The Origin

Shanghai Gem Foundation
  It was during the year 2014, where I was very fortunate to have met Ms. Zhang Wen Ru from “The Enlightenment Foundation” based in New York City. We met up early Autumn that year in Shanghai, where Ms. Zhang had just finished the Autumn run of the foundation’s activities. After lunch, I was fascinated with the details of how her foundation has been building dormitories for children in rural areas of China and solving the issue of education for the local kids in poverty. Twice a year, their foundation comes all the way from the US to China, then deep into the separate provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, and Yunnan. The volunteers of the foundation are the representatives of benefactors all over the world, and responsible for delivering each student’s donation into their very hands, as well as bringing back each one’s biannual contact letter, grade reports, and a picture taken on the spot back to each kind contributor. After this meeting, me and my son both joined the foundation’s list of donators and was touched every time when we received their bright envelopes, including a letter, their grade report, and a picture.
  A year after during 2015, my son Honghao, who was 16 at the time represented me and joined the foundation’s spring run to assist the impoverished students. I sent my son to the United Kingdom at the age of 13, as a mother, I wanted him to experience a new environment differed from others of his age, even though I was quite worried if he would have a tough time. Every time when we recall his first volunteering experience, how it felt interviewing his assigned students, and the trip of taking a bus for 6-7 hours just to get to small counties where the school were located, it’s an unforgettable memory. After his experience, he felt a more personal connection with the students he covered for, especially how similar their age was. With my encouragement, he felt motivated to write letters back to the students. My son’s bravery encouraged me to volunteer for the autumn run, and join the journey of “Enlightenment”, from Gansu to Qinghai, and finally Yunnan, in about three weeks of time. My trip gave me more admiration for every senior member of the Enlightenment Foundation.
  Hence, in 2016, when the Chinese government established new policies for NGO groups outside of China, me and my family decided to register a charity foundation in Shanghai. Our main goal is to continue the succession of the Enlightenment Foundation’s work in Mainland China and continue to “Enlighten” every child’s heart and pave a way for their bright future.
  After half a year, towards the end of 2016, after the verification of Shanghai’s Civil Affairs Bureau, we are officially established under “Shanghai Gem Foundation”.
  The follow-up hand over between the two foundations, will undoubtedly require everyone’s crucial support.
  “Gem” continues under the core ideas of what “Enlightenment” built, to see every single child as a gem, and help them become outstanding global citizens.

Shanghai Gem Foundation
Lu Chen (Legal Representative)