Support Women on Mother’s Day

May 2024

Dear Supporters and Friends,

I am excited to write to you on the occasion of Mother’s Day. This is the day we celebrate the cherished women in our lives – mothers and grandmothers, and other women – who selflessly supported us, and made a positive impact on us.

On this Day, I would like to address the importance of empowering women. In March, I joined the Canadian University Women delegation and attended the United Nation’s 68th Commission on the Status of Women conference in New York. This is the UN’s largest annual gathering focusing on gender equality and women‘s empowerment. Over 4,000 women from seven continents attended. Each day I was inspired by the presentations, testimonies and discussions, and met with a number of remarkable individuals. The takeaway is obvious – attending the conference has deepened my belief in empowering women and creating women leaders in all levels of leadership roles. The statistics show – without achieving gender equality and empowering women, it will be impossible to achieve the rest of the UN development goals. The world needs more women leaders.

To support this important cause, on Mother’s Day we are launching the Foundation‘s very first event – $100 Donation Campaign. I sincerely invite you to be part of our mission by helping us make this campaign a success!

Through the advocacy work of our Foundation‘s first scholar Huiming Ma, over 60,000 people (the majority of whom are Chinese women) had the chance to learn about the Ching Tien Foundation, and the response has been wonderfully positive with many individuals wanting to connect. This has led to the establishment of the Foundation’s Virtual Learning Program with 150 members.

The purpose of the Virtual Learning Program is to communicate our mission and values to a larger number of young women. To date, the platform has produced two online events. Going forward, the Virtual Learning Program will be one of the Foundation‘s main programs, offering regular events such as speakers’ series, panels and workshops with a focus on women’s empowerment, leadership and giving back.

Learn more about the Virtual Learning Platform.

Nine senior university students have been selected to participate in the Language & Leadership Program at Royal Roads University this summer.

Led by the Ching Tien Foundation, this enthusiastic group has been meeting online regularly in preparation for their summer trip. They have eagerly started learning about Canada, global affairs, and are exploring the meaning of leadership and giving back. Upon returning home, participants will write an essay about their experience in Canada. Every participant will initiate a three to six month-long “giving back” project under the guidance of the Foundation.

The entire Program is 10 months long with the highlight being a four week experiential learning visit to Canada.

Learn more about the Language & Leadership program.

To date, 17 young women have applied to our Master’s Program Scholarship.  This year all applicants are from China. They learned about the Ching Tien Foundation and the programs through the story of Huiming Ma, on social media platforms. Every applicant has a compelling story and they are generally all from under privileged background with both the desire and potential to further advance through international study and to become leaders and changemakers in the future.

Initial interviews are currently underway. Scholarship recipients will be announced by the end of June. This year the Foundation is planning to award up to 3 scholarships to the most outstanding applicants.

Learn more about our Master’s Program Scholarship.

By: Jessie Huang (2023 Scholar)
Education Leadership and Administration, University of Nottingham

In a one-year master’s program at the University of Nottingham, the time is going by fast! I have already finished two thirds of my courses and experienced the differences between two learning cultures. Instead of focusing on listening in class, completing homework and passing exams, as I did in China, I have been learning to form my own ideas and opinions from doing research, reading papers and applying critical thinking. This experience has deepened my knowledge and understanding of the two cultures.  I am grateful to my professors at school and Dr. Joan Shaw, my academic advisor, a volunteer at the Ching Tien Foundation.

Recently I started my second volunteer project at a local charity shop called White Rose. The money generated from sales is used to support refugees from Rwanda, South Sudan and other war-torn countries. It has been a rewarding experience to learn how to do sales and gain understanding of the refugee situation in the UK. On most Saturday evenings, I join a discussion group led by a local English couple. There I meet with other international and local students to learn from each other’s culture and life experiences.

Ching has regular conversations with Huiming and I to discuss culture, history and current events. She introduced us to the Oxford Union, the oldest debating society in the world, and books to read about the challenges the world is facing in the 21st century. Gaining knowledge and understanding the world will become my first step towards leading a life of giving back.

By: Huiming Ma (2022 Scholar)
Master of Educating, UBC Okanagan Campus

This past semester was a busy and productive one. I am proud to share that the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE), the largest organization in the education field in Canada, has accepted my research proposal. As the lead author, I will be presenting my research at the CSSE Conference at McGill University in June.  My research is titled “Critical Thinking in the Digital Social Context: Thinking through Misinformation and Disinformation with Young Children”. It is hard for me to believe what I have achieved in just 18 months, since arriving in Canada. I want to thank my supervisor Dr. Christopher Martin at UBC and my Academic Advisor Dr. Joan Shaw, for their incredible support and guidance.

My graduation is approaching, and I have more good news to share – I have been nominated for the Outstanding Master-Level Graduate Student Award from UBC Okanagan School of Education. This nomination recognizes outstanding academic performance as well as dedication to leadership, service, and contribution to UBC Okanagan in the education field.