I saw many children struggling in the war, illness and poverty during my visit in Africa. They walked barefoot on the road with ragged garments, having no idea where their next meal is. I would never forget their clear eyes and the bright smiles on children’s face. They did not know what education is and we even could not communicate due to the language barrier. However, when I sang the song, children could not help singing, dancing and accompanying with the simple leaves. It occurred to me: I must do some things for children.

There were a range of things in my mind that I could do for children: donate money, buy new cloth, prepare clean food and water… But I knew it could not solve the problems fundamentally. As the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” In my opinion, education is the weapon against the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Undoubtedly, education is not what we do for children by spoon-feeding but is what we have taught them and influenced them that will make them to be better human beings by instructions and examples.

After I was back from Africa, I decided to step out of the comfort zone with stable job and decent salary in the hopes of building up the education contents framework for children which we cannot tell when and where the influence will stop. It is a hard way as many people see but I insist the way I should go and even when I am old, I will not depart from it. The way is my enthusiasm for education and my love for children. Sometimes I share my idea with friends “I love education but I love children more”. 

Although MGEF is a newly-founded NGO just after eight-month trial projects’ running, we have been insisting on devoting to children’s education for more than twenty years. Still, MGEF will spare no efforts to work for more children to receive the education around the world. We expect your participation!

——Tommy Tian