"China-Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges"
Invitation to Join the "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge"
Discover poverty in your community
Co-explore solutions for poverty alleviation
Outstanding teams can travel to Brazil or Chile for cross-cultural mutual learningGlobal challenges require collective response
About the Poverty Alleviation Challenge
Poverty alleviation is a common challenge for developing countries and the world at large. In 2024, the Tsinghua University Latin America Center, the China-Latin America Management Research Center of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, and the Tsinghua Student Global Competence Development Guidance Center, in collaboration with Latin American university partners, launched the "China-Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges—2024 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" in China, Brazil, and Chile, sparking a wave of university-led poverty alleviation dialogues between China and Latin America. In November of the same year, during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Brazil for the G20 Summit and a state visit, Tsinghua University and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro signed a cooperation agreement for this project. The agreement was included in the list of outcomes of the visit, becoming a landmark project for mutually beneficial development between China and Latin America. Building on this foundation, the "2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge," jointly organized by Tsinghua University and Latin American partner institutions, attracted over 310 faculty members and students from 27 universities and enterprises across four countries (China, Brazil, Chile, Peru), with 12 teams advancing to the finals and traveling to Chile and Brazil for the international competition.
The "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" will build upon the 2025 edition with greater innovation, injecting new momentum into global poverty alleviation efforts. Through transnational team formation, competitions, and field studies, it aims to gather the strength of Chinese and Latin American youth to explore poverty alleviation solutions. Winning teams will also receive opportunities to travel to Latin America for study and exchange. If you aspire to inject new energy into global poverty alleviation, now is the best time to start.
1. Incentive Mechanism: International Airfare Awaits Your ClaimTo ensure that the efforts of every participating team are recognized, we have prepared a tiered incentive structure for teams at different stages.
l Preliminary Round Honor: All registered teams will receive a "Challenge Award," acknowledging every initial step taken.
l Study Tour Support: Contestants qualifying for the preliminary round incentives will receive a 70% reimbursement for international round-trip transportation and accommodation costs, directly unlocking a ticket to conduct field studies in Brazil and Chile and participate in the transnational finals.
l Finals Enhancement: Building on the preliminary incentives, gold and silver award teams in the transnational finals will enjoy full funding, while bronze award teams can receive a total of 90% cost reimbursement, sponsoring your transnational journey.
2. Team Formation Mechanism: Transnational Collaboration to Compete for AwardsThe 2026 competition fully implements a "5+N" team structure:
l Core Members (5 persons): Must be from eligible Chinese or Latin American universities or enterprises.
l Extended Members (N persons, not exceeding 2): Professionals from relevant Chinese and Latin American institutions are welcome to join. Extended members do not participate in competition judging, ranking, or funding for international travel but will receive a certificate of participation.
Special Bonus Points: The competition encourages transnational team formation. In principle, teams cannot consist entirely of members from the same country. Transnational teams comprising students from China and different Latin American countries (such as Brazil, Chile, etc.) will receive "Cross-Cultural Bonus Points" in both the preliminary and transnational finals, and will have the opportunity to compete additionally for the "Cross-Cultural Competence Award"!
Team Formation Deadline: May 15, 2026 (Beijing Time, inclusive). We eagerly await your swift assembly!
3. Competition Themes: Focusing on Frontiers, Multi-dimensional ExplorationParticipants in this Poverty Alleviation Challenge will focus on multiple fields including "Digital Technology Empowerment," "Social Inclusion and Poverty Alleviation," "Rural and Vulnerable Group Development," and "Sustainable Economic Innovation." We look forward to seeing reflections based on solid theories, collisions of multidisciplinary perspectives, and rigorous, feasible practical methodologies.
Topics are divided into two categories:
l Institutional Propositions: Extracted by government, industry, and research institutions from real poverty alleviation projects. After forming teams, students may freely register and select a proposition, autonomously designing specific research questions under the guidance of the proposition's theme.
l Self-Initiated Topics: Participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from social hotspots, personal interests, or course extensions to select their own topics.
Projects from both categories will be judged uniformly and compete fairly in the competition.
Appendix: List of Institutional Propositions (Continuously updated during the team formation and registration period; view propositions via the link below)https://docs.qq.com/sheet/DSkVYd2VIenVaZ0NX?tab=BB08J2
l Field 1: Education and Human Capital Development,Proposition Institution: Tsinghua University Online Education Center
¡ Digital Teacher Growth Program: Enhancing Teaching Capabilities of Rural Teachers
¡ Online Vocational Skills College: Helping Young People Acquire Digital Economy Skills
¡ Agricultural Digital Classroom: Enhancing Production Capabilities of Small-Scale Farmers
¡ AI Learning Assistant: An Intelligent Learning Tutoring System for Disadvantaged Students
l Field 2: Accessibility and Social Inclusion, Proposition Institution: Tsinghua University Institute for Accessibility Development
¡ Low-Cost Braille Display Software Ecosystem——A Sustainable Poverty Alleviation Tech Solution to Bridge the Digital Divide for Visually Impaired Groups in Latin America"
¡ Accessible Health Information Intervention Framework for Women with Disabilities Based on Informal Trust Networks"
¡ Building a "Community Digital Yellow Pages" and Trust Networks for Vulnerable Groups in the Latin American Informal Economy
¡ Offline AI Teaching Assistant, A Universal Accessible Tech Solution for Inclusive Education Empowering Marginalized Teachers in Offline Regions"
¡ Cross-Cultural Knowledge Productization Design for Participatory Workshops in Inclusive Education
l Field 3: Rural Revitalization, Proposition Institution: Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Office
¡ Technology-Enabled Innovation for Rural Stock Assets and Business Models (Comprehensive Proposal)
l Field 4: Cultural and Tourism Industry Innovation, Proposition Institution: Zhongshan (Beijing) Culture Industry Co., Ltd.
¡ AI Empowers High-Quality Cultural Tourism Development and Regional Poverty Alleviation
l Field 5: Social Innovation and Community Development,Proposition Institution: Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS), Chile
¡ Integration of Circular Economy in Vulnerable Communities to Generate Local Employment.
¡ Using Design Thinking to Co-create Social Programs with Vulnerable Communities.
l Field 6: Multidimensional Poverty and Public Service Systems,Proposition Institution: Wise Responder by SOPHIA Oxford
¡ Education as a Core Dimension of Poverty in Latin America: Addressing Access, Quality and Equity Gaps
¡ Health as a Fundamental Dimension of Poverty in Latin America: Addressing Disparities and Advancing Universal Health Coverage
¡ Labor as a Core Dimension of Poverty in Latin America: Addressing Labor Market Fragilities and Vulnerable Groups
¡ Housing-Related Poverty in Latin America: Addressing Infrastructure and Living Standard Gaps
l Field 7: Ecological Environment and Health, Proposition Institution: Vale S.A.
¡ Amazon Sanitation for All & Health Poverty Alleviation Program
¡ Amazon Clean Cooking Energy & Forest Conservation Program
l Field 8: Agricultural Innovation and Value Chain Development,Proposition Institution: Faculty of Agronomy and Natural Systems, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
¡ Profitability of Cultivating Native Bulbous Plants in Rural Areas
¡ Study of the Value Chain of Ornamental Bulbous Plants in Smallholder Agriculture
¡ AI-Driven Exploration of Local and International Markets for Native Bulbous Plants
4. Welcome! Register Now!
Students who have already formed a team should select "Have Other Members" for the first question (Team Formation Status) in the registration questionnaire. Students who have not yet formed a team should select "Only Myself" for the first question (Team Formation Status) in the registration questionnaire. The competition organizing committee will assist you with team formation.
Registration Questionnaire Link:https://forms.office.com/r/7L51ZT7KWx
To facilitate teammate searching, the organizing committee also provides a team formation information sharing document. This document will update current team formation progress in real-time, including information on teams currently forming and students yet to form teams, for reference and contact.
Team Formation Information Sheet:https://docs.qq.com/sheet/DSHFuUWNZc2JESGJu?tab=BB08J2
Students in need are welcome to check it promptly and proactively contact potential teammates.
5. Contact Information for the Poverty Alleviation Challenge
You are welcome to scan the QR code to join the group, directly enter the registration channel, and learn more about registration information (joining any one group is sufficient; no need to join multiple groups repeatedly).
Image Caption: QR Code for Group EntryImage Caption: QR Code for Group EntryImage Caption: QR Code for Group EntryImage Caption: QR Code for Group Entry.
If the QR code scanning fails, you may also add the WeChat work account "Tsinghua University Latin America Center" below, and remark with your [Affiliation + Name]. Upon approval by the administrator, you will be invited to join the "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" competition group.
Global challenges require collective response2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge, we invite you to take on the challenge!Text and Images: Lin Yihang, Qiao Ziyi
Welcome! Register Now!
Students who have already formed a team should select "Have Other Members" for the first question (Team Formation Status) in the registration questionnaire. Students who have not yet formed a team should select "Only Myself" for the first question (Team Formation Status) in the registration questionnaire. The competition organizing committee will assist you with team formation.
Registration Questionnaire Link:https://forms.office.com/r/7L51ZT7KWx
To facilitate teammate searching, the organizing committee also provides a team formation information sharing document. This document will update current team formation progress in real-time, including information on teams currently forming and students yet to form teams, for reference and contact.
Team Formation Information Sheet:https://docs.qq.com/sheet/DSHFuUWNZc2JESGJu?tab=BB08J2
Students in need are welcome to check it promptly and proactively contact potential teammates.
Contact Information for the Poverty Alleviation ChallengeYou are welcome to scan the QR code to join the group, directly enter the registration channel, and learn more about registration information (joining any one group is sufficient; no need to join multiple groups repeatedly).
If the QR code scanning fails, you may also add the WeChat work account "Tsinghua University Latin America Center" below, and remark with your [Affiliation + Name]. Upon approval by the administrator, you will be invited to join the "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" competition group.
Global challenges require collective response2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge, we invite you to take on the challenge!
