According to Children's Bureau, Ministry of the Interior and Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, the number of children from mid-to-low income families reached 330 thousands in 2005. In addition, statistics show that low-income families are likely to have more children. Economic disadvantage inhibits the education performance of these children due to lack of resources available to them. Some work to support themselves, leaving less time for schoolwork.

UMC Science and Culture Foundation decided to provide education and care for these children from mid-to-low income families by offering mid-to-long term sponsorships and calling for support from others in the hi-tech industry. By work together, UMC hopes to provide better education for these children to increase their future competitiveness and help them rise above the poverty line.

Ideas and Practices
Based on the concept of "Give someone a fish, he'll eat for a day, teach someone how to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime", UMC Science and Culture Foundation hires college students to provide schoolwork tutoring through collaboration with colleges, universities and public interest groups. Three stages are laid out for this program, from maintaining fundamental education, to inspiring children's minds and guiding and helping them rise above poverty, so that those children can become more competitive in the future.

(First stage) This stage focuses on the assistance of fundamental education. UMC hopes to change the insufficiency of their education resources, establish good learning habits and encourage positive thinking by conducting schoolwork tutoring services.

(Second stage) Through a filtering process, UMC provides scholarships to those children who are talented and willing to advance to higher education, and acts as a motivator for children's self-progress.

(Third stage)Through evaluation, UMC provides further higher education aid such as subsidiaries for advanced education, or arrangements to study abroad for those who continue to grow with higher self-expectation.

Tutoring Partners
Since the program began on UMC's 25th anniversary, May 21st, 2005, 65 tutoring classes have been established in Hsinchu and Tainan to provide long-term tutoring services for children from mid-to-low income families. More than three thousand children have benefited from this service in the past two years.

To further integrate the strength of UMC employees and their family members to participate in helping children from mid-to-low income families, UMC's voluntary tutoring service team was established in 2005. Since it establishment, there have been more than a thousand people participating in UMC's voluntary tutoring service team. UMC also holds summer camps and gift-raising activities at Christmas and other holidays. Many UMC employees not only participate in activities themselves but also call their friends and family members to join in.

Currently UMC has established four joint tutoring centers with Boyo Social Welfare Foundation, National Hsinchu University of Education and National University of Tainan to provide evening schoolwork tutoring for children from mid-to-low income families in Hsinchu and Tainan, from Monday to Friday. In addition to schoolwork tutoring, UMC also provides mental counseling services. UMC hopes to help children build up good learning habits and positive thinking through maintaining fundamental education and inspiring children's minds. Moreover, UMC conducts tutoring classes during summer vacation for children in aboriginal tribes and remote areas, to help them make the most of their summertime.

Currently, the Spreading Hope program mainly focuses on elementary schools and junior high schools in Hsinchu and Tainan, but hopes to attract more passionate educators and enterprises to participate together to spread hope in additional areas.

Practical Achievements
Tutoring centers were open in September 2005. Today, there are 64 classes in four tutoring centers in Hsinchu and Tainan, and more than 400 children are taking UMC's schoolwork tutoring services. Since 2005, there have been more than a thousand children taking this service. Combined with other tutoring services provided by other local public interest groups (such as Taiwan Fund for Children and Families) prior to this program, more than three thousand children have benefited from these kinds of tutoring services. There are qualitative achievements as well as quantitative results. With considerable efforts and resources involved, we are glad to see the progress and growth that the children have shown.

Through data analysis for the past two years, we found out that on average, children were behind two years than normal (such as a fourth grade student being only capable of second grade schoolwork) before tutored. However, after being tutored, 50% of the children are able to advance on average 1.2 semesters for each semester, and 1 full semester during summer vacation.

Total student numbers, attendance rate, complete rate and average advance semester are shown in the chart below:

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