Ching Tien in Beijing, China 2017. Photo by Aaron Berkovich.
Founder
Ching Tien
Ching Tien is a Chinese Canadian social impact leader and gender equality advocate. She grew up in Beijing and worked in a rural Gansu factory during the Cultural Revolution — an experience that denied her the education she longed for.
Moving to Vancouver in 1983, she dedicated herself to ensuring other young women would not face the same barriers. In 2005, she founded Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC), which helped over 2,000 young women from rural western China complete high school and university.
Her guiding belief has never wavered: "Educated women have educated children."
In 2023, building on 18 years of EGRC's transformative work, she launched the Ching Tien Foundation for Women — expanding the mission to young women across Asia, supporting them through masters scholarships, undergraduate leadership programs, and a global community of peers and mentors.
Ching has received numerous awards and speaking invitations for her advocacy work in women's education and gender equality.