Closing the Gap: Organization hopes to expand student opportunities

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Making sure children get a quality education is a priority for any parent. In China, access to good schooling can be limited for children of migrant workers. But a volunteer group in Shanghai is hoping to even the playing field for some of these children. Lin Nan shows us how.

16-year-old Zhou Beibei is a volunteer at a summer camp for migrant children. She was one of them just 3 short years ago.

Her parents are migrant workers in Shanghai; thus she was not able to attend high school there, nor take the national college entrance exam in the city without residency in Shanghai.

ZHOU BEIBEI, STUDENT UNITED WORLD COLLEGE "I needed to make a choice at that time: stay in Shanghai and go to a vocational school, maybe a junior college afterwards, or return to my hometown, adjust to local schools and prepare for the national college entrance exam."

Zhou didn't take either option. Instead, she continues to study IB courses with scholarships at the prestigious United World College. Most of the applicants are from international or bilingual schools and more privileged backgrounds.

ZHOU BEIBEI, STUDENT UNITED WORLD COLLEGE "I was so thrilled when I received the acceptance letter. I thought I was dreaming. It is so unbelievable."

From very few choices in life, to a now hopeful road ahead, going to UWC has been a life-changing event for Zhou. Jiu Qian is behind this. The non-profit organization has helped 10 migrant children apply to UWC over the past decade. But its efforts go much further. Jiu Qian has offered free, quality education for migrant children since 2001.

WU ZIXUAN, STUDENT HEFEI NORMAL UNIVERSITY "I heard a volunteer playing the song 'For Elise' at Jiu Qian when I was 12, and I fell in love with it. They taught me how to play the piano since then."

Wu remains one of their brightest success stories. She returned to her hometown for high school, and now in college she studies music, which Wu says is thanks to her inspiration at Jiu Qian.

WU ZIXUAN, STUDENT HEFEI NORMAL UNIVERSITY "I've gained a lot of knowledge and happiness here. And I hope these kids will learn well, they will enjoy playing piano."

According to a national population sample survey in 2015, there are over 30 million migrant children in China. Although they can go to primary and middle schools in cities, their educational resources are very narrow and poor. Jiu Qian has organized various art and skill courses as well as tours to enrich their lives.

WU MING MIGRANT CHILD "I visited an art gallery and saw a lot of artwork there. It was very impressive. It was something different from my daily routine."

Among the thousands of migrant children Jiu Qian has helped, only a small number have the chance to go to college or turn their hobbies into careers.

ZHANG YICHAO, DIRECTOR SHANGHAI JIUQIAN VOLUNTEER CENTER "The most important thing is that we give migrant children a sense of kindness, so they can grow up with a bright and positive attitude towards life, and they can spread that kindness to people around them. Even if they can't turn their hobbies into jobs, they can still have peace of mind through them when life gets tough."

Zhang hopes the organization will show the children more of life's possibilities, and sow the seeds of hope and kindness within them. Lin Nan, CGTN, Shanghai.