How does CTEF collect initial information about the schools in need of assistance?

  How does CTEF examine the incoming requests?

  How does CTEF channel the money to the schools and supervise the projects?

  Does CTEF help lower the cost of school projects?

How does CTEF collect initial information about the schools in need of assistance?

CTEF establishes contact with trusted representatives who are familiar with the local conditions in selected rural areas. These representatives usually are in education field or people who have relatives in the Puget Sound area.  They are asked to visit the schools and if necessary, to monitor the progress of construction projects.

In the case of GanSu Province, CTEF was introduced by a Microsoft employee to a musical performance group of retired teachers that travel to all the rural areas within a county. The group was asked to identify schools with poor conditions and to introduce CTEF to them.  In return, CTEF sponsors portion of this group's travel expenses. Each school was given a questionnaire to describe its current building condition, the number of students and teachers, and the population and conditions in surrounding villages. Photographs of various areas in the school were also requested for evaluation.

Here’s an interesting story. Mr. Zheng Zhoulun was the principal of YanYangDong Elementary School in Yunnan Province , when the school received CTEF funding in 2000. As the school renovation project rolled along smoothly, CTEF came to trust Mr. Zheng for his integrity and appreciated the fact that he was able to provide fair and candid evaluations.  Later, Mr. Zheng was promoted to supervise all the schools in WenShan County.  When CTEF recognized that Mr. Zheng’s new post would bring him first-hand knowledge of the condition of all the schools in that county, they made Mr. Zheng a trusted agent in channeling and verifying requests from candidate schools in that region. With Zheng’s sincere and conscientious assistance, CTEF has funded more than 10 schools in WenShan County to date.
In the past two years, news of CTEF's help to poor schools has been spread in rural regions in China where CTEF helped.  Now more schools are contacting CTEF and these requests lead to increasing demand for more funding sources.

How does CTEF examine the incoming requests?

In China, schools in cities and towns tend to receive more resources from the government partly because they are more visible to the public. Meanwhile some schools in certain isolated rural areas have tremendous financial difficulties in keeping going. CTEF has chosen to spend most of its resources supporting projects for smaller schools in some rural areas. The relatively low living cost in these remote areas maximizes the buying power of the US dollars donated to help these schools.

CTEF evaluates whether requests from schools are carefully made, well planned for a limited budget, and meeting CTEF’s strict criteria. With experience on dozens of projects within several provinces, CTEF collected sufficient information on school building renovation and availability of school supplies. New requests are compared to similar requests from the same region.  Any request showing higher construction costs per square meter is contacted to provide explanation.  In one case, a school in YunNan Province provided a slightly higher than expected construction costs and explained that due to lack of paved road in the area, all building materials would be transported by ox carts.  Realizing the problem, CTEF approved the request. 

In another request, a rural school asked for fund to rebuild its classrooms. The photographs received from the school showed the front side of the building in fairly good shape. CTEF contacted the school asking why rebuilding was necessary. It turned out that the rear part of the school was built of mud and was in deplorable condition. CTEF approved this request after receiving more photographs to cover the back part. 
Occasionally, requests don't show detailed plans on how the funding will be spent.  In September 2003, CTEF received an application from HongWei Elementary School in HeKou County, Yunnan Province for RMB 104,000.  The funding was for refurbishing a hallway and ceiling, windows and doors, a student dining hall, and the school playing field. After careful deliberation, the request was rejected based on two points:  lack of a detailed cost breakdown and much higher cost estimates than similar projects CTEF had supported in other schools.  In short, the request showed too much unknown and the risk that CTEF preferred not to take.

Information about surrounding villages of the schools is also helpful in evaluation. CTEF sometimes asked local representatives for supporting information as well before making any decisions.  If not mentioned in the request, CTEF urges the schools to seek support from government and other local sources. CTEF believes that it is important for local people to participate in supporting their own children’s education as well as seek outside resources.

How does CTEF channel the money to the schools and supervise the projects?

CTEF does not use any Chinese government channels for fund distribution. The donations are wired directly to the school or village bank accounts. CTEF has utilized its board members or advisors inside China to coordinate the wiring of the funds. All funding for construction is done in phases. Money is sent upon proof of items purchased or construction work completed has been received. CTEF requests that construction begin with local funding and the final portion be funded upon completion. CTEF also asks for photos of the buildings before and after renovation. CTEF board members and representatives visit the schools randomly to evaluate the progress of projects. Both CTEF president Dennis Su and vice president Waisiu Law have made numerous trips to China with their personal resources. All donations to CTEF are for the schools only.

Does CTEF help lower the cost of school projects?

Using the Chinese virtue of thrifty practice, the Board members are constantly seeking ways to maximize donors' contribution. CTEF's president, Dennis Su, is an architect and he reviews the construction proposals. Understanding that each region has its own standards for school construction and there is not much change needed in the school buildings, he helps in pointing out certain unreasonable items and providing suggestions to lower costs. In other cases, reaching out to coordinate projects for setting up libraries, CTEF established contacts with some book publishers in China and even recommended grouping several schools’ orders together to obtain a deeper discount and save in shipping cost.