The Education Advancement Fund International is an international non-profit organization that assists in: education exchange, cultural understanding, global education reform, and gender equity.

The events of 9.11 brought into our collective consciousness the reality that many around the world maintained negative opinions of America and Americans. To Kate Zhou, political science professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who was born and raised during the height of Mao Zhedong's revolution, it was easy to see how ignorance could compel individuals to harbor contempt for others. Feeling troubled by the events of 9.11 Professor Zhou concluded that the best way to increase cultural tolerance was through cultural exchanges about the virtues and values shared by Americans and like minded societies. As a result of this belief, Professor Zhou decided to devote her time and energy to creating a non-profit organization that would promote English language education and cultural exchanges in China and other corners of the world.

Kate Zhou, PhD

In the Spring of 2002 Professor Zhou and five other American educators traveled to West Hunan to assess the region as a possible site for their new organization. Upon arrival they were surprised to discover that the majority of the people in Hunan maintained positive views of Americans and almost all wanted to travel and study in the United States. The welcoming nature of the people of Hunan, and their desire to learn more about America, compelled Professor Zhou and her colleagues to establish the non-profit organization Education Advancement Fund International (EAFI) in June of 2002.

Since its founding EAFI has initiated various programs aimed at furthering its mission of facilitating international education exchange, cultural understanding, global education reform, and gender equality in education by assisting poor, minority, and learning disabled students to overcome financial barriers to appropriate education.

Brief Organizational History:

The Education Advancement Fund International is voluntary in nature . With limited family and friends funding, we have done the following work:

1. Set up a program of Teaching Civics and Western Civilization for Secondary School Teachers in Tu Jia and Miao regions in 2002 (so far 800 teachers per year attend the training program);
2. Set up oral English and American studies classes in 20 schools in rural Hunan for minority students, affecting 150,000 K-12 students;
3. Provided scholarships to 30 disadvantaged students to pay for their tuition and food;
4. Set up a lunch program so that poor families can send kids to school;
5. Helped to set up an exchange between Punahou School and Baojing Minority schools; three students and three teachers came to Punahou for a short training session while Punahou sent 25 students and 5 teachers to Baojing Minor School for two weeks of cultural study in 2004;
6. Set up two English summer camps in Jishou and Baojing in 2002 and 2003 with 1200 minority Chinese high school students and 15 American college and graduate students participating;
7. Set up a minority women training school in Jishou in Spring 2005;
8. Set up a program for Economic Institution Building to protect poor people's property rights in Baojing, Hunan in 2004;
9. Set up a health and environmental education program in Jishou School system in 2004;
10. Set up 5 summer camps to teach civics and English in Benxi, Jishou, Baojing, Beijing and Yunnan in summer 2004;
11. We have sent 30 Americans to teach in poor regions in China and developed a good reputation.
12. Set up Stop Sex Selected Abortion in China Project by provinding financial help to mothers and baby girls for training and education;
13. Set up an eye care program in Jishou Teachers' College in 2003;
14. Set up an annual civics education winter camp in Honolulu, with the participation of selected students from China in Feb. 2005;
15. Set up a stop smoking education program in May 2005;
16. In 2005,we will set up a summer camp for Chinese Muslim students.
17. Set up nurses without borders in Benxi and Wuhan in 2005;
18. Set up reserch center on rule of law and regional studies in Shanghai in 2005;
19. Set up 3 summer camps for international cultural exchange in 2005;
20. Set up winter camp on rule of law in Honolulu in 2006.
    

Mission

EAFI's mission is to empower students from the poorest provinces of China;
By providing them with experiences that build character, judgment and self sufficiency,
By providing educational tools and mentors, to help them to overcome financial barriers and to respect the cultures of other nations.
By doing so, EAFI endeavors to influence the future of the men and women of our global community and achieve world peace and understanding.