Dulwich Puxi and EGRC Announce Ambassador School Partnership

We are excited to formally announce a new partnership between Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi and Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) as their first Ambassador School. Officially launched on 8 March to coincide with International Women’s Day, the partnership is a natural fit for Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, with a strong alignment between our core College value to Make a Difference and EGRC's mission to challenge gender inequality and provide educational opportunities for girls in rural China.

Through financial sponsorship and dedicated support, EGRC have already successfully supported over 2,000 young women from rural western China to escape the cycle of poverty and make a better life for themselves and their families. It is our hope that by acting as an Ambassador School, we can rally further support for EGRC and continue to Make a Difference by increasing access to education for girls.

Christine Haslett
Deputy Head of College and Head of Primary

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Being an Ambassador School for Educating Girls of Rural China will allow us to provide advocacy for girls in Yunnan and Gansu province so that they will have the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives. We will do this at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi by supporting the girl’s development of English language, and raising money to fund high school and university scholarships. Most importantly, we will be coordinating learning camps so that our students and the scholars from Educating Girls of Rural China can come together to develop an understanding that although we may be from vastly different backgrounds, we have more in common than we do in difference.  This is the foundation of powerful advocacy, and a realisation that equity means speaking up for everyone so that in society, everyone gets what they need in order to move forward. We can't wait to see what our students and our community will achieve in partnership with Educating Girls of Rural China.

Christine Zhou
Executive Director, EGRC

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We are very excited to continue this journey with Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi as our Ambassador School. We look forward to working together to make a difference to the lives of girls in rural China through education.

Christine Haslett
Deputy Head of College and Head of Primary

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Here are some facts about equality and education. 

• Around the world, girls are more adversely impacted by barriers such as poverty, poor infrastructure, discrimination, violence, and abuse. 
• Worldwide, nearly 1 in 4 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are neither employed nor in education or training, compared to 1 in 10 boys. This equates to almost 159 million girls around the world. 
• 1 in 3 adolescent girls have never been to school. 
• There are 153 countries where there are laws which discriminate against women economically, including countries where husbands can prevent their wives from working. 
• Nearly 2/3 of the world's illiterate population are made-up of women as a result of their systematic discrimination. 

This is what happens when you educate girls. 

• Education provides a pathway out of poverty. It equips young women with the knowledge and agency to escape cycles of abuse and adverse power imbalances and gives them access to employment. This in turn supports their ability to be independent.
• When you educate girls, it is good for the whole world. In societies where women are educated, we see economic stability for families and an increase in life expectancy. This also includes lower levels of infant and maternal mortality. 
• In countries with high levels of female literacy, there is a correlation in positive GDP, employment, and work force skill level.  Equal access to education benefits everyone. 

This project is about achieving equality through equity, and an opportunity for our community to make a difference in the future outcome of girls in China. We are excited to embark on this relationship with Educating Girls of Rural China who do such important work to transform the lives of so many girls and young women. 

This ambitious partnership between Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi and Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) represents a powerful alliance between two communities that are deeply committed to making a positive impact through education.