Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

On May 24, Tzu Chi volunteers held their second ceremony in a school in Jiangsu province, east China to award scholarships to needy students. A total of 150 teachers and students attended the event at the Qianjing Elementary School in Kunshan city. The volunteers also organized a Jing Si Aphorism class on filial piety.

Two students put on special costumes to welcome the volunteers. One of the recipients, Wu Ping-ping, said: “for us, learning is like cultivation. Even if it is difficult, I feel that, if we work hard to improve our ability now, we can give back to society in the future.”

During the ceremony, one volunteer accompanied a student, a fifth grader Zhu Lu, to receive her scholarship. She began to cry once she held the scholarship in her hand. It was the first time that she has ever received help from other people and she was overwhelmed. “My sister is suffering from hydrocephalus. Her medical bill is now more than 200,000. I greatly appreciate that Tzu Chi is helping us. I will pay them back. I will be a Tzu Chi volunteer in the future.”

In the Qianjing Elementary School, most students come from blue-collar families; their parents are working away from their hometowns. For this reason, the volunteers specially designed a Jing Si Aphorism class on filial piety for the students to appreciate how hard their parents have been working to support them.

Tzu Chi volunteer Hsu Kan-wei said: “We need to have love in our heart and in our daily actions. I hope you can understand the love of your parents toward you and you can show yours to them.” The students had a question-and-answer session with the volunteers; they were very moved. One of them, Jiang Yin-lian, immediately used telephone to call her father: “Father, I love you,” she said in a loud voice. “Dad, please tell Mother that I love her too.”

The living and study environment for the students is very difficult. Now, with the love and support of the teachers and the volunteers, they can smoothly complete their education and graduate and pass on their love in the future.

The volunteers organized the first ceremony at the school in December 2012. During the following months, they promoted Jing Si Aphorisms at the school; they also invited students to join recycling activities and home visits. In this way, they could act on their own to pay back to society.

Report by Ma Tian-yin and Tong Ju-tang in Jiangsu province, China