This year, HOPE worldwide continues to organize trips to China's countryside. The purpose is to visit sponsored students and in some locations organize some activities for them. Many donors use their vacation days to go on such a trip. Read what one of them has to share:

"You can hear stories like the one from the movie "Not one less" nearly everywhere in the mountainous regions in Yunnan. I had expected to see poverty. But what surprised me, no, rather; what inspired me was the people's contented spirit. I wonder if I were to switch places with them, how long could I last? Whenever I think about it, a genuine admiration rises from my heart.

It is an unusual way to spend your holiday. While everyone is sitting down to an abundant Christmas dinner, you may be on a bus somewhere in China, traveling for more than ten hours on some unpaved roads, carrying bags of things for other people, walking to some unnamed village, staying in less than desirable accommodations. What for? Perhaps just to bring a little encouragement to these poor students. It's an experience you can never forget."

• An County, Sichuan Province: Apr 1 - 5, 2010
• Huining County, Gansu Province: Jul 18 - 24, 2010 Download the form
• Zhangjiajie City & Sangzi County, Hunan Province: Aug 1 - 7, 2010 Download the form
• Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province: Dec 25 – 31, 2010