One of the things I love and admire most about the Library Project is the huge amount of good that can be done with such a small amount of money. Take a close look at the resources available in this rural community, the dedication of the children and the looks on the faces of the children that signify success for this endeavor.

Only a $1,000 will equip a rural classroom/orphanage with much needed literacy tools.

It doesn’t get any or easier to make a difference than this. Head over to The Library Project to make a one-time recurring donation.

Recently, I was able to complete an interview with Thomas Stader, founder of a Chinese charity organization that helps to build libraries. Here are his words about some of the latest work the Library Project has been working on.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Library Project?

The Library Project provides books and libraries to under-financed countryside elementary schools in China.

I founded The Library Project because I found that most countryside elementary schools in China were lacking books that the children could physically read. What I mean by that is, most books in a countryside elementary school were written for university and high school students. They also lack any kind of reading area for the children to curl up with a book. What we do is very simple, we donate colorful, relevant, hi-quallity books to countryside elementary schools, while also ensuring that they have a safe and fun area to read the books in.

I understand that often children’s libraries in China aren’t often stocked with good children’s books and are often cramped or uncomfortable. Can you tell us more about that?

In general, we have found a complete lack of children’s books with PinYin for young learners. A child absolutely needs PinYin to read during grades 1 – 3. So that is our first obstacle that we must overcome. Our second is a complete lack of a comfortable library for the children to gather as a class and read a book. Most schools have a room set aside for a library, but they don’t have the funding to fill the room with furniture.

What we have found is, once we bring books that the children can read, along with tables and chairs for a library, the children love it.

Cool. I understand you’ve made a lot of big developments in the past year, right?

Yes we have. We have provided our first ten libraries, with plans of reaching a goal of over 80 by the end of 2008.

That sounds like a big commitment. Isn’t it costly to build a library?

The cost is quite low. Most libraries will cost between 4,000 and 8,000 RMB. This includes hi-quality Chinese language children’s books, colorful chairs, sturdy tables, globes, plants, posters, and all logistic costs such as trucks.

What all goes into the building of a library? What kind of cost is there in terms of money, time, and other resources?

From beginning to end, it takes about one month. That includes our Pre-Assessment, purchasing of books and furniture, and final delivery of the library. We usually have a group of about 5 – 15 volunteers helping with the final delivery. Once we set up the library, we introduce the children to their new library and play games. It’s a lot of fun for both the children and the volunteers.

I also understand that you cooperate with local charities to create community support and interest for your project. Have you found that local communities and organizations are helpful and willing to be involved?

That is true. We have partnered with the Xi’an Charity Association to provide libraries to the regions of the ShaanXi Province that they are working in. They are a huge help. We also run community based book collections through Aston English of China. They are one of the largest private English language schools in China, with schools in over 40 cities. We hope to hold book drives in each of those cities annually, and then take those Chinese language children’s books and get them into countryside elementary schools. Aston English has made a major commitment to giving back in China.

I understand you recently made a trip to Shanghai and had some exciting opportunities crop up for you there. How exactly did all of that come about?

That is true. The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business in Shanghai has been absolutely amazing. On November 24th, the Smith School of Business hosted a charity fundraiser in Shanghai that raised enough funds to provide twelve schools with full libraries. They got Black and Decker, Microsoft, Storm Case, Grainger, Grace, Under Armour, The Children’s Place, Jaguar, Avon, and Land Rover, among many others, involved.

The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business in Shanghai and their China EMBA program have really made a difference in the lives of thousands of children living in the countryside of China.

Where will the funds you raised in Shanghai go and how will they be used?

The funds raised in Shanghai will go toward providing libraries to the Ba Qiao School District in the ShaanXi Province. Each school will receive 500 Chinese language children’s books, and a comfortable child-safe library for the children to use.

To date, what do you think has been your biggest success?

That’s a tough question to answer. There have been so many successes to date. But if I were to pick on success, it would be the creation of our School District Program. This program makes the kind of impact that we all like to see. True impact is hard to make, and I’m confident that providing every countryside elementary school in a single school districts improves the level of education that each and every child receives.

What are the next big plans for the Library Project? How do you see the project growing? How can people in China and abroad help you and support you?

The Library Project has a very clear plan for our future. We will have over 80 libraries provided to countryside elementary schools by the end of 2008. We’ll have over 200 by the end of 2009. We’ll continue that aggressive growth plan until every elementary school in China has children’s books for every child to read.

We have a ton of volunteer opportunities, both in China and abroad. The best place to begin is to check out our website at The Library Project.

All donations are greatly appreciated. Small and large donations really do make a difference. Each book that we provide to schools only cost $1 USD, or 8 Yuan. Adopting a school costs only $1,000 USD. Both of these really do make a huge impact on the lives of literally thousands of children.

I recently received some information from Tom, our friend from the Library Project, sent us some fantastic news about the Library Project and its latest developments.

“The past three months have far exceeded the The Library Project’s goals and expectations. There is so much to share – from our new home in Xi’an, China to an incredible list of schools benefiting from our support – so let’s get started.

“In September, The Library Project donated our first library to a Chinese countryside elementary school. The Xin Xing Elementary School is located an hour outside of Xi’an, in the ShaanXi Province. Over 500 students in grades 1-6 attend the Xin Xing Elementary School. During our pre assessment we discovered the school library’s uninviting environment and general lack of age appropriate books. Most of the books in the existing library were written for high school or university students with a total of less than 50 children’s books for grades 1-3.

“The Library Project provided 500 children’s books for grades 1-3 and a child-safe reading area with comfortable and colorful furniture. We provided a wide range of children’s books including: history, science, short stories, fairy tales, “pinyin” books for very young readers, children’s dictionaries, children’s reference books, and an assortment of comic books. We also provided a full set of children’s encyclopedias for older students. Every book was in full color and of the highest quality. The Library Project provided colorful child-safe tables and chairs, posters and a globe to populate the previously empty room. Once the library was completed, we held a party to celebrate our accomplishments with the children. Twenty “star” students were chosen to participate in arts, crafts and games. One of our activities had the children draw their “dream library”. We learned that most children want a library located outside consisting of colorful books which float in the air. (We’re working on that concept for a future library.)

“Without a doubt The Library Project has improved the level of education that the Xin Xing Elementary School provides to its students.

“We didn’t stop there. In October The Library Project completed a phenomenal feat of donating three libraries in three days. The libraries are located at three different elementary schools in the countryside of Xi’an: the Si Qing Elementary School, Bai Lu Yuan Elementary School and Mi Cun Elementary School. Furthermore, all the items donated were upgraded from our previous library. We provided higher quality books, better seating, sturdy wooden tables and bookshelves custom made at a local factory, and we even found cacti and plants to put on the tables and shelving.

“Providing three libraries in three days pushed us both mentally and physically. We had a team of over 20 volunteers helping with the delivery of the materials, setting up furniture, sorting books, and playing games with the kids in their new library. Through our experiences we learned this one simple fact: that when The Library Project arrives in a countryside school, the students go absolutely crazy. The madness usually begins when we pull up in our large truck and the children come running out of their classrooms.

“For our next goal, I need your help. In the past we have benefited one school at a time and now we are looking to help an entire school district. We want to make a clear IMPACT on the level of education an entire school district will be able to offer its students. Our first school district we would like to help will be the Ba Qiao School District (the same school district where our last three elementary schools were located).

“The Ba Qiao School District is an hour outside of the Xi’an city center. This area was hit very hard by the closure of state run factories over the past twenty years. Because of the closures and the lack of work, the average annual income is less than 2,000 RMB ($266), and there is very little hope that things will change for the better in the future. To learn more about the Ba Qiao School District, please click here.

“If you are interested in Adopting a Library or adopting a group of schools through our Adopting a School District programs, please click here for more information. You can also send me an email at [*tom@library-project.org* ] to ask any questions about the library adoption process.

“Furthermore, our website has been updated and improved to help both large and small donors have a better idea of exactly how their financial contributions are put to work. We also added an Adopt a Library page for those who would like to provide an entire elementary school with a library. The page also contains information on the Ba Qiao School District. Everyone who donates to the Adopt a School or Adopt a School District programs will receive a Library Completion Report for the specific library that you supported, along with a beautiful hardcover book celebrating our past libraries and the communities and schools we have worked in.

“I am very happy to announce two new additions to The Library Project’s team. Jenny Wang is our first full time employee in China. Jenny is from Hunan Province and has lived in Xi’an for the past ten years. A short list of some of her accomplishments these past few months have been getting us a 20 – 65% discount on children’s books at the country’s largest chain of bookstores, managing our growing list of partners in China, spearheading the completion of our first four libraries in Chinese countryside elementary schools, and doing non-stop assessments of schools and orphanages. Welcome aboard Jenny!

“I am also very happy to announce that Kevin Kruse has joined our Board of Directors. Kevin Kruse joined in August and has been an incredible addition to the team. Kevin has been instrumental in helping create a solid business foundation for The Library Project. He was also our first donor to support our Adopt a School District program. To learn more about Kevin, please check out his bio by clicking here. Welcome Kevin!

“Lastly, please check out some of our new products for the holiday season. We created 50 book, 100 book, 250 book and 500 book gift cards available at $1 a book. Each card also has a beautiful picture of a past library we have donated. The gift cards are a perfect holiday gift idea. To check out our new online store, please click here.

“Your help is greatly appreciated. Click here to make a donation and help give the gift of education and opportunity to a child in Asia. As a result of your donation you will receive photos and a Library Completion Report on the library you helped make a reality. Your donation truly does make a difference.

“The Library Project is a non-profit organization. Your donation is 100% tax deductible. Thank you in advance for your kind support of our efforts.”

Sincerely,
Thomas Stader
The Library Project
Founder

中文

A few months ago, Yanzhi and I met Thomas Stader, the man who created The Library Project. His project donates books and libraries to underprivileged schools and orphanages in the developing world. Stader created this project because he believes education is the key motivator to breaking the cycle of poverty that exists in the developing world. For him, education is change. The Library Project accomplishes its work by getting the local community involved through book drives and awareness raising, establishing bi-lingual libraries, and partnering with local orphanages and schools.

I recently received a note from Thomas that he has built a new library, and I’d like to share what he sent to us.

“Everyone at The Library Project are very excited to announce that we have provided our first library to a countryside elementary school in China.

“There are over 500 students, grades 1-6 that attend the Xin Xing Elementary School. One third of the students that attend Xin Xing Elementary School are worker children. Worker people are people that do manual labor in China. Their jobs can be anything from building highways to building apartment blocks. They tend to be migratory, going where the work is, and once the work is finished they pick their family up and go again where the work is. Because the area around the Xin Xing Elementary School was declared a Special Development Zone by the Central Government, there has been an influx of Worker Families and their children. As you can imagine, this puts an added strain on the school budget that the administration must balance at the Xin Xing Elementary School.

“Even with this added strain, the Xin Xing Elementary School has an incredible school administration with the Vice Principle named Mr. Zhong being a key player. We met Mr. Zhong one day during the Summer Break when we showed up unannounced and he welcomed us at the gate. He was alone, cleaning the school in preparation for the approaching Fall Semester.

“During our Pre Assessment we found the school library located in a dirty room on the fourth floor of the school. Even though it was dirty, the books were all very well kept, in new book shelves the Central Government had just provided. Their collection of books numbered 3,000. This sounds like a very impressive number, but the books they had in the library were almost completely inappropriate for the children attending the elementary school. Most books were written for High School or University students, or were published in the 1970s and were showing their age. There were no more than 50 children’s books for grades 1-3. The library room also lacked any comfortable furniture for the children sit on.

“On September 25, 2007, The Library Project provided 500 children’s books for grades 1-3, and also a child safe reading area with comfortable and colorful furniture for the children to be able to sit down and read a book. We also provided a full set of children’s encyclopedias for the older learners. After the furniture and books were setup, we held a party to celebrate the children’s new library. Twenty “star” students were chosen to participate in arts, crafts and games. Everyone had a great time.

“Most importantly, the administration really saw how much the children enjoyed their new library. The Xin Xing Elementary School administration made a plan to make sure every class has an opportunity to use the library once a week.

“Without a doubt The Library Project has improved the level of education that the school provides to its students.”

If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Stader at: .

Read on »

Lijiang Victory: A Daily China Travel Photo

中文

This photo comes from Yauly, a photographer who has traveled in China and taken a number of fantastic photos of her journeys in Lijiang, Dali,  Yangshuo, and other places.  Her photo today comes from her travels in Lijiang, a beautiful city in Yunnan province that still has many artifacts and architecture from the Naxi, one of China’s numerous ethnic minorities.

Yauly had this to sayabout the photo: “[this photo] is called ‘w for victory’ and was also taken in Lijiang.  I have no special story about this pic, it’s just that the girl was so cute, trying to make a V with her hand.”

To see your photos here, send them to or.

Read on »

A few weeks ago, we mentioned the Library Project here on the Dreamblogue. Now, we want to mention them again. They have begun their expansion into China, and we want to bring you news about their latest happenings. From the Library Project’s press release:

“Everyone at The Library Project are very excited to announce a partnership with Aston English in China. Over the next year The Library Project will conduct ‘The Aston Library Project’ within each of the Aston English schools in China.

“The Aston Library Project will hold book drives at each of their English schools. These book drives should net about 50,000 Chinese language children’s books donated to schools and orphanages in China. The Library Project with the help of Aston English volunteers will then source the donated books to local orphanages and schools. These libraries will be outfitted with tables, chairs, mats and lighting when appropriate for the location.

“Aston operates more than 40 English schools in China and the US. In 1996 Aston opened its first English language school in China and is now operating in more than 26 Chinese cities.

“Because of Aston English’s footprint in China, The Libarary Project has an opportunity to make a huge difference in a very short period of time. A list of cities that are up for libraries are: Beijing, Dalian, Xian, Weinan, Xianyang, Xingping, Yanliang, Chengdu, Kunming, Guiyang, Chongqing, Jinan, Wuhan, Hanzhong, Baoji, Tongchuan, Yanan, Yulin, Dandong, Dongying, Xuzhou, Quingdao and Lianyungang.”

“Thomas Stader, Chinese Country Director said, ‘This partnership is a great example of Aston English’s commitment to education and the betterment of each community that they work within. We are all very excited about this partnership.’”

We will continue to place regular updates here on The Library Project. You can donate directly to the Library Project by clicking here:

Online Donations

You may use our secure online credit card donation form to donate to The Library Project using your Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card.

Give a one-time donation: $

Monthly Donations

Set up reoccuring monthly donation for The Library Project. Five dollars a month can make a huge difference in the lives of many children in Asia.

Monthly donation: $   for   months.

If you could save lives and provide needed educational opportunities to rural and orphaned children for a few minutes of your time and for free, would you do it?

The dream is to travel in 2007 to every mainland province in China. During this journey, the China Dreamblogue will chronicle the everyday lives of ordinary Chinese citizens. The motivation for this trip came from a group of women known as the League of Extraordinary Chinese Women. The LOECW was comprised of 5 women from various walks of Chinese life—wives, semi-professional women, a bookkeeper, and a student. The one thing they had in common was advanced-stage cancer. These women, with little access to formal education and less information from outside sources about the disease they had contracted, naturally and courageously combated their disease with friendship, enthusiasm, meditation, and the medical care they could afford.

Around this time, Yanzhi and Dawei also met Thomas Stader, an expat who has devoted his time, talents, and treasures to Chinese people educationally and economically left behind by giving them access to life-changing education. The Dreamblogue is an attempt to unite the strength, courage, and stories of people around China and channel it into a force that will help realize the dreams everyone carries.

All of the money generated from the advertising on this site will go directly from Feedburner and Blogads to the charities we support, The Library Project and The Reading Tub. No one at the Dreamblogue will never directly handle the money.

The Blog of Dreams will have videocasts, podcasts, a China picture contest (to be turned into a coffee table book) , a weekly Chinese horoscope, weekly Chinese recipes (also to be a book), and most importantly, the daily dreams of people from around the world. The Dreamblogue has been created to be a tool of understanding and a place where dreams can be spoken into reality.

To help:

1. Use the logo here or on the blog’s sidebar and click on the little green box that says “favorite this blog.”



2. Follow the instructions on Technorati. This will take you less than one minute.
3. The Technorati favoriting website may send you back to the blog of dreams. Click the “favorite this blog” button one more time to finish.
4. Link to us on your blog.
5. Let us know that you helped by e-mailing me or sending a comment. We’ll return the favor by favoriting your blog. Invite your friends to favorite and link to this blog. We will be creating a Dreamblogue blogroll in the future and will include you.

The other part of the journey is about creating a space on The Dreamblogue where people can blog their dream—they can write about a dream they have for themselves, a dream they have for someone else, or an educational dream they want to fill. There is a Chinese superstition that if you talk about bad things, they will come true. Instead, the Dreamblogue’s vision says that if you share your dream with others, you are willing it into being. Send your dreams to the blog of dreams, and we will post dreams other people want to share with the world.

Help change lives. As Yanzhi and Dawei travel throughout the year, the blog will able to give away a variety of products from different corporate sponsors as well as scholarships to study in China.

Read on »

 浏览中文，请点击这里。

translation by Frances Chen

“Children’s books are a luxury to have in Asia, and a rarity in an orphanage.”

–from The Library Project

Thomas Stader has a vision to build libraries for children living in orphanages and rural areas around Asia.

Stader, is one of those rare people who come to China with big plans and a bigger heart. He came to help and began to put his plan into action in 1998. To accompany Stader’s big heart, is a well organized plan rife with several clever ideas. Instead of trying to organize all of the complex processes that would be required to build libraries, Stader uses pre-existing supply chains and forms cooperative agreements with local NGOs and corporationg for funding and logistics. These tactics, combined with the lower overhead costs in Asia, allow him to build libraries for $150-$300 USD each–without comprimising the structural quality or integrity of the libraries. Welcome to an age when quality NGO work combined with smart marketing and good business sense can transform a philanthropic daydream into a sound reality.

The Project has made remarkable progress. In 2006, Stader was able to create two libraries for approximately $300 USD and some help from Aston Education, JinaLive, and the Dalian Charity Federation. In 2007, The Library Project will expand to do work in Xian and Jinan. By the end of the year, the project plans to create 15 new libraries to schools and orphanages with a total project cost under $15,000 USD.

Here’s a list of the typical costs from one of the recent library projects:

Hard cover book, 100 pages: $3
Soft cover book, 100 pages: $2
Harry Potte Series: $15
Color comic book: $1
Black and white comic book: .5
Book shelf: $25
Table and chairs: $50
Plants, posters, mats: $25

The Library Project plans to have 80 libraries running in China, Cambodia, and Vietnam by 2009. You can help by clicking here.

Note: all pictures featured here come from The Library Project’s site.

There will be follow-up articles on this worthy endeavor soon…..

Read on »

This is the China Dreamblogue, a home for the wandering adventures of Yanzhi and Dawei. For the next year, we will make our way across China and speak with people from every ethnic group and every province in China about their life, customs, and traditions. Our goal is to create an understanding of China in full and to create a life on the internet for China that matches the diversity and beauty of China’s people, customs, culture, and tradition. We will include photos, cartoons, maps, stories, recipes, interviews, and heartsongs on topics as varied as Chinese astrology, Chinese cooking, humor, and other inter-cultural issues.

As we travel, we also have other missions to complete. We will create blog posts about our journey, but we also want people from all over the world to participate in this blog by sending us photos, maps, information, captions, cartoons, comments, and anything else you want to add. In addition, you will have a chance to vote on where we go next.

A slogan we have at the Blog of Dreams is “One Dream, One Web.” This slogan reflects one of the goals of the Dreamblog: to create space for fair, open, and honest exchange about China. Too much of the Western world focuses on the negative about China. We want to support net neutrality–making space on the Internet for positive news about China.

We also want to use this blog to generate money…for charity. As this blog grows in internet power, it will generate more and more advertising revenue. We want to make sure this money goes towards people in China who need it most. We’ve created a system where we won’t touch the money–it will go directly to the people doing the work to make life in China a better place for deserving people who cannot afford items we take for granted—like books. We will include profiles of groups we give to, like Volunteer English Teachers, The Library Project, and The League of Extraordinary Chinese Women. We will also have a system where you can send money through our site to different charities that do work in China.

One of our goals is to create a dream list: we will ask people to submit their dreams and if ad revenues support it, we will grant their wish.

Finally, we want to create a better and stronger internet presence for China. We can do this and help you out with Link It Forward, a unique way we’ve created to build a stronger internet presence and network throughout China.

Join us on our journey to give China and its people an electronic introduction to the global internet community.

OUR #1 GOAL IS TO BE THE TOP RANKED SITE FOR LINKS AND FAVORITES IN TECHNORATI. HELP BY CLICKING THE FAVORITES LINK AND BY GETTING OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. ALSO LINK TO US AND JOIN OUR LINK IT FORWARD CAMPAIGN. THERE IS A BADGE ON THE SIDEBAR YOU MAY DOWNLOAD AND USE ON YOUR SITE!

WE NEED EDITORS, PHOTO REVIEWERS, TRANSLATORS, PR HELPERS, AND LINK MASTERS. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED LEAVE A COMMENT. IT WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED, BUT WE WILL CONTACT YOU!