A GROUP of people from Nanshan District have been sponsoring needy students in the Three Gorges area of Hubei Province for almost a decade. The total money the volunteers have donated amounts to 6 million yuan (US$966,600).

    Thanks to the aid, more than 2,000 students have finished high school and 80 percent have enrolled in university, Shekou News reported.

    Last month, 10 of the sponsors paid a five-day visit to Zigui County to see the results firsthand.

    “It is very touching and thrilling to see the students’ studying and living conditions improving each time I visit the Three Gorges area,” said Yang Wei, one of the founders of the charity campaign.

    Yang said the students they sponsored live in impoverished villages and many of them have to take care of their sick parents or elderly grandparents.

    Some parents have even moved to distant cities, leaving the heavy farm work to their children.

    A student sponsored by Yang said he was grateful for what Yang had done for him.

    “I don’t think I would have a chance get an education if it wasn’t for Uncle Yang,” said Xiang Qinlan. Xiang’s mother suffers from cerebral palsy and is dependent on the boy.

    The campaign was first organized in 2006 by the volunteer federation of Nanshan District. Yang and another volunteer, Song Hong, led a team to Zigui County during Labor’s Day holiday to collect information about needy students.

    When they came back to Shenzhen, Yang and Song helped pair needy students with people who were willing to offer financial aid. Since then, more and more people joined the charity group, which has expanded to benefit students in other nearby counties.

    Chen Xiang has sponsored several students in recent years. He joined the tour to Zigui County in May and brought his daughter. Chen and his daughter finally met one of the students his money benefited, Deng Linlin.

    Chen said Deng is a Grade-6 student whose parents are working in another city. Deng needs to tend to her younger brother who is around 6 years old.

    “When I saw how neat the letter she wrote to me was, I knew I did the right thing by financially supporting her,” said Chen. (Zhang Qian)