On behalf of the Overseas China Education Foundation, I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! 2016 will soon be behind us and we are welcoming 2017, another year full of opportunities and challenges. Here I would like to share with you a poem written by Zhang Ting, an OCEF volunteer. Let us use his words to inspire ourselves, and make 2017 an even better year!
For a score of years we tilled the ground, Through the storms and challenges abound. With many a child pursuing their dream, We stay on course and forge ahead, full steam.
As of today, there are still some open slots in our 1-to-1 sponsorship program, including 39 elementary school students, 242 middle school students and 405 high school students. Please visit us at https://www.ocef.org/media-center/faq/1to1 for more information.
Sheng Zhong President, Overseas China Education Foundation
I’m a student in the 11th grade. I can’t possibly express my gratitude enough, and the only thing I can come up with is a simple thank-you for all the love and care you have extended to us students in poverty. When I heard that I was getting RMB 1,000 from OCEF, I burst into tears and was so excited that I couldn’t sleep all night. Poverty made it a huge burden to my parents to support my schooling and I’ll forever remember your help and your kindness to me. I know poverty is not fearsome, nor is it forever. On the contrary, it gives me the motivation to study hard and to change my destiny. I might be poor in daily life, but I’ll not be poor in spirit. Whatever future hardship I might run into, I’ll face it with confidence and self-esteem; I’ll stay positive toward any challenges and march toward my dreams. I also know that it’s important to be appreciative of the help and support I got. I’ll forever have a heart of gratitude.
Only with that sense of appreciation, I’ll be able to fully understand my duties. In the modern society, the division of labor is getting more and more granular; each and every one of us has our own roles and responsibilities. When we show our gratitude, very naturally we’ll be thinking about what we can do in the future and how to do it better. To an individual this might simply mean repaying a favor, but to the society as a whole it will be part of a virtuous circle.
It’s quite simple to show appreciations, even if it’s just a friendly smile; as long as it’s genuine, it’ll mean the world. I’ll cherish this opportunity to study and strive to reward those who sponsored me with my academic accomplishments. I’ll be frugal and use the funds carefully. I’ll pay back the society with love, and justify your help with my actions. In the future, I’d like to become a volunteer like you to help other students in poverty like me. I’ll pass on the love!
I’m very lucky to get an opportunity to study, and I’ll work hard to become a useful person and not to disappoint you. I’ll take every day, every minute seriously, but I’ll enjoy it, too. I’ll treat everything around me with love and a sense of appreciation, and I’ll accept every challenge with courage, all for a brighter future.
Han Di (Huining, Gansu)
Letter from Fuyang Elementary School, Wuchuan, Guizhou
第28期（2016年12月）/No. 28 (December 2016) 组稿：杨敏 翻译：何雪炀 编校：汤柏 Compiled by Catherine Yang Translated by He Xueyang Edited by Tang Bai
