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 (ACWF), the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) launched the Spring Bud Project in 1989, to improve the education of girls from disadvantaged families. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, in 2012, CCTF has implemented the Spring Bud Project — Dream of Future Action, and it has conducted various activities focused on girls' education, safety and health. For more than 30 years, the Spring Bud Project has offered care and support to about 4.2 million in-need girls. After they receive support from the project, the Spring Bud girls never forget to give back to society. With love and concrete actions, the girls have demonstrated the Spring Bud spirit of unremitting self-improvement, striving for excellence, developing stronger virtues and pursuing better lives. Women of China introduced a 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. Yu Han is among them.

"The roads are much better now than before. The asphalt roads are wide and smooth, not like the roads when I was little," Yu Han, a native of Jinghong, a city in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, says when she recalls the old days in her hometown. 

Yu, an ethnic Blang beneficiary of the Spring Bud Project, is now vice-president of the trade union of the administration committee of Ganlanba Farm Community in Jinghong. 

Her family's hard life, when she was young, remains fresh in Yu's memory. Her parents planted tea to earn a living, so they could raise Yu and her three siblings. Yu's family lived about four kilometers from the primary school, and Yu walked to school every day. The road would become muddy on rainy days, and her shoes and feet were always dirty. During weekends and holidays, Yu often helped her parents plant rice seedlings and pick tea leaves. 

A cadre of the local women's federation recommended Yu to study in the Spring Bud class, in Jinghong, after she learned that Yu performed well academically, but faced difficulties in life. Yu was happy to have the opportunity to go to an urban school, even though it was far from her home. Her parents were very supportive. 

In September 2004, Yu, then 11, entered the Spring Bud class. The school waived all tuition fees and boarding expenses for Yu for the following two years. 

"In addition to regular courses, we also had courses in various subjects, such as flower arrangement and making crafts. We would present our crafts to caring people who supported us during holidays," Yu recalls. 

"Women's federation cadres and charity-minded individuals often visited my home and brought us living necessities as rice, flour and edible oil, and cared about my studies. I felt warm in my heart," Yu says. 

Yu's younger sister and two nieces also received support from the Spring Bud Project. Yu often tells them they should be grateful for the project, and for caring people from all sectors of society, and that they should study hard and convey the love and warmth to others in need. 

The project has planted the seeds of love and benevolence in Yu's heart. As life is improving for her family, Yu is doing what she can to contribute to society. 

She has participated in many public-welfare activities, and she has donated money, via online platforms, to help people in need. "Without the project, I would have dropped out of school early. It is the project that gave me the opportunity to embrace a new life," she says. 

Prior to her current job, Yu worked as a village cadre, for three years, during which she contributed to rural revitalization. At that time, she visited villagers regularly to learn about their daily lives and work, and to help them solve problems in their lives. She always communicated with villagers with patience and kindness during her work. The villagers trusted her, which made her feel the value of serving people. 

As the trade union's vice-president, Yu is mainly responsible for law publicity and education, dispute mediation and relevant work in the community. Yu is satisfied with both work and her life. "The bitter days have gone, and now life is sweeter than honey," she says.

Source: CCTF

(Women of China English Monthly December 2023 issue)