Austen Morris Associates visits Compassion For Migrant Children’s (CMC) Shanghai Center

Client Services Manager Kelly Olver and Head of Marketing, Katie Littlefield of Austen Morris Associates who are the Organising Sponsor of the annual Chi Fan For Charity event in Shanghai recently visited one of the Chi Fan for Charity Shanghai 2011 beneficiaries; Compassion For Migrant Children’s (CMC) Shanghai Center. Funds raised in 2011 and donated to CMC from Chi Fan For Charity were used to launch their pilot Early Childhood Development (ECD) program which is held from Wednesday – Saturday mornings between 10 -12 pm. In addition, funds received have also helped to continue their After School Program (ASP) which is held from Monday – Friday afternoons from 4:30 – 6:30 pm.
The visit, hosted by Regional Manager, Grace Nieh, allowed Olver and Littlefield to visit the center for a firsthand experience at the center with the those benefiting from the program. The center is located in the heart of a wholesale fruit market in Shanghai’s Minghan District where around 2000 migrant’s live and service the expected 200 migrant children from 2-5 years of age. There are two main classroom areas and a small office for administrative work. All of children in the ECD program enjoyed having the extra attention while playing with Play Dough, learning about colors, body parts and painting. Regional Director Grace Nieh commented that “having Austen Morris Associates as a partner in nurturing the development of children is a great privilege for us”.
The center also provides educational courses including curriculum tutoring, English Lessons, Teacher Training, Life-Vocational Skills Training. Their aim is to establish community centers in the heart of migrant neighborhoods and through and around these centers, provide support and much needed education for migrant children and their families. Compassion for Migrant Children currently have six community centers serving over 2800 children and their families. They also impact over 1000 children weekly through programs in migrant schools.