Reported by: TUAN Xuan
Photographed by: TUAN Xuan
Translated by: CHEN Meng, JIA Yingxue
Edited by: Jennifer Taylor
Each year in March, throughout the country there is a a boom of volunteer activities encouraged by‘learning from Lei Feng, do good things.’ Rather than short-term volunteer service, there was a group of HIT students, spending a year doing the same thing, supporting education in several schools in Yunnan and Sichuan. This winter, members of HIT Graduate Teaching Assistance Group, far away in Yunnan and Sichuan, used their meticulous care to warm the mountain children's bodies and minds, and also quietly sowed the seeds of dreams in their minds.
Let Left-Behind Children have Hope and Happiness
On the country road in the town of Yibin City, Sichuan Province, South Stream area, there are pedestrians carrying supplies walking on a muddy mountain road in freezing rain. The supplies are the New Year’s gift for the Left-Behind children in Jinji Primary School and Caihua Primary School, including nearly a thousand teenage books and more than one hundred stationery sets from the Weihai Feeling Cambridge English School and more than ten badminton sets and table tennis bats donated by different communities. There is no stunning scenery and cheers from the audience on the muddy mountain road, but only heart of the volunteers. These pedestrian are the members of the HIT Graduate Teaching Assistance Group Sichuan team.
On the day the team members had no class, they sent the love supplies raised from communities in advance to the left-behind children as their New Year's gifts. For the Jinji Primary School and Caihua Primary School, the leader of the Sichuan team WANG Peng as the representative sent the love supplies to the schools and encouraged the children to have grateful hearts and enterprising ambitions, seeking good marks to return the love shown them. When the children received the supplies, they seriously saluted to the teaching assistance group members. Older children also said that they would express deep gratitude to the well-wishers who always are concerned and care for them with their actions in their diaries.
As soon as the children received the books, they could not wait to read them carefully. Some children still did not know the words, they read word by word according the alphabet of the text. Although they read slowly, they reveled in the ocean of knowledge. In the classroom, more than 10 children gathered around one of the members LIU Hanning to let her tell the stories to them. LIU Hanning told about college life and the outside world in a way that students could understand. "What we sent was not only goods, but also loving and caring. We wanted to tell the kids that there are still a lot of people paying attention to them and loving them. They are not forgotten." These books will be the primary reason for the construction of lilac Library houses Caihua Primary School branch room. The kids will get much "spiritual food" from these books.
Children who received sports equipment are also very happy, but they were also dazed because they did not know how to use them. The principal explained that due to poor school conditions, there has been no dedicated physical education teacher. They just let other teachers to play with students. Therefore, team members lead students to play basketball, football, table tennis and badminton. Some children had never played badminton. The team members played with them one by one, teaching them how to use the sports equipment. The smile on children’s faces and the crisp laughter echoed in the campus and became the most special memories in teaching assistance group’s mind.
Let children learn in the ‘warm winter’
Ninglang Yi Autonomous County is located in Xiaoliangshan. It has already suffered the piercing wind. In such a cold winter, children in Ninglang received their gifts, cotton coats, from the Teaching Assistance Group. HIT’s eleventh Graduate Teaching Assistance Group Yunnan team launched a ‘warm winter action’ for Ninglang’s children to collect more than 6,000 cotton coats, 500 pairs of shoes, 10 quilts and more than 100 toys.
Due to the high altitude of Ninglang, its winter is relatively cold, and students attend class shivering wearing unlined clothes. Members of the Teaching Assistance Group had met the children previously and kept them in mind. Teaching lessons aside, members attracted donations through warmhearted Taobao, website promotion, personal circle of friends, enthusiastic corporate donations and other means to collect a lot of warm clothes and other items for children. With the support of a compassionate public, boxes of clothing with love were mailed from across the country to the small town of Ninglang. Due to the complex and diverse types of goods, members transported them to the studio, carefully selected some of the thick, clean, newer clothes, sorted them into categories, cleaned, disinfected and folded and registered them.
"Warm Winter Action" began with Ning Lang Zi Zhi Xi Di Yi Zhong Xue, and then subsequently in Ninglang National High School, Xinyingpan Xiang Yaocaoping Primary School and Daxing Zhen Zhuluohe Primary School. After receiving the notice of issued clothing, the students rushed to the place, happy to pick their own cotton coats. Some students touch the clothes to feel the texture of them; some students pick up pants, carefully comparing their height; some other students wear their favorite coat to let friends judge if it fits. They are full of laughter with warm smiles on each student’s face.
One boarding student said to one team member that Ninglang’s temperature was colder earlier than usual this year, and he did not have time to get clothes from home which is away in the village. During the break from classes he had to stand in the sun for warmth. This time he chose a coat, so at least he can feel comfortable now. During the issuing of clothing in Yaocaoping Primary School, one student tried to carry several pieces of thick clothing. He said happily to us: “Thank you so much, teachers. I not only select a warm coat for myself, but also one for my little brother. My parents don’t have to worry about buying winter clothes.”
Seeing the smiles of children, members all feel happy for the children and themselves making all the hard work worthwhile.
Let love flow in the mountains
"You came, we have computers, classrooms have been repaired, the children have delighted my heart! Thanks to the help of the community of caring people for our elementary school!" Principal YANG of Shi Menkan Primary School could not hide his excitement. All this must be thanks to our Teaching Assistance Group of the Graduate Yunnan team which launched the theme of "heaven and earth there is love, love is full of Liangshan" donation activities. Through the team members'’ efforts, Shanghai SHANDA TIANDI Love Foundation donated Shi Menkan Primary School four with computers, 300 stationery sets, 20 dictionaries, 100 items of clothing and more than 10,000 yuan.
Shimenkan Primary School is one of the poorest Primary School in Ninglang Yi nationality autonomous County. There are 56 students in total in the school. Due to the remote location, the school doors were dilapidated, most roof tiles were broken. It rained in the classroom in summer and wind blew in the classroom in winter. This caused a great impact on the students learning. After the team members learned the basic facts about the school while visiting, they connected to the Shanghai SHANDA TIANDI Love Foundation, and they gained their support to co-fund hardware facilities. The school buildings, dormitories, windows and doors were repaired. Today Shi Menkan pupils can sit in a warm classroom without rain and wind.
After realized the reality that the entire fourth-grade class children had not even a dictionary, the team members brought each student a dictionary. "Children, you can check with the dictionary when you do not know the words. I hope you will be able to quickly grow out of the mountains, chasing your dream." Looked at the smiling faces of the children, team members also were firm about their long-term determination to help the children. Under the support of Shanghai SHANDA TIANDI Love Foundation, a plan to build cement basketball court will also be implemented.
"Love Action" gained the praise of Ninglang County Deputy Secretary LU Zhengqiong. After the donation ceremony, she encouraged the team members to come to Shi Menkan primary again. They brought not only books, stationery for the children, but also oil and quilts for the local poor households. The Teaching Assistance Group members said that they would not only bring knowledge to local students, but also warmth and hope for the children.
Children are reading the received books carefully
Children are selecting winter coats
Distributing stationery and books to the children
