[Photo provided to China Daily]

The situation is so severe that it has prompted Growing Home to develop programs that go beyond reading simple bedtime stories.

After noticing the role the project played in enhancing students' literacy, Zhang Liubo, principal of Lijiao town's primary school, asked Du if they could add ancient poems.

"The organization agreed without hesitation. This year, my students claimed the first place in a county-level poetry-reading contest," Zhang says, proudly.

Members of Du's team often travel to these schools to get feedback about the project's effectiveness and assess requests to adapt the program to better serve the children.

Cooperating with universities and non-governmental organizations, Growing Home has designed video lectures and tutorials to supplement the school curriculums, provided principals and teachers with professional training and educational information, and helped to decorate dormitory buildings.

"More problems are exposed to us when we have a deeper conversation with local educational officials and teachers," says Du, who aims to benefit 7,500 schools by the end of the year.

"To solve these problems, we need to first spread the bedtime stories to more schools and amass the strength of individuals and social programs."

The New Tales from a Thousand and One Nights project is just a "prelude" to what Du and her teammates plan to do for left-behind children in the future. And as their slogan on their website suggests, their aim is to "ensure the healthy growth of every left-behind child".