International Programs

ICF's education activities are closely connected with ambitious and effective conservation programs for cranes and wetlands in the many countries where ICF works. Through these programs, educators have the opportunity to cross cultural and political boundaries through a shared concern for the future of cranes and our environment. Click on the links below to learn more about ICF’s international education programs and how teachers can involve their classrooms in these exciting programs.

One Helps One Program

The One Helps One Program was developed by ICF to support education for young women in rural China.  The program was initiated in 1998 at the Cao Hai Nature Reserve in southwestern China.  The reserve is an important wintering area for the threatened Black-necked Crane and is home to over 30,000 people, who live in one of the poorest regions in China. Due to poverty, many young women in rural areas like Cao Hai must drop out of school to help support their families.

Through the One Helps One program, students are paired with a sponsor, who provides an annual donation to cover their school costs, including books, supplies and uniforms. The donation goes directly to the students, who are chosen based on their above average performance in school and their family’s economic situation. The local villages, schools and the Cao Hai Nature Reserve work together to choose the students for the program.

If you and your class would like to sponsor a student through the One Helps One Program, please email the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World

As a global family of birds, cranes offer a unique opportunity for teachers to combine the study of cranes with learning about diverse cultures and countries.  Through Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World, we invite you to join us in an exciting education project to link classrooms in the United States with students in eastern China and Russia that are also learning about cranes and their conservation.

Through this project, you and your students can:

• Visit ICF for a class field trip or invite an ICF educator to our school to bring the global story of cranes into your classroom.
  
• Participate in the Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World Student Art Exchange.  Your artwork will be shared with students in Russia and China participating in the Three White Cranes project, who in turn will send art to the United States to distribute among participating project schools. The artwork from the three countries will be exhibited at schools, museums, nature centers, and libraries in the U.S., and then go to east Asia as a traveling exhibit along the crane flyway.

For more information on becoming involved in this project, contact ICF's This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at  608-356-9462  ext. 142.