CKGSB’s Ji’an Poverty Alleviation Initiative

To enhance public welfare and give back to society, CKGSB initiated a three-project campaign in 2017 to alleviate poverty in Ji’an, an impoverished district in Jiangxi, China. CKGSB wanted to use its core business – education and business management – in creative, socially innovative ways to improve access to basic services of the community, reduce the impact of disasters and raise the living standard in Ji’an.

After visiting the county, it was evident to CKGSB that most young and middle-aged people in the county needed to work outside the district to support their families. However, many were hesitant as it meant leaving behind the elderly and youth. In order to improve access to basic services, CKGSB donated RMB 910,000 to construct an entertainment and care center at the junction of three villages, to encourage family members to seek jobs and increase opportunities, by reducing the pressure and burden to stay at home to care for the older and younger family members. In March 2019, the ‘Elderly and Youth Activity Center’ was officially opened. The center, covering an area of ​​2,100 square meters and a building area of ​​755 square meters, houses elderly care apartments, a study room and a multipurpose room providing leisure, entertainment, fitness and learning for the locals.

The project also educated and aided the community by establishing a complete commercial chain of operations and business through the ‘Gougu’ tea of the Suichuan county. The innovative model developed by CKGSB enables poor households in the county to receive a stable income through the farming and sale of the ‘Gougu’ tea. CKGSB educates and aids the local community in farming the tea and selling the tea, particularly through e-commerce platforms. They are able to lift themselves out of poverty through the commercialization of tea.

As a result of CKGSB’S efforts, in April 2019, the Jiangxi Provincial Government confirmed that all 5 of the counties in Ji’an had been successfully lifted out of poverty. In 2020, CKGSB also received the “Outstanding Poverty Alleviation Case in China” award from China’s State Council’s Poverty Alleviation Office and People’s Daily.

Through CKGSB’s help in commercializing the local sale of the ‘Gougu’ tea via e-commerce platforms like JD.com and Charen.com, sales revenue totaled 1,194,739.87 RMB with a profit of 28,1975.13RMB. This profit has directly been driving and supporting 152 households in the province.

In 2019 CKGSB extended the project scope of the ‘Gougu’ tea project, to support the county’s local high school graduates to study tea and sustain a career in working in the production of the county’s tea sales. CKGSB subsidizes selected students at 20,000RMB per student to study at the Zhangzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology to attain skills in the tea industry to further aid the district in the commercialization of tea.

Whilst at the county researching for the entertainment and care center, CKGSB also found that the area was prone to severe flooding. After deliberation, CKGSB decided to invest in rebuilding the embankment to prevent and mitigate future disasters. In addition, CKGSB also provided training courses in health and safety knowledge and disaster prevention.

In the long-term, CKGSB aims to continue its efforts in Ji’an and other parts of the country by utilizing its network and expertise to build sustainable projects to address society’s issues.