Introduction
 The Yunxi Key Primary School is located in Shigu town, Shifang City, Sichuan Province. It was founded in 1905, and has a history of more than 100 years. The school is 12 kilometers away from the centre of Shifang City and covers an area of 12,042 square meters. There are 18 classes and 6 grades, with the capacity for 1190 students. The school employs 60 teachers. Donna is the Regional Assistant of the CNYTrust and joined the team on August 1st, 2007. Before the CNYTrust embarks on new projects, significant due diligence is undertaken to determine the size, nature and benefits of the project. Donna is crucial to this process, being responsible for project research, due diligence and project proposal. Below is the report that Donna wrote up after her visit to Yunxi Primary School, which is named Sichuan Diary. Seventeen students were recorded in the diary with the first few students coming across more favourably than the later ones. The Sichuan Diary consists of four sections, written during the trip and consolidated in the days that followed. Dec 30th, 2008 1. I arrived at Chengdu airport at 00: 30 Dec 25th, 2008. It was Christmas. After settling into bed around 3 o’clock in the morning, I finally found time to send Christmas greeting messages to some of my beloved friends. My text message read: “I arrived in Sichuan early in the morning and will spend Christmas with the kids from the earthquake area. I am wondering ‘am I their angel?’ I know it’s quite arrogant to be a self-proclaimed angel, but in my heart I know I must succeed here because my work will make a huge difference. I can’t help thinking this way…” 2. I arrived at Mr.Zhong’s (the Headmaster) office around 10:00 am and was left with the impression that he was capable, diplomatic and willing to help me with all I was seeking to achieve here. We talked for a while before he sent for the students I was due to meet. He told me that no students at Yunxi Primary School were injured (or fatally injured) during the earthquake. 3. I talked with the students, double checking the information printed on the document, and obtained additional information not included in the original files. Some of the students were very impressive, and I intend to post their photos and write a general introduction as below: (Student No. 1) Lanyue   This girl’s name is Lanyue. She was weeping in choking sobs when I tried to talk to her. I remember her most for this, as she was really affected by something. I asked her grandma why the little girl kept crying. Her grandma told me that Lanyue would burst into tears whenever people talked about her parents. Her parents were employed as workers far away from home and would return only once a year. She is 9 years old, a Grade-4 student, and lives with her grandma at the moment. (Student No. 2) Jiangying   The girl in red (in the middle) is Jiangying. She did not leave a deep impression on me when I talked to her in the office. However, after I paid a visit to her parents, it became clear that she was a strong little girl. They still live in a tent. Jiangying’s mum (Yuanhui Xie 谢元会) set up a stall along the street to make some money. Her dad was injured after a fight with some guy(s) and he does not have a stable job anymore. Also, her mum mentioned that Jiangying’s dad beat the little girl sometimes. Each morning, Jiangying rose early to help her mum sell items in the stall. The girl volunteered to show me the way to Lanyue Zhang’s home. She was young (8 years old) and thoughtful. I asked about her grades: “A or B?” I said. I did not hear what she said at first and asked “sometimes A, sometimes B, right?”. She corrected me “Always ‘A’”. The voice was low, confident and full of pride. Two days after I left the school, I received a call from her mum unexpectedly. She said Jiangying missed me and wanted to talk to me over phone. It was very touching. (Student No. 3) Yu Kai  
  Yu Kai is 12 years old, a Grade 6 student. Half of the building in the courtyard collapsed during the earthquake and his home is really shabby. His dad was injured in a car accident and now stays at home, making no money. I asked the salary of his mum, and his mum said that it ranged from 200 RMB to 600 RMB, depending on the benefits of the factory she worked for. The cost of a secondary student is 400 RMB each month and Yukai would be enrolled into middle school in half a year. His parents are unlikely to be able to afford this. The two people in the photo above are Yukai and his mum. Yukai’s home is incredibly basic. I could tell that he was needy. (Student No. 4) Xingyue 
I like this girl a lot. Her name is Xingyue and I felt that she was expressive and smart. She told me that her compositions had never failed to receive compliments from her teacher. She also told me that she was a popular girl because she helped her classmates clean the classroom. She was always A student. Unfortunately, the road to her home was under construction and I did not get the chance to pay her parents a visit. She has a brother, who is 15 years old. Her brother always wins first prize in the exams.
There is much that I would like to continue writing: ¨ I spent one evening playing with two girls, who were the children of the school teachers. Playing with kids was full of fun ¨ The reasons why some families were so poor and needy ¨ The existing problems that face the primary school ¨ The earthquake and its effect on the school and its pupils ¨ My impression and thoughts on the students, their parents, the school teachers and the headmaster ¨ How to transfer and manage the money
Generally speaking, I already feel as if the trip was successful. I managed to spend a lot of the time with the students and the parents. My gut feeling is that the headmaster cares about the well-being of the children and I do not have to worry that the money will be misappropriated. Besides, I have the contact numbers of the parents and they will let CNY know if the children do not receive the money. 95% of the information on the list provided by the school is correct. There is some inaccuracy, but I can tell that the inaccuracy occurred because of the carelessness of the teacher who did the research. The school did not cheat us on purpose. Dec 31st, 2008 I bought lots of chocolate bars and candies before I visited the parents of the schoolchildren. When I was dialing the parents’ numbers in the office, a little girl popped in and talked to me. Her name is Qiu Yue, the daughter of a school teacher. She boasted to her friend Weiyi that I gave her chocolate bars. (Weiyi is also the daughter of a school teacher and she had dinner with me and the other teachers in the dining hall, that’s how I got to know her). I did not know that the chocolate bars had become the envy of the children. I put some bars in QiuYue’s pocket and she gladly accepted my gifts. That evening, after I returned from the homes of the parents, I met Qiuyue and Weiyi on campus. They asked me lots of questions, like “do you come to sponsor the needy students?” I said “Yes”. I was told that the needy students did not want their classmates to know about the scholarship (because the students have to be poor to be qualified). I asked about Lanyue Zhang (the first girl I wrote about in my last report) and the two kids told me that Lanyue Zhang was a super student and classmate, always ready to help others. They thought highly of Lanyue’s character. (They said: “蓝月人特别好– Lanyue Ren Te Bie Hao”) The greatest comfort during the trip is that I managed to spend some time alone with the kids and won their affection. I accompanied the VP of P&G to visit the school he sponsored in August 2007. There was a big ceremony to greet the donor. We had no chance to be with the children alone; instead, we spent all the time with the school leaders and the teachers. Truth be told, I hated it. The donation seemed to have become something unrelated to the students at all, and this made me sad. Adults have less and less patience for kids but, if you truly listen and care, you will find out what a wonderful world it is. Not knowing why, a famous American play came into my mind when I thought about my time at Yunxi Primary School. The play’s name is “Our Town” (by Thornton Wilder). The play laments the common human failure to appreciate the smallest events in daily life. We tend to be too obsessed with ourselves to truly communicate with others. However, if you listen and care, you will come close to appreciating life’s wonder. Spending time with kids is not boring at all, it is delightful. I felt honoured when JiangYing called me and told me that she missed me. However, I am also afraid that her expectations are too high, while our charity is so small and the fund is quite limited. I do not want to give people an empty promise and later disappoint them. Can we send some gifts to Jiangying and Lanyue Zhang before spring festival? The gifts won’t be expensive and I’m sure the kids will be thrilled. 2008 is a tough year for them and I want them to feel our best wishes and love. Jan 5th, 2009 (Student No. 5) Junteng  
Junteng came into the office with his grandpa. He was very eager to express himself, telling me that he had a title in the class and his favourite subjects were science, mathematics and fine arts. His drawing broke a school record and received the highest mark of 98%. I asked whether I could have a look at his drawing and he went back to his classroom to fetch it. The drawing was a lovely dolphin and he gave it to me as a gift. He comes from a divorced family and lives with his grandpa and his father at the moment. His father makes a living by doing odd jobs. When I called his father and asked whether it was convenient for me to pay a visit, he declined and I did not insist. I had a look at the financial certificate of Junteng Huang this morning, which was the most detailed one. The boy was 8 years old, studying in Class 1, Grade 3. (Student No. 6 ) Maoping  
This girl’s name was Maoping, eight years old. She popped into the office at noon and played with me. I took some photos of Maoping. I got to know that she loved reading story books and her favourite story was “the fox and the wolf” during the interview. She is always A student as well. Her twin sister studies in Class 1, Grade 3. Maoping came across well. I asked whether she had books to read after class and she said yes. Her parents were Three Gorges immigrants and ran into debt in the process of building their migrant houses. Luckily enough, their houses survived the earthquake. Her mum was a street sweeper and her dad was an employed laborer, who would come home once every few months. Later on, from a teacher, I learned that the immigrant families were usually embarrassed at the state of their finances. She seemed very smart and breezy, making a good impression on me. (Student No. 7) Yangqiang  
 
Yangqiang was 14 years old. I noticed that he was taller and older than the other kids. I asked his father (the man in the second photo) why Yangqiang was two years older than the normal age for a Grade 6 student, which was 12. The man told me that the divorce had a detrimental effect on Yangqiang’s studies and Yangqiang failed to go up to the next stage. He had caught up with the other students later and his current grades was A. As we can see in the photos, their houses collapsed during the earthquake and they suffered a great financial loss.
Yangqiang lives with his father and grandparents at the moment. His father was an employed laborer and would be back home once every 2 or 3 months. He happened to be at home when I paid the visit. His grandparents were sick and bedridden. I did not to go to the grandparents’ tent for fear of disturbing them.Yangqiang enjoys playing badminton in his spare time.
(Student No. 8) Chenxin
 
Chenxin’s father used to be a salesman and had a very good income. I could tell that his family used to be relatively well-off from the family photographs hanging on the wall. Unfortunately, they had a traffic accident last year. Chenxin and his mum were only slightly injured but his dad was crippled and he can no longer see clearly through his eyes. His eyes are unable to focus and he always sees two objects. The father expressed his gratitude for the help and support of the government and his tone was full of pride when he mentioned his son. He said during the earthquake, Chenxin tried his best to protect him. (Student No. 9) Xinyu
 
This little boy’s name is Xinyu. He is a Grade 2 student. There were two Grade 2 students among the children I interviewed both did not come across very well. I guess it was because of their young age. I asked Xinyu if he could write me a letter every semester and he did not answer my question directly. I asked his grandpa whether he could write to me to keep in touch if Xinyu was too young to communicate with CNYTrust, and he said that he was unable to read or write very well. I could tell from their clothes that they were in financial need. However, I was unable to communicate with his grandpa very well. He was a little bit drunk that day and I could not follow what he said (he spoke a local dialect). The kid was living with his grandparents at the moment. His grandpa was 56 years old and his father was an employed laborer away from home. His mother sold clothes in the market to make a living. (Student No. 10) Haijun
 
This little boy’s name is Haijun, the other Grade 2 student. I asked him the name of his teacher, and to my surprise, he could not remember. He had an elder sister, who was studying in Grade 5, and he told me that his sister had very good academic record. When I paid his home a visit, the two kids were still in bed. I talked to the mum, waiting for the kids to dress up. That little girl has beautiful long hair. Jan 8th, 2008 (Student No. 11) Zhulin
 
Zhulin comes from a single-parent family and she lives with her father and grandfather (73 years old) at the moment. Zhulin’s Chinese teacher Fuwei (the man in the second photo) happened to be in the office and he told me that Zhulin was good at writing. Zhulin was 10 years old, studying in Class 1, Grade 5. (Student No. 12) Shuting
  Shuting Luo was 12 years old, studying in Class 3, Grade 6. Her father was injured in the earthquake. I asked his father whether he was charged for the treatment and learned to know that the treatment was free. He had mostly recovered. Her family’s situation seemed to be better than that of Yukai. They had several good pieces of furniture and were dressed better than Yukai’s parents. I asked her mum about the income, she said 800—1000 RMB per month, higher than the income of Yukai’s mum. (Student No. 13) Huli
 
Huli was 10 years old, studying in Class 2, Grade 5. His father was a laid-off worker and made a living by selling tea. Huli’s grades were of A standard. His father was building the house when I called him and declined my request to pay him a visit. (Student No.14) Ruiheng
 Ruiheng was 11 years old, studying in Class 3, Grade 4. His average grade is B. When I paid his home a visit, he was watching an animated cartoon film on the DVD player. I talked to his mum and grandmother and got to know that his family used to be well-off. Their house had just been renovated before the earthquake. A lot of money had been invested in home improvement and they suffered a great financial loss due to the earthquake.
(Student No. 15) Tanlu
 
Tanlu was 12 years old, studying in Class 1, Grade 6. Her average grade is B. Her parents received a loan and grew mushrooms to make money. However, the entire crop was destroyed during the earthquake and they suffered greatly. Her mum was a retail vendor and her dad was an employed laborer away from home. Her dad came back home roughly once a month. (Student No. 16) Sixian
 
Sixian was eight years old, studying in Class 3, Grade 2. She was from a single-parent family, living with her mum and grandma. Her mum was a laid-off worker, doing odd jobs and her average income was 500 RMB per month. (Student No. 17) Chenxin
 
Chenxin was 11 years old, studying in class 1, Grade 5. His mum once ran away from home but returned later. His parents did not have stable jobs. He told me that his grade was A. I asked about his parents’ contact number, but Chenxin could not remember, so I was unable to pay his home a visit. Jan 16th, 2009 Though Sichuan is in the south and I have grown up and lived in the north of China, it was quite easy for me to communicate with the locals; it felt like I had returned to my hometown, talking with my relatives and former school teachers. The only difference is the dialect. The headmaster (Mr. Zhong) asked whether I would like to watch the earthquake video which detailed bloody and disturbing scenes, he warned. “I went to help rescue the children in the other schools, and you would suddenly come across the leg of one kid or the head of another… after the earthquake, I began to lose my sleep and woke up every morning around 5:00 or 6:00.” “People who lost their beloved ones tend to commit suicide during Spring Festival or the other important festivals, which are usually the time for a family reunion. They become more and more fragile when the holidays are approaching.” People in Sichuan have suffered a lot in 2008, both mentally and physically. I fell silent for a while as, in that setting, you usually listen rather than talk. Pasted below are the photos of the collapsed houses, that belong to a number of the parents I visited.
I asked about how to transfer and manage the money. The headmaster said that the school would set up an account for CNYTrust and would mail CNYTrust the receipt. Then, the teachers in charge of the scholars’ classes would take care of the money and keep a record of the students’ expenses. If there is any money left when the students graduate, this would be returned to the children / parents. Some of the students on the list come from a single parent family and a number live with their grandparents since their parents are labor workers far away from home (educational problems often emerge from this type of family – grandparents tend to spoil the kids and cannot supervise their studies as efficiently as the parents do). Additionally, some of the children’s parents were injured during the earthquake and have since become crippled whilst others are laid-off workers. Only a small minority of the parents I visited have stable jobs and income. I also realised that some parents were very irresponsible and that the money will sometimes be spent on other things such as, for example, on gambling. “The donated money has to be kept by the school.” Mr. Zhong said. I obtained the contact numbers of the teachers in charge of the potential scholars’ classes and talked to some of them. The teachers expressed their gratitude toward CNYTrust’s concern for the children’s well-being and promised to keep a careful record of the costs incurred – primarily the cost of meals and study materials. This is roughly 850 RMB each academic year.
The man in the photo is the dean of the education (Fuwei, 付伟) , who collected the students’ info. I will keep touch with him and the other teachers to obtain academic reports in the future. The kids are lovely. I had been afraid that I would embarrass them by asking about their financial situation, touching often unpleasant topics. Luckily my concern proved to be unnecessary. They enjoyed taking photos and having chocolates. They were also very curious about people from Beijing. Look, Xingyue Xu (the pretty girl) was peeping into the office when I took Huli’s photo.
Qiuyue said she liked Barbie. It occurred to me that the children on the list would be unable to afford any luxuries, “If I send the girls Barbie or chocolates, they will be thrilled.” I thought to myself. Some small and delicate gifts from my dad had always filled my life with joy when I was little. Children are easily satisfied with life, unlike adults, who tend to be worried and who are greedy, wanting too much out of life. Most of the parents welcomed me and tried their best to apply for the financial support from CNYTrust. However, there were some parents (especially the fathers) who did not want me to pay them visits because they still felt that they had lost face due to their inability to support their family – a clear indication that poverty still carries a great stigma in China. I felt sad, upset and powerless because so many students needed financial support and we only had the resources to help some. Also, it upset me more when I realised that some of the kids would eventually have to drop out of school due to the high cost of secondary school. During the trip I came to know the true meaning of “underprivileged”. Currently, there is a nine-year free education policy in mainland China which aims to ensure that all children can enjoy basic education. However, many poor students have to drop out of junior middle school due to the high living cost. Furthermore, I found out that an additional obstacle – the low income of teachers meant that they were not as dedicated as before. “There was a strike by teachers several months ago,” the headmaster told me. I could not get the kids off my mind after I returned from Sichuan. I worry that Yukai may have to drop out of school one day; I cannot forget Xingyue Xu, one of the prettiest and brightest girls I met there; I want to find donors to support Lanyue Zhang, the weeping girl. I have an instinct that she will excel in her studies; she is bright, determined and committed enough to go to college one day. Her parents are far away from home and she must long for care, love and attention from other people. Even as an adult, I long for care and attention from time to time – it is impossible to imagine what these children are going though. I want to help all of them, however, I am not rich and my life is hectic – all I can do is write their stories down and attract more donations. BTW, I did not have the guts to watch the earthquake video. |
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Sichuan Diary (by Donna Gao) |
