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 conducted various activities to care for and support girls, and focused on girls' education, safety and health. 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. He Xiaomin is one of them.

He Xiaomin at work

He Xiaomin, a beneficiary of the Spring Bud Project from Northwest China's Gansu Province, has been serving people, wholeheartedly, with her medical knowledge and skills, to repay society for the assistance she once received.

He was born into a rural family in Zhongtian Township, in Baiyin, a city in Gansu, in 1996. She and her younger brother spent most of their childhoods in a rented house with their parents.

Their parents divorced when He was in sixth grade. As a result, He and her brother had to live with their grandmother and uncle, as their father worked in another city. They received good care from their grandmother and uncle.

He was dealt a heavy blow when her grandmother died, as He was preparing to write the high school entrance examination.

He forced herself to deal with the task at hand, despite her grief, and she managed to study harder than before her grandmother's death. He earned a high score on the exam, and she was admitted to a local high school.

The high school's administrators waived He's tuition after learning about her family's economic condition. Three years later, He was admitted to Gansu Medical College, in Pingliang, in Gansu Province.

He recalls how, at the time, she was deeply worried about her living expenses and college fees. Things changed in 2016. "That year, I received a phone call from a cadre of Zhongtian Township's government saying I qualified to apply for the Spring Bud Project. I was really lucky to have the support from the project when I was most helpless," He recalls. 

The financial assistance helped He pay her tuition. During her spare time, she worked various part-time jobs to earn extra money. For example, she worked at restaurants, hotels, libraries and supermarkets. 

He Xiaomin conducts nucleic acid tests.

The work experience not only gave her a sense of accomplishment, especially in earning her own living, but also helped her feel the kindness of others. For instance, a restaurant manager often paid He additional money, added to her monthly salary, as a reward for her hard work.

He also did her utmost to help people in need. In addition to taking part in volunteer-service activities, she donated books and some pocket money to local welfare institutes. She also participated in blood-donation activities.

Thanks to her outstanding academic accomplishments and her rich professional knowledge, He became a pharmacist at Baiyin Central Hospital, in Baiyin, in 2019, after she graduated from college.

Her work mainly involves reviewing medical prescriptions, checking the supplies, and allocating medication.

"As a pharmacist, I must ensure the absolute safety and effectiveness of medications for patients," He says. She has made much progress in her work during the past several years.

He, with her colleagues, often got up early each morning and worked late each night, to conduct nucleic acid tests on people, during the COVID-19 epidemic.

He has received recognition from the hospital for her outstanding work performance. She says she will continue working hard and fulfilling her duties, wholeheartedly.

He is grateful for the love and assistance she received from caring people at various stages of her life, and that help played a vital role in helping her secure a bright future.

Photos Supplied by CCTF

(Women of China English Monthly May 2023 issue)