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Helene Franchineau

Their worlds couldn't be farther apart: Sun Cheng is the Director of Human Resources at China World Hotel and Chen Jiangchun is a migrant student from Shijingshan district, Beijing.
But the two are quite literally big buddies. They were paired up as part of an initiative called 'Big Buddy' that sees volunteers in the role of mentors for migrant students.
It is a well known fact that migrant children in China do not receive the same standard of education as others. State Council guidelines introduced last year set harsh rules for deciding which children can sit high school and university entrance exams in the cities where they live.
About 10 years ago the government allowed children of migrant workers to receive free primary and middle school education outside where they hold hukou, or permanent household residency.
Video: Big Buddies Sun Cheng and Chen Jiangchun tell their story

But some parents and academics said the rules being put in place meant most migrant children would not be able to enjoy the benefits of the policy.
In Beijing, it is estimated that around 40% of the population is migrant workers who came from poorer rural regions to seek better wages in manual work and construction projects.
In one of the least egalitarian societies in the world, this population survives in a legal limbo. They are not legal residents of those big cities and therefore cannot get access to the same level of social services as others.
The 'Big Buddy' programme, an education project launched in 2007 by the Kerry Group Kuok Foundation, aims to broaden migrant students' horizons through mentorship. Letter-writing, cultural activities and games are means through which the students can communicate with their big buddies in order to help their education.
The foundation says its aim is to change people's mindset when it comes to migrant children and transform them from being a potential "social burden" into a "social asset." In 2012, the Kuok Foundation was working with seven schools for migrant children in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
This story was updated at 6.30pm on August 2 to correct, in the 8th paragraph, a reference to the Kerry Group Kuok Foundation as the parent group of SCMP Group. Kerry Group is the controlling shareholder, through Kerry Media, of SCMP Group which publishes the South China Morning Post. The Kerry Group Kuok Foundation is a charity organisation affiliated with Kerry Group. 


'Big Buddy' initiative offers mentorships to China's migrant children

Migrant student Chen Jiangchun. Picture: SCMP

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China