Second from the right is Dong Xiahua

In the past month of the summer vacation, I believe many students had a colorful travel to a few famous cities, finding a few picturesque places to experience its customs. But there was a girl, whose summer travel was very different. The destination was not a bustling city, but poor and backward African country. Specifically, she was not going out to play, but to do her own ability to help others, to give love. This girl was Dong Xiahua.

Optimistic local residents

Dong Xiahua set foot on the land of Uganda as a volunteer on July 21st, to the Mukkaga and Kydera, two small villages near the capital Kampala, and began her eleven days of activities. During these days, she and her partners lived in a shabby hotel. They brought aid items to each village from morning till night every day. Over the mountains, she sent the warmth and care to every poor child, which was not just a physical test, but also the baptism of the soul.

About Uganda

Education: National illiteracy rates are high, 42.6% for rural women and 28% for men; 21% for urban women and 11.8% for men. Since 1997, a free education system has been implemented. The Government provides free primary education for four children per household.

Medical care: Uganda’s health care system and infrastructure needs to be improved. According to statistics, Uganda’s health services only covers 49% of the families, most rural areas still cannot have basic medical and health services.

People’s livelihood: According to the Human Development Report of 2013, the Human Development Index (HDI) of Uganda ranks 161th among the 187 countries.

According to these data, Uganda is a country that is not developed or even backward.

Learn to cherish

The following is written by Dong Xiahua back from Uganda :

As a volunteer, in fact, I have been looking forward to this trip a long time. I started to make plans, sort out material, including collecting money and so on, with my teachers and friends a few months ago. Although I had heard that the African children lived very poor life, I was still shocked a bit when I got there. Most of the children do not have shoes to wear, only have one meal per day, no water to wash hair so girls must have hair cut short. The place they played are full of thorns. No clothes, no school. There are roundworms in their belly. Their legs are curved because of lack of nutrition. They have to bear life burden at the young age.

This circumstance is probably something we cannot imagine, but in such conditions, it is valuable that these children are not crushed, on the contrary, they are very happy. I can remember the first time to go to the small village, a large group of children came to meet us. The smiling faces were sincere. I think that’s why a lot of people are going to be reborn after experiencing such volunteer activities. You can learn another way to see things from those whose living conditions are far poorer than you.

I saw the children who learned hard when got funded. I saw the ignorant and heartless children. I saw the local people shied and covered their faces when we smiled to them, but they stared at me with hostile first. I saw the 20 early single mothers who already had several children, but they still laughed with others and made jokes.

They do not have a lot, but they do have a lot and know how to satisfy.

In the class meeting of Class 4 Grade 9, Dong Xiahua shared her video about the trip to Uganda, and told us their personal experience these eleven days, which made us feel a lot. This class was unique. Students knew how to cherish the present life, how to feel satisfied, how to help others like Dong Xiahua does.

(Translator: Yaling Deng)