Part of our routine is to visit our Pig Farming Program beneficiaries to see how effective our efforts are in helping mothers improve their quality of life in China. In May, we journeyed through the winding mountain roads to visit Shizhaniuxi.
When we reached her property, she greeted us warmly. “Our home is simple, but you are welcome”, she said. The courtyard we entered was tidy. When we looked over the chicken coop, there were her children cleaning. The rest of the kids were around the house and helping with the household chores. At a glance, it is a family full of life and warmth.
Their household of seven relies heavily on her husband’s seasonal work. He is only back home for half the year, making Shizhaniuxi responsible for the household. Her daily life involves farming, raising children, and feeding the pigs and chickens. Life is tough, and they need to take out loans from time to time. Currently, they have CNY 40,000 (USD 5,577.56) in loans for her five children’s school expenses. Even though they are struggling, none of her children has dropped out of school.
“We don’t want our children to live like we did. Only education can change their future,” she said firmly.
We settled in her small but cozy living room. She told us about the new insights she gained after the pig farming training. “I used to think just cleaning the pigsty and feeding them was enough. But now I’ve learned about disinfection, disease prevention, and proper management. I clean daily and disinfect three times a month. I believe I can do this well.”
With the pigs we gave her, she decided that one of them is for their family’s consumption while the other one is for sale. She could potentially make CNY 2,800 (USD 390)—this isn’t much, but the skills that she learned were deemed invaluable. Now confident with the skills, she plans to gradually expand her pig farming to increase her family’s income.
“I never went to school, but I’m willing to learn. As long as my children can stay in school, anything I do is worth it,” she said.
Before we left, we saw her children feeding the pigs as Shizhaniuxi stood in the sunlight watching them. Many speak about miracles, but sometimes the real miracle is a mother who never gives up for her children’s future. The training and the pigs were a good start, but we know Shizhaniuxi will do most of the work to ensure all five children will have a bright future.
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