A time to be honest

A Captivating Kaili Village Development Update – Guizhou Province.

Duoji, a small village near Panghai town, Kaili City, consists of more than 100 households. The average farmland is less than 0.08 acre (0.5 mu) per capita and water supplies are quite unstable that people always have trouble drinking or farming, especially in summer and autumn. Because of the difficult farming environment, the economic development of the village is quite depressed. To date, they have largely survived by non-farming related activity such as making bird cages. In 2012, Captivating Village Development in partnership with Heifer China set up two Self Help Groups in Duoji village. 29 households were the first to receive small business loans as part of the program totalling RMB 159,000 (USD 25,645). In most cases, these loans were used by the farmers for agriculture and animal breeding.

Moving forward to today, these same families life situation has changed significantly. Many are grazing cows, fattening black pigs, or cultivating much higher yielding vegetables – all thanks to the training provided by Heifer China following their 12 cornerstone technical training and coaching.

Local farmers are very appreciative of the Captivating and Heifer partnership which has brought to them new hopes of a better future for themselves and, especially, their children – all of whom should be able to remain in school and even consider university possibilities – something quite impossible just a few years ago. As an important side benefit, local farmer spirits are now much more confident and they are full of a new respect for the importance of growing as a community together.

So, why the title of “A time to be honest“? Critical to the program is the requirement that a farmer repays the gift. In this program, this is called “passing on the gift” and their repayment of their loan money enables Captivating & Heifer to pass on a new loan to a new family. We were moved by the story of Yang Ha Kai’s family. Yang Ha Kai’s husband was injured in the construction work several years ago. The family ran out of the savings and owed a huge amount of money for his medical treatment. They have been experiencing a very difficult life and, even as a recipient of the Captivating program, they were only just managing to survive by the income made by Yang Ha Kai from the sale of produce being yielded. Time came for her to pay back her loan. She was not able to do it. Because repayments are controlled by the “Self Help Groups” established in the village (like a village banking group – run by the villagers themselves) they gave her an extension of 3 months to repay her RMB 2000 loan. Two months later, she repaid her loan by selling the only pig which was left for Chinese New Year celebration. This was a big sacrifice for her to make, as eating pig with family over this important time of year is cultural significant. However, even more important to Yang Ha Kai was ensuring she fulfilled her promise. She said, “Being rich in spirit while being poor in things is best. Honesty pays”.

We are so thankful to the 80 families who have stood behind the Captivating Kaili Village Development Program. Due for completion in 2017, this project will see 450 families on their way to a poverty-free future. For more details about this program, and to become involved with new projects focused on bringing hope to families and entire villages, please contact andrewc@captivating.org

CAPTIVATING’S ONE MORE YEAR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM | CHINA | EDUCATE GIRLS

Tubi Ermo: Reaching for the Stars

I am Tubi Ermo, a Grade 10 student sponsored by you. Last semester was difficult as I was still adjusting to high school. I found out that my favorite subject is English. But I realized that a junior high school level would not be enough for the exams, so I am now focusing on building up my...




CHINA | SUPPORT A REMOTE VOLUNTEER TEACHER

Teacher Cheng's Hope for Her Students

Hello everyone, I'm Cheng Manyu from Huanggang, Hubei.

This is my third semester volunteering at Yire Elementary School. Why did I choose to volunteer here?

During my university days, I watched a TV program called "Top 10 Most Touching People in China," which...




CAPTIVATING’S ONE MORE YEAR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM | CHILD SPONSORSHIP | CHINA | EDUCATE GIRLS

Beyond Grateful

Hi, my name is Tiantian, and I am a beneficiary of the One More Year program. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this program. Your kindness and care have restored the lives of students like me. This sponsorship has removed the financial burden on my family, allowing me to focus...




CHINA | EDUCATE GIRLS | SUPPORT A REMOTE VOLUNTEER TEACHER

Teacher Xu's Personal Growth

Today marks my 220th day serving as a volunteer teacher in the Daliang Mountain area. During this time, I have come into contact with a new field - preschool education. Before this, I had only heard about it and assumed it was simply about keeping...




CHINA | EDUCATE GIRLS | SUPPORT A REMOTE VOLUNTEER TEACHER

Queen of Our Hearts

He Zhenzhen is a veteran volunteer teacher from Yongzhou, Hunan Province. It is her seventh semester of teaching, and she is currently the principal of Ga Le Aimu Primary School. She is responsible for teaching the Chinese language to the Grade 3 students and is the head teacher of that class. She has been...




CHINA | MY FIRST JOB PROGRAM

New Graduates of the Tailoring Skills Training

The second Tailoring Skills Training under our My First Job program officially started with thirty participants last August 26, 2022, and lasted for three months. 

Training began very smoothly and the trainees learned fast and well. The teacher stressed the punctuality of the trainees and was...