women in creating a happy life in the new era.

In the future, the Spring Bud Project will continue to safeguard the dreams of girls and help girls move forward, grow up freely and bloom like flowers on the road of pursuing their dreams.

Photos from CCTF

(Source: CCTF/Women of China)

Editor: Wang Shasha