A Mongolian university student writes her name with a Chinese Calligraphy brush. Photo: IC

Nandin, a 10-year-old Mongolian girl, arrived at the office of the China-Mongolia Foundation for Culture, Education and Social Development in Ulan Bator with her father and handed over a CD of her reciting poems in Chinese to the staff of the foundation.

Nandin's father, Batkhishig, said that his daughter had received a "special grant" of 4,000 yuan ($582.50) from the foundation to study in the local Chinese school.

"Thank you, uncles and aunts," said Nandin in fluent Chinese.

Set up jointly by the Bank of China's Ulan Bator Representative Office in Mongolia, Chinese-funded enterprises and caring individuals, the foundation provides scholarships and grants to more than 230 students every year.

According to Dai Xingjun, chairman of the foundation, each recipient is awarded a cash prize ranging from 1,000 yuan to 6,000 yuan.

During a Chinese scholarship test held by the foundation in 2015, the Mongolian girl, then 6 years old, burst into tears, and volunteers quickly found out why.

Nandin's mother had died, and her father Batkhishig was raising her and her two younger sisters on very a low income.

Batkhishig sent Nandin to a more expensive Chinese school in the hope of increasing her chances of finding a job when she grows up.

Nandin was eager to win a scholarship to help reduce the burden on her father, but she just couldn't stop crying during the exam as the test was rather difficult for her.

Despite her poor scores, Nandin was still awarded a grant by the foundation due to her family situation.

Nandin is among the many people in Mongolia who have benefited from the foundation's charitable projects.

By the end of 2018, the foundation had at least 100 members and implemented more than 110 public welfare projects, benefiting more than 5,000 families.

The foundation has also distributed food and other daily necessities to local impoverished residents during the long cold winters since 2013. This regular annual project is called the "Warm Winter Project."

Zhu Junli, secretary general of the foundation, said that they implemented a special "Warm Winter Program" for primary and secondary school students in 2014, donating down jackets worth 1.3 million yuan to more than 3,000 students.

In addition, the foundation supports its members through various donations including medical equipment for hospitals as well as teaching and sports equipment for schools.

"When I grow up, I want to study in China," Nandin told staff members of the foundation.

Xinhua
Newspaper headline: Warm in the winter