Asheville's Susan Reinhardt on two sisters adopted from China who worked with their classes at Evergreen Community Charter School to save babies in their homeland

Most kids faced with a school project rush out and buy poster board.

Last year, Lilliana Soucaze, now a fourth-grader at Evergreen Community Charter School, saved four lives with her project.

During a third-grade unit on Movers and Shakers, teacher Eben Heasley asked his class, “How do people use the mind, body and spirit to make the world a better place?”

Students were asked to select a person to study who could help answer that question.

For Lilliana, one of two girls adopted by Carole Soucaze after they were abandoned in China, the question sparked her interest in girls born, killed and discarded in the most populous place in the world.

This tragic situation is due in part to the “one child only” policy, affecting about 35 percent of the population and aimed mostly at rural families.

When Lilliana learned of this and knew that she, too, was abandoned, she asked her mother, “Who is working to keep the mommies and babies together in China?”

Carole, a speech pathologist at the school, was at first speechless.

“I thought, ‘Oh, goodness, probably nobody’” she said.

Lilliana researched the issue on the Internet and discovered Chai Ling, a commander in chief of the Tiananmen Square uprising, now living in Boston.

She’d founded an organization called All Girls Allowed, whose mission is to keep baby girls with their families and abolish the one-child-only policy.

Through contact with Ling, Lilliana learned of the woman’s work to end gendercide, educate abandoned girls, rescue trafficked children and provide legal defense to forced abortion or sterilization victims.

“The more Lilliana heard about ‘All Girls Allowed,’ the more passionate she became about its work,” said Eleanor Ashton, director of development and communication at Evergreen.

After emailing Ling, Lilliana got a response from the organization’s executive director.

“She was angry and going to fix this,” Carole said of her daughter’s outrage. The child also became aware she could have been one of the millions of missing, aborted or murdered girls of China.

Carole adopted Lilliana, 9, when she was six months old. She adopted Libby, 14, from China when she was 16 months old. Both had been discarded or abandoned, though Carole is unsure of the exact details.

Lilliana wanted to do her part to help end the country’s one-child-only policy so girls could stay with their families.

“When you live in the countryside, with no Social Security or retirement plan, your future depends on your children,” Carole said, referring to China’s laws. “If you give birth to a girl, she goes off to her husband’s family, so there’s no one to take care of them (the parents).

“Ancient thought is that girls are just an extra mouth to feed,” she said. “They either abandon girls, kill them or face consequences.”

Carole said her daughter’s research revealed baby girls dumped on the sides of roads, in duck weed ponds, trains and train stations and other places in the dark of night.

More than 37 million Chinese girls are missing, she said. It is a tough subject for adults to handle, much less a third-grade child.

But Lilliana dove right in, vowing to somehow make a difference in the lives of these girls.

When big sister Libby heard about the project, she was inspired and convinced her seventh-grade class to help take it on. The seventh grade organizes an annual service project for a global charity, and Libby’s class decided “All Girls Allowed” was a great cause to support.

The seventh graders, with the help of teacher Kathy Millar, put together a 5K run and raised more than $3,000, Ashton said.

Three organizations benefited, including “All Girls Allowed,” which received a check for $1,000 — enough to enable four baby girls in China to remain with their birth families.

Lilliana remains dedicated to the cause, even though the official project was last year.

“First of all, I’m lucky to be alive because I was from China,” this well-spoken girl said. “My sister started the 5K, and we saved those babies. If you think about it, four is a big number in China.

“I’m doing my best to save more baby girls; if you really think about it, most baby girls end up in orphanages or are homeless — rarely do baby girls get saved,” Lilliana said. “I wish the governors in China would change the laws. It’s not fair.”

Big sister Libby expressed similar views.

“I feel the laws are unjust and very inhumane,” she said. “It’s not acceptable now in the 21st century. I felt very accomplished we were able to save babies. Not just my sister and I, but my entire class that worked to make it happen.”

Ashton said Chai Ling was so moved by the gift, she called the girls to express her gratitude and sent them an advance copy of her book, “A Heart for Freedom,” a personal account of the Tiananmen Square uprising. The girls donated the book to Evergreen’s library.

The school’s relationship with Ling and “All Girls Allowed” is continuing.

Carole said she’s impressed with her daughters’ role in this project, as well as the school’s support.

“I was very proud and thought Lilliana was very brave for facing these issues at such a young age,” she said. “Genocide, abortion, infanticide are difficult concepts for an 8 year old.”

Both girls remain enthusiastic about the cause, Carole said, and will continue with the “All Girls Allowed” mission.