Reading Aloud in the Mountains

Deep in the mountains of Guizhou, clouds and mist linger year-round, the winding roads are treacherous, and transport is cut off from the outside world. Twelve-year-old Xiaofang, a left-behind girl, depended from a young age on her aging, ailing grandmother. Although she ranked among the top of her grade, Xiaofang once faced the prospect of dropping out to farm at home.

During an in-depth rural visit, the Foundation's education-aid project learned of Xiaofang's situation. After a home visit and verification, volunteers arranged long-term financial aid covering tuition, books, and daily living costs, allowing her nearly interrupted education to continue.

But the help went beyond money. A volunteer became her one-on-one mentor, speaking with her by video call each month about her studies and daily life, offering encouragement whenever she grew discouraged or missed her parents.

Xiaofang turned this care into the drive to push herself harder. She studied before dawn and late into the night, writing down anything she did not understand to ask her faraway mentor. Two years later, she was admitted to a key high school in the city with results in the county's top ten.

Today, this education-aid project covers three remote mountain primary schools and has supported forty-six students from impoverished families, building a growth file for each child to track their studies and lives over time.