Since 1996, MSI has been involved in different kinds of services in the Sichuan and Yunnan Province. There, our eyes were opened to the grave needs of the young people. The majority of the rural population in these mountainous counties are subsistence farmers, growing barely sufficient crops to sustain their livelihood. Their children are deprived of an education and therefore lack employment opportunities as they grow up.

Among rural minority families, there is also a preference to educate boys over girls. For this reason, MSI has launched the Educational Sponsorship Program to sponsor needy female students from the Yi Autonomous region in Sichuan and the Hui minority in Yunnan.

This program not only provides financially for the educational needs of the students, but also cares for the students and their families through home visits. We make class visits to understand the progress and difficulties of our sponsored students. Through the Educational Sponsorship Program a trusting relationship has been built among the students, their families and MSI workers. It is hoped through this program MSI can contribute to the implementation of the education policy and literacy movement of the government in remote regions.