President Xi Jinping stressed on Wednesday the importance of efforts to continue to pay attention to and support Project Hope as the public welfare program marks its 30th anniversary.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark in a message to the program.

Project Hope was started by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and the China Youth Development Foundation in 1989. It is tasked with improving the education infrastructure and helping children who drop out return to school in the country's poorest areas.

Xi said that under the CPC's leadership, Project Hope has focused on helping and educating children and cultivating respect for teachers and education in their hearts.

By building a bridge of love and mutual assistance, Xi said, it has helped millions of teenagers from poor households realize their dream of going to school and acquiring knowledge that has allowed them to work in all sectors of society.

Xi added that the program has played an important role in fighting poverty, promoting the development of education and helping teenagers to grow.

Given that the nation's future relies on the healthy growth of teenagers, Xi urged efforts from the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China to further develop the program so as to provide energy and hope for teenagers.

The president asked the whole of the Party and society to keep paying attention and offering support to Project Hope so teenagers keep growing into the builders of, and successors to, the socialist cause.

The China Youth Development Foundation said that as of September, Project Hope had received 15.23 billion yuan ($2.16 billion) in donations, aided over 5.99 million students in financial difficulties and built 20,195 primary schools.