Editor's Note

With the care of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and under the leadership of the All-China Women's Federation, the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) launched the Spring Bud Project in 1989, to help impoverished girls return to school, and to promote girls' education in disadvantaged areas.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, in 2012, with the attention and concern of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and with the strong support of Peng Liyuan, special envoy of the Spring Bud Project for promoting girls' education, the project has carried out various actions, focused on girls' education, safety and health, to care for and support girls. During the past decade, the project has supported 1.76 million girls, and it has provided one-on-one companionship services and personalized psychological counseling to 133,400 girls. After they receive support from the project, the Spring Bud girls never forget to give back to society. With love and various actions, the girls have demonstrated the Spring Bud spirit of "unremitting self-improvement, striving for excellence, developing stronger virtues and pursuing better lives."

Today, we introduce a new section, Spring Bud Blooms, to share stories about Spring Bud girls who have grown up and become contributing members of society, and to encourage society to care for the development of girls. Triplets Hehe and her two sisters are among them.

Triplets Hehe and her two sisters [CCTF]

Thanks to the Spring Bud Project, triplets Hehe and her two sisters have entered their respective universities, and they have embarked on their individual journeys toward promising lives.

The triplets were born into an ordinary family in Huai'an, a city of East China's Jiangsu Province, in 2001.

Their births brought tremendous happiness to the family. However, raising triplets also was a huge burden for their parents, especially as they were also looking after the babies' grandmothers.

The girls' father worked several jobs, including odd jobs, while their mother stayed at home to care for them. 

When talking about their father, Hehe says she is greatly concerned about his health. She notes he has suffered from several diseases because of the hard work he has performed.

Unfortunately, both of the girls' grandmothers were diagnosed with cancer several years ago, which caused a great financial burden on the family. The family was under incredible financial stress before the Spring Bud Project began supporting the triplets in 2020.

After the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, in 2020, the triplets volunteered to help their high school curb the spread of COVID-19 on the campus. 

The triplets studied hard, and practiced pipa (a four-stringed lute), to prepare for their national college-entrance exams. They wrote their exams in the summer of 2020. The triplets believed studying would make a difference in their lives, and they were determined to become contributing members of society. 

Eventually, Hehe was admitted to Langfang Normal University, in North China's Hebei Province. Both of her two sisters were enrolled at Xi'an Conservatory of Music, in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The high university tuition fees became another headache for the family, after the initial euphoria of their admissions wore off.

Around that time, the Jiangsu Women and Children's Welfare Foundation introduced the Spring Bud Project to Hehe and her family. The charitable initiative covered all of their tuition fees, relieving the concerns of the girls' parents.

During the summer holiday of 2020, the triplets took part in diverse social activities to enrich themselves, and to deepen their understanding of society.

Hehe says she wants to become a teacher, so she can impart knowledge to children and safeguard their healthy growth.

Meimei, the second-born, hopes to continue with her academic studies, as she wants to earn master's and doctoral degrees.

Lele, the youngest, says she will remain dedicated to researching and performing the pipa, and to the promotion of traditional Chinese culture.

Although the triplets have different career plans, they agree on the importance of delivering warmth and assistance to those in need.

The triplets are grateful for the Spring Bud Project, and for those people who have lent them a helping hand over the years, and they vow to spread love and benevolence in society, and to help make the world a better place.

(Women of China English Monthly)