Last month Jin Magazine attended the monthly Am Cham event in Tianjin and was moved to hear a presentation about the Jian Hua Foundation which is a charity organization providing help to local families with children affected by Downs Syndrome, CP Cerebral Palsy or Autism and provide hope and love to local families in China. Jin Magazine arranged a visit to Jian Hua to learn more about their work. We met with Ms. Carol Woodford, Cluster Leader and Ms. Wang Peijing, Special Education Program Manager.

The work of Jian Hua foundation that is probably most publicized is their help with parents and children of Downs Syndrome 唐氏綜合癥 Tang Shi Zong He Zheng and Cerebral Palsy 大腦性麻痹Da Nao Xing Ma Bi and Autism 孤獨 癥Gu Du Zheng. Ms. Wang Peijing is the manager for this program that provides training and support to the parents of these special needs children. It was good news that over the past decade, the Chinese government has provided more support and attention to this area through the Ministry of Civil Affairs Bureau, at the federal level and the Tianjin Disability Federation at the municipal level. Jian Hua will interview each family individually to determine individual needs and capabilities and every effort is made to provide a program that answers the requirements.

Jian Hua children and teachers performing in a charity event

Jin Magazine was able to learn more about Carol from the following interview:

Jin Mag: What were your childhood interests?

Carol: I loved reading as a child, spending many happy days with a book, and I dreamed of becoming a writer. I also liked music; I took piano lessons and played the trumpet in my high school band. I enjoyed sports, especially swimming and baseball. I'm still a big baseball fan!

Jin Mag: Tell us about your family and siblings.

Carol: I was the third of four children, but the older two both died at a fairly young age, so for most of my life I've had only my younger brother. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and four children. My parents have both passed away, and I'm divorced with no children.

Jin Mag: What about your education?

Carol: I graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in journalism, after which I worked for 28 years as a journalist. In my late 40s, I went back to school and earned a master's degree in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Georgia State University. I then changed careers and became an English teacher, which brought me to China.

Jin Mag: What are your hobbies and interests?

Carol: I still love reading and baseball, although I don't get to watch as much baseball as I'd like. My favorite team is the Atlanta Braves, and I occasionally watch the Tianjin Lions of the CBL. I also love walking in Xigu Park, which is near my home in the north of Tianjin, and being with my friends.

Jin Mag: What are challenges of your work, and rewards?

Carol: I find great reward in training English teachers, which is the part of my work I most enjoy. I love seeing a young teacher blossom and develop in confidence, and I know that I'll affect many, many Chinese students through the teachers that I've trained.

I feel the same kind of joy when I see the teachers and children in Jian Hua's Special Education Program grow and blossom. Although I'm not directly involved in that project on a day-to-day basis, I feel a sense of satisfaction in knowing what Jian Hua has done for these children and their families. I'm very proud of our Jian Hua special education teachers and volunteers.

Jian Hua also has a wonderful project called Bright Future, which educates university students in HIV/AIDS prevention, sex education and life values.

There are many challenges in the administrative work of

Jian Hua. But when I see the results of these projects, I know the effort is worth it.

Jin Mag: Thank you.

As Carol mentioned, the Jian Hua Foundation is much more than these special needs programs. Jian Hua was founded in Hong Kong in 1981 by a group of Chinese businessmen and was named Jian Hua "build China". Jian Hua is a Christian association, but does not preach religion; their vision is to serve the communities of China with hope and love.

They presently have 124 Associates from 17 countries working in a wide variety of professional fields in 14 cities/provinces in China. Jian Hua’s main areas of involvement are in education, medical services, community development, social services and business. It is a registered charity organization in Hong Kong and a recognized NGO non-governmental organization in China.

Jian Hua can offer foreign professionals the opportunity to learn Chinese, either on an individual basis with one on one tutoring with a professional teacher or in a traditional classroom group setting. They even have husband and wife packages and can include accommodation and meals. Packages can be short-term immersion or longer term up to 2-3 years. Their programs not only provide language training but exposure to cultural and life style while in China and would ideal for those foreigners planning to enter into a long-term commitment in living in China.

For those that are interested in providing a service to Jian Hua Foundation, there are openings for different professionals in several areas: teachers of English, medical professionals, engineers, agricultural and business professionals. Jian Hua will arrange all visa and work permits as well as accommodation and travel requirements to successful candidates. I found the information and application process very detailed in their website.

Carol Woodford

However as Carol Woodford indicated, if someone is planning to earn lots of money, Jian Hua is probably not the place, but if someone is looking for a wonderful experience to give and helping those in need and make a difference, sounds like this is an excellent opportunity. This is reflected in the Jian Hua Foundation terminology. They refer to work as "serving"; staff as "associates" and offices as "clusters".

The Tianjin Cluster is one of the largest clusters in China with over 20 associates. Their teachers are working at Tianjin Ai Di School, Tianjin Medical University, Lucky International School, Tianjin University, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin Foreign Studies University and Senior Citizen’s University.

I was very impressed with the dedication and commitment of the staff and the foundation towards their goal of helping China and working with local families so they can help themselves and others. In speaking with Carol Woodford, I learned that she has been in China for 11 years. She came directly to Tianjin, from her hometown of Atlanta in Georgia, USA, teaching English to Chinese students at an international school. She has been with Jian Hua for the past four years. When I asked her how long she intends to stay in China, I could tell that she would like to stay as long as she can and enjoys the work and the people.

If you would like more information about the Jian Hua Foundation, you can visit their website: www.jhf-china.org or you may want to call Carol at 022-2392-6614.

You may want to call to use their services or if you have an interest to be actively involved or provide volunteer help, Carol would love to speak with you. I certainly enjoyed my time at the Jian Hua Foundation and wish them continued success in the future.