Project Sunshine

In a corner classroom on the third floor of the Jianshan School, the delicate sound of tiny brushstrokes fill the air like a dozen butterfly wings. Rows of shelves stocked with crisp new books help muffle the sound through the freshly whitewashed walls. For a short time, the traffic and bustle of the city become faint and muted.

Eleven year-old Liu Ling fills in the tracings of her windmills with splashes of yellow. Slowly her creation comes to life. She swishes her brush in the wooden water bowl and mixes a sky blue. Her painting is not intended to symbolize blind courage or sustainable power. But in some ways she represents both of those themes.

Liu's school is in the city of Tianjin, a coastal town in the east-central area of China, not far from Beijing. Her family is originally from Hebei Province, where they were agricultural workers. Now her parents work as marble stone masons in Tianjin. Like many families in China, Liu's family came to the big city to find work.

For migrant families moving to the city, good schooling can be difficult to come by. School fees are costly for outsiders, and many cannot afford the basics like books and tuition. As a result, most schools for migrant children teach only basic subjects in ill-equipped facilities.

But the Jianshan School is getting extra help from the people of Amway.

Ms. Yao Juan used to be a full-time art teacher, before getting involved selling Amway products. As her Amway business became successful, she left her teaching job for this new career that she loves.

Yet, Ms. Juan missed interacting with young, creative minds. When she learned that Amway was offering an opportunity for its Sales Representatives to teach classes to migrant children, she jumped at the opportunity to connect to one of her passions.

"It feels different than before," says Ms. Juan. "Teaching art used to be just a profession. Now it feels extraordinary because I am doing something for society."

She patiently walks around the room, offering suggestions and teaching the children techniques for mixing paint and using the different brushes. She demonstrates brush strokes on the chalkboard and the effect that subtle movements of the wrist can have on the outcome.

"Every child is different," she says. "Some paint broadly, some use fine detail. But all are talented."

Across the hall, the science class is not so quiet. Learning is taking place, but through interactive games and funny examples, not quiet meditation.

Migrant families are facing increasing struggles in China and need classes like these for their children. The country's urbanization strategy aimed to reduce the size of rural population, reduce poverty, and elevate the national living standard. Through these national efforts, around 20 million children and their families have moved to urban areas.

Amway identified the needs of migrant children as a primary focus for its charitable efforts over the next three years. Working with the China Children and Youth Foundation, it established "Project Sunshine," an effort to provide support to migrant children and families.

In the first year, Amway is identifying 15 cities with strong migrant children presence and working with local schools to provide libraries, teachers and programs to increase learning opportunities.

Amway works with reputable partners that ensure the greatest impact in their local communities. For Project Sunshine, they turned to trusted partner China Children and Youth Foundation, one of the first charities focused on children in China.

"We have partnered with Amway since 2001, beginning in the western provinces," says Mr. Guo Xiao, Assistant General Secretary of the Foundation. "So Amway is an old friend. We found we have a common vision and now consider Amway a long-term partner."

According to Mr. Xiao, there are 20 million migrant children living in cities in China that are at a disadvantage in getting a good education and healthcare. Since families in China are registered in the region where they were born, there are no publicly funded schools or social services for migrant families. Students have to go back to their hometowns for examinations and to attend senior high schools. This makes it especially difficult for struggling families to provide good education for their children.

The primary focus of Project Sunshine is books and education, just like the Jianshan School in Tianjin and the Zhiquan School in Beijing receive. Each school will be equipped with libraries of 5,000 to 10,000 books and one or two computer sets.

Other components of the program will include celebrity visits and talks from role models. Amway will hold writing contests and prizes to build excitement around literacy and learning. And local Amway branches will work with local branches of the China Women's Federation to organize activities that bring together migrant children and urban children who attend regular schools.

Amway leaders decided to help address the migrant children issue as part of the company's global effort to scale up its One by One Campaign for Children in honor of its 50th anniversary. It is one of many programs around the world that identify local needs of children, and find ways to meet them by leveraging the resources of the company, its employees, and its Sales Representatives.