OCEF

Overseas China Education Foundation

Founded	October 1992 El Cerrito, California, US
Founder	Wenyuan Shi
Type	Educational Charity, 501(c)(3)
Tax ID no.	76-0680540
Focus	Rural Education in China
Location	Houston, Texas, US
Area served	China
Key people	Tina Miao, President
Expenses	$272,138.76 (2011) [1]
Endowment	$382,313.57 (2011) [1]
Volunteers	> 3,000
Website	www.ocef.org
Formerly called	SOS China Education Fund [2]

Overseas China Education Foundation (OCEF) is an independent, non-political, non-religious and non-profit charity organization, founded in October 1992 by a group of Chinese students and scholars in California. Formerly known as SOS China Education Fund (SOSCEF),^[2] OCEF changed to its current name and was registered in Texas in April 2001 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. OCEF's sole mission is to help underprivileged children in impoverished rural areas of China receive education and improve the quality of education in rural China. ^{[3] [4]}

Overview

OCEF is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has local chapters in many cities across the U.S., including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, and UIUC.^[5]

OCEF raises funds primarily via donations from individuals, corporations and foundations in the U.S., then distributes them directly to the students, teachers and schools in rural China, through the volunteers in China (run by OCEF's China Affairs group), without any interference by governments or other organizations. The distribution process is completely transparent and discussed in details on OCEF's BBS forum.

Operated predominantly by unpaid volunteers, OCEF keeps operational costs minimal (3.4% of annual donation receipts in 2011). In its 20-year journey (1992 through spring 2012), OCEF has made continuous achievements through steady steps. ^[6]

• Raised over $3 million donations
• Distributed over RMB 14 million across 27 provinces in China
• Sponsored 41,610 students and teachers
• Built 412 libraries
• Donated 373,019 books

In 2012, OCEF celebrated its 20th anniversary through a series of events around the world, in Beijing ,^[7] New York ^{[8] [9] [10]} ,^[11] Chicago, San Francisco ,^[12] and the main event on November 4, 2012 in Houston ^{[13] [14] [15]} .^[16]

OCEF Programs

OCEF offers a variety of funding programs across over 20 provinces in rural China and has developed comprehensive operational procedures that ensure all OCEF funds are distributed diligently and transparently. ^[17]

• Comprehensive Support Program
• Financial Aid Program
• High School Scholarship Program
• Teacher Aid Program
• Library Program
• School Building Program

OCEF conducts site-visits to inspect OCEF sponsored programs, during which the inspectors examine the status of aid recipients, confirm the proper use of all aid money, and verify that the schools have followed OCEF policies in the pre-screening of aid applicants and in the disbursement of aid. The majority of the local funding programs are inspected every other year.

Publications

OCEF regularly publishes reports, journals, newsflashes, etc. for its supported students, donors, members and volunteers. Below are some selected publications,^[18]

• Tears inspiring video: OCEF's 20 years
• OCEF 20th Anniversary Special Edition
• OCEF 20th Anniversary Brochure
• OCEF Annual Reports

Awards and Prizes

• In April 2005, OCEF received Top 10 Reading Advocate Award from the Library Society of China.^[19]
• In November 2009, OCEF received the $50,000 grand prize in the America's Giving Challenge sponsored by the Case Foundation, Parade (magazine) and the Facebook Causes application, for the most donations received over the 30-day period. OCEF received 13,772 donations and raised $156,637 in addition to the $50,000 award money.^[20]
• In December 2009, OCEF received a $25,000 prize in the Chase Community Giving Contest, following Facebook users’ voting.^[21]
• In May 2010, Socialbrite named OCEF second place in its list of top ten most successful NGOs at Causes.^[22]

References

1. "OCEF Financial Report 2011" (PDF). OCEF. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
2. "Original SOSCEF Website (archived)". www.ibiblio.com. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
3. "OCEF - About Us". www.ocef.org. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
4. "OCEF - 基金会概况". www.ocef.org. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
5. "OCEF - Local Chapters". www.ocef.org. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
6. "OCEF - 20th Anniversary Brochure" (PDF). www.ocef.org. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
7. "海外中国教育基金会助推中国乡村教育发展". 慈善公益报. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
8. "中國教育基金會 慶周年籌善款". 世界日报. October 28, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
9. "OCEF庆祝成立20周年". 侨报. 28 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
10. "助中国贫困学生 海外中国教育基金会慈善拍卖". 美国中文电视. 2012-10-27. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
11. "海外中国教育基金会庆20周年". 星岛日报. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
12. "海外中国教育基金会(OCEF)庆祝其成立20周年, 于圣荷西举办庆典". Sina 新浪网. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
13. "OCEF holds picnic in Fort Bend, adds library in China". Your Houston News. October 29, 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
14. "海外中国教育基金会喜迎成立20周年 持之以恒只做一件事：帮助中国乡村孩子们". 侨报. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
15. "海外中國教育基金會 資助推動中國鄉村教育發展". 世界日报. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
16. "张传兵副总领事出席海外中国教育基金会二十周年庆典并致辞". http://houston.china-consulate.org. Retrieved 6 November 2012. External link in |publisher= (help)
17. "OCEF - Programs". www.ocef.org. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
18. "OCEF - Publications". www.ocef.org. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
19. "OCEF(海外中国教育基金会）"阅读推广贡献奖"". www.cityyouth.cn. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
20. "Facebook users donate $2.1 million during America's Giving Challenge". www.thedailytell.com. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
21. "Chase and Facebook Announce 100 Small and Local Charities to Receive $25,000 Each from Chase Community Giving". www.businesswire.com. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
22. "Behind the success of 10 top causes". Socialbrite. Retrieved 7 November 2012.