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We refused to be defeated by the sandstorm
At the morning ribbon-cutting ceremony at Cheng Kwok Chow Middle School in Bai Ni Jing, the sand-laden wind was extremely strong and blew hard in people's faces. The organizers of the school had considerately prepared a visored cap for each guest. Our staff looked so funny, they couldn't help laughing at each other. Unfortunately, once they laughed, the sandy wind sneaked straight into their open mouths. They just had to restrain themselves and keep their mouths closed. |
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Then Chairman Hung Yat Fai and Mr. Cheng Kwok Chow stepped onto the stage to deliver their speeches. The wind obviously affected the two seniors, forcing them to stop several times. There was nothing they could do about the sand. When other members on the stage smiled with their lips closed tightly, loud voices suddenly arose from the audience—the student representatives were hailing the guests with poems. Thrilled by their fearless spirit, we cheered with our mouths open wide, regardless of how much sand got into our mouths.
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We all become stars.
 On November 26, we visited Hemu Yat Fai Foundation Middle School. As we entered the school, a group of students gathered around us clutching recorders, paper and pens. They were busy taking photos, interviewing, recording and asking for autographs. We were just like famous stars. Chairman Hung Yat Fai and other senior members responded skillfully and easily. Ashamed of my bad handwriting, I felt very perplexed and sought help from our consultant Mr Li Mujian. But I found he was not beside me. When I looked up, I saw him standing on the 2nd floor of the classroom building. He was "sniggering" and trying to take a snapshot of my embarrassment with his camera. Thus yet another joke was added to the busy and heavy daily schedule of the Foundation. Wonderful! |
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 Snapshot No.1 of the Deaf-And-Dumb Children: Little friends are much nicer!
At the ceremony marking the completion of the classroom building at the Children's Welfare and Special Teaching School in Rong Shui, Guangxi, the school invited the drum corps of the county's First Primary School to perform. When the little performers left, the deaf-and-dumb children who had been sitting in orderly rows suddenly stood up and turned towards the school gate, waving the little performers, an unhappy farewell regardless of their teacher's warnings. Even when the troupe was almost out of sight, the little hands were still waving in the air. Looking at these lovely children, we all smiled silently. After all, little friends are much nicer! |
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Snapshot No.2 of the Deaf-And-Dumb Children: Take a photo for me
 The deaf-and dumb children were very cooperative for the camera. They loved to strike different poses so as to leave a beautiful face in the photos. Look! There's another little girl getting photographed. She looked up at the photographer and tried to give a brilliant smile, but it looked a bit forced because of her nervousness. A blot on the tip of her nose, made her look rather funny, but the children were all enthusiastic about taking photos even though their poses were not perfect. Some children were not satisfied with only one photo and played all kinds of tricks to get in a second or a third photo. However, the photographer had magic eyes and could see through their tricks. He declined some smilingly and took photos of others who had not had their photo taken. |
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 They really are kind-hearted.
During this visit to Rong Shui, I had meals together with three members from the Hong Kong Children's Welfare Foundation. After breakfast on 27 November, I looked around and couldn't believe my eyes: the three Foundation gentlemen were putting all the little steamed breads into a large plastic bag, which must have weighed about 2 or 3 kilograms. I was astonished. How could they eat so much? Or was it so delicious that they were taking it to their families and friends? I had no idea what was going on. But that evening, when we entered the dining hall to have dinner at the Children Welfare Special Teaching School, I noticed there was a little loaf of steamed bread in each student's meal box. I suddenly realised that those gentlemen had taken the bread for the children. How kind-hearted they were! Looking at the happy faces of the children when they were eating the bread, I realized that if more people paid attention to them and brought them more bread until they could earn their own, then they could live a happy life. I believe that this will happen one day! |
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CHEN Ji Rong
Committee
December 2002 |
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 Donation of Love
"Donation of Love" is my favourite song and one I will never forget. Whenever I hear it, my eyes brim over with warm and excited tears. "As long as everyone donates a little bit of his love, the world will become a beautiful place! ..."
Whenever I hear this song, I am also remembered and by the spirit and grand cause of the Foundation.
Over the past over ten years, the Foundation has tried its best to serve the education needs of China. It has used its hard-earned and limited resources to foster basic education in poverty-stricken rural areas, and to help children disadvantaged by poverty to complete their basic education. The foundation has donated money, built schools, and supported the poor in more than ten provinces in China, including the former revolutionary area of Gannan in Jiangxi Province. Because of my work, I was lucky enough to be entrusted with some tasks and was very pleased to be able to contribute something.
What moved me was that the Foundation not only donated money to construct school buildings, but also took the responsibility for managing the schools, including following up on their progress, offering various types of assistance, taking charge of management and quality, pushing forward its own work, training teachers, aiding poor students, rewarding teachers and students, and further improving environmental facilities. They not only contribute financially, but also their precious time and energy. They spent nearly all of their holidays on the work of the Foundation, working hard and travelling constantly. They are worthy of the title of ‘Exemplars of education support'.
"What they have done is of boundless benevolence!" said a sage. In rebuilding a country, education and the people's quality should first be developed and improved. The same thing should be applied in developing poverty-stricken areas. Building schools is an important thing for our children. Children are the future of a country. The pillars of our community will be drawn from among these children. If education is implemented properly, the country's development is assured!
I am deeply moved by the patriotism of the Foundation and other numerous volunteers who wholeheartedly support the cause of education in our country. I often tell the children that, when they grow up, they should repay society by doing things beneficial to society. Although I am old and have already retired, I should still do something for society. And, with the encouragement of the Yat Fai Foundation spirit, I pledge to actively and continuously contribute my remaining energies to the cause of the people's education.
Love will never be extinguished. Hope is always there.
Liu Lidong
Consultant
(Former Secretary-General of Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province)
January 2003 |
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