As the first school to pilot Heifer International’s “Read to Feed” in mainland China, YK Pao School has now supported the organization’s educational charity activities for five consecutive years. As of March 27, 2015, Pao School’s Primary Division students read 339,500 pages, raising a record-breaking total of 166,223.60 RMB!
Following the successful conclusion of “Read to Feed,” during the Golden Week Holiday, Headmaster Wu Zijian brought a team of 19 students, parents, and staff to visit Huang Ying Ling village in Qingshen County, Sichuan province in order to understand the significance of their contributions in helping Chinese farmers improve their living conditions. Over the course of the four-day trip, the team not only visited the recipients of their efforts, but also lived, worked, ate, and even played games with the villagers and their children.
All of the villagers, young and old, gave Pao School a hero’s welcome on arrival. Even the simplest of folk customs had great effect on the entire team. Residents prepared accommodations and food, and brought our students with them to work on the farm and catch fish. Our students raved about the villagers’ cooking, and even after just two days in the village, students could not bear to say goodbye!
The Heifer International project officially launched in Huang Ying Ling in 2012. An impoverished village at that time, our donations have not only facilitated the building of a new village square, library, houses, and spacious livestock pens, but also provided training and the establishment of community culture!
With the help of Heifer International, we had the pleasure of visiting Tianchi elementary school. Our students painted t-shirts with local students. Ms Sandra then began a balloon experiment class with the school’s Year 3 students. The loud popping sound of the balloons bursting was both exciting and frightening for the children. Meanwhile, kindergarten students thoroughly enjoyed hearing Ms Tammy tell the story of Elmer the Patchwork Elephant!
Over the course of five years, “Read to Feed” has become a tradition of Pao School’s annual Book Week, in which students read an incredible amount of books and seek sponsors for the books they read in order to raise funds for the Heifer Project. It is our hope that students not only enjoy the fun of reading but also develop a sense of social responsibility and concern for those less fortunate.
(From Yingying He, Librarian)
