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. Shi Lin is one of them.

Shi Lin collects sediments from Hongfeng Lake, in Guiyang, in Guizhou Province. [CCTF]

Thanks to the assistance and care of the Spring Bud Project, and from people of all walks of life, Shi Lin, an associate engineer with the Institute of Geochemistry, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has completed her academic studies, and since then done her utmost to give back to society.

Shi was born into a rural family in Songtao County, Tongren, in Southwest China's Guizhou Province, in September 1995. She has two sisters and a brother.

Shi's father opened a car-repair shop after he retired from the military. Shi's mother managed a small restaurant. However, the family encountered numerous misfortunes and fell into debt when Shi was in her second year of primary school.

Shi tried her best to reduce her spending at school, and she even suggested quitting school to help her family get through the difficult times.

Shi recalls how her mother strongly disapproved of that idea, and how her mother encouraged her and her siblings to study hard and remain hopeful about their future.

One day, some of the village's officials and the school's teachers sat down with Shi and told her she qualified for assistance through the Spring Bud Project.

Financial assistance from the project relieved Shi's stress, as it covered her living expenses, which made it easier for her to concentrate on her studies.

As a child, Shi says she had dreamed of leaving the mountains, entering a university and experiencing the cultures of different cities. 

Shi Lin (right) attends an environmental-sciences symposium in Nanjing, in East China's Jiangsu Province. [CCTF]

With care and support from the project, Shi studied harder than before, and she performed well at school. Shi was admitted to the geography and environmental sciences program at Guizhou Normal University, in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province.

After she joined a volunteer teaching team, organized by the university, Shi visited elementary schools, each Friday for two years, to teach English and natural science to rural children.

To improve her English skills, and to make her classes more interesting, Shi attended an oral English training class.

In addition, Shi did her utmost to get the students involved in her class, and also to encourage their interest in learning English, through various methods.

Shi recalls how a visit with a family helped her get closer to a boy who initially showed little interest in studying English. She eventually won his trust, and then helped him get along with the other students. Eventually, Shi was able to foster the boy's enthusiasm for learning.

The experience of being a volunteer teacher strengthened Shi's idea of giving back to society.

Shi says she chose to study environmental sciences so she could contribute to environmental protection, and to green development.

After she graduated from Guizhou Normal University, in 2018, Shi enrolled as a graduate student at the Institute of Geochemistry, under CAS, in Guiyang. She studied at the institute's Beijing campus. 

Shi Lin (right) collects algae from Dianchi Lake, in Kunming, in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. [CCTF]

During her time in Beijing, Shi realized the journey of academic studies never ends, and she also realized she had to work hard to make achievements in relevant fields.

Shi is preparing to write the doctoral program entrance examination. She is determined to become a sci-tech worker in environmental sciences, and she is determined to help restore and improve water quality in both rural and urban areas.

Shi is deeply grateful for the Spring Bud Project, and for the charity-minded individuals who offered their valuable assistance, without which she might have dropped out of school.

Shi believes life is full of possibilities, and people can pursue and realize their dreams as long as they are willing to put in the work.

(Women of China English Monthly)