Offices

CHENGDU OFFICE

The Chengdu Office, in addition to coordinating FOC’s work within Sichuan, also serves as a coordination center for all the work of FOC within China. This function especially involves the placement and ongoing care of our teachers and students. The Executive Director of FOC is based in Chengdu.

Friends of China Foundation's main office is in Chengdu

In addition to overseeing the work of FOC around China, the Chengdu office continues to investigate new ways of cooperation within Sichuan and maintains contact with several outlying districts and prefectures within Sichuan. Besides actively recruiting for teachers and foreign students for universities in Chengdu, the Chengdu office seeks ways to assist in the social development of Sichuan.

In 2005, FOC Sichuan was able to donate rehabilitation equipment to the Chengdu No1 Retirement and Rehabilitation Centre. This was in co-operation with the Sichuan-American Chamber of Commerce. Seventy percent of the homes’ residents are able to benefit from the use of this equipment.

Also in 2005, FOC Sichuan assisted the Firm Foundations project in Nanchong, as they prepare to open a residential skills-training center for disadvantaged and disabled teenagers.

Over many years, FOC Sichuan has supported 3 universities in Chengdu, by introducing foreign teachers (including providing orientation and professional support), and by introducing foreign language students. These three universities are South West University of Finance and Economics, South West Minorities University and Chengdu University of Technology. In addition, FOC Sichuan has organized summer English Language activities at Chengdu University of Technology.

FOC families in Sichuan are committed members of the local community, and in the future we hope to have more opportunities to support locally based healthcare and other social welfare projects.

OTHER REPRESENTATIVE OFFICES

An official registration was granted in April, 2005 for a new FOC office in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. During most of 2005, FOC maintained a total of five offices. In addition to the Chengdu office, they are located in Xining, (Qinghai Province), Xi’an (Shaanxi Province), Zhengzhou (Henan Province) and Urumqi (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region).

Qinghai Representative Office

The Qinghai office helps FOC continue to expand its contributions to the development of Qinghai Province. During 2005, FOC maintained a total of over 26 adult personnel in Qinghai. Some of the FOC associates were still in language study preparing for future work in their fields of expertise. Most were already involved in the fields of education, rural development and health care.

FOC’s community development work in Qinghai during 2005 included projects involving such areas as water resources, building construction, public health, and agriculture. In 2005 FOC has also assisted in covering portions of the medical costs for more than 47 local citizens who have had major medical issues, which has in turn benefited more than 150 people in these families.

This work, both in education and in community development, would not have been possible without the extensive cooperation of the various provincial and local government departments. FOC is particularly appreciative for the cooperation received from local government officials in counties where FOC associates have begun to teach or have initiated community development projects, namely Zeku County (泽库县), Hualong County (化隆回族自治县) and Jianzha County (尖扎县).

Shaanxi Representative Office

The Shaanxi Office is primarily focused on assisting the FOC teachers at various universities in Shaanxi and the FOC language students who study Mandarin at the Shaanxi Teachers University. The office also organizes short-term teaching and study programs, with a particular focus on assisting the training of English teachers throughout Shaanxi Province, as illustrated by the short-term teacher training programs in Yangling (杨凌)and Sanyuan (三原县) County this year.

FOC Shaanxi also introduced short-term lecturers from various countries in many specialized subjects such as Cryogenics, Software Engineering, Renewable Energy Sources and Financial Analysis.

The work of the office also facilitates provision of health care professionals to care for orphans in Shaanxi.

A high percentage of the Chinese language students introduced through FOC study in Xi’an. As mentioned above, most of these have expertise in various fields other than Chinese. After Chinese study is completed, these students move to various locations throughout China to utilize their skills. A major function of the FOC Shaanxi office, therefore, is to work with the local universities to provide even better language and cultural training for the students as they prepare for their future work in China.

Henan Representative Office

Officially registered in April 2005, the Henan Representative office is located in Zhengzhou.

The Henan office provides teachers and trainers in strategic areas such as English education, disadvantaged children, and AIDS/HIV awareness. In 2005 FOC had ten teachers of English, one teacher of French and one Agricultural researcher working in Henan educational institutions full-time. In addition, FOC had six associates studying Chinese full-time in preparation for work within Henan Province at the completion of their language program.

Henan Representative Office also introduced more than twenty short term English teachers during the summer of 2005. FOC is grateful to the government and officials of Henan for their support of this work.

Xinjiang Representative Office

In 2005, FOC was able to donate desks, chairs and blackboards to smaller less financially-able schools in Turpan county and individual gifts to the students of three schools.

FOC was invited by the Turpan Education department to provide 2 days per month of English training and teaching methodology for 70 middle and primary school teachers in Turpan.

FOC was able to facilitate teacher training by short term foreign experts, in schools such as the Xinjiang Medical University and some private training centers.

Support was given to an Urumqi Orphanage in form of a donation 25 high chairs, clothes, toys and individual gifts and shared motivation activities with the orphanage.

In 2005, in co-operation with Operation Mercy and Yopurgha County, 岳普湖县we have continued agricultural training of village leaders in Yupurgha.

FOC also introduced students studying Chinese and Uyghur and English teachers to several colleges.

Due to changes in the regulations governing non-profit organizations, the Xinjiang Office was closed in November, 2005. FOC is currently reviewing other options for registration in Xinjiang.