After 40 years of rapid development, my hometown Beijing, home to 13 million permanent residents and 8 million “migrants,” is increasingly divided between its well-guarded core and scrappier outskirts. Large population of migrant workers came from underprivileged villages across the country to seek better economic opportunities, living on the fringes of the city for cheaper rent and often bringing their family.
Two years ago I joined nonprofit Vibrant Communities which aims at providing early education opportunities for migrant children. I worked in the Communication Departments, planning campaigns and managing social media accounts to raise awareness. I also went into classrooms to teach the students English and Mathematics and took care of younger children when their parents were at work.
The struggle and inequality that the migrants faced had always been a problem; but recently, the Beijing municipal government, seeking to limit Beijing’s population, mounted a campaign to drive the “low-end” migrant population out of the city. The struggle and inequality that the migrants faced had always been a problem; but recently, the Beijing municipal government, seeking to limit Beijing’s population, mounted a campaign to drive the “low-end” migrant population out of the city. Thousands of migrant workers were forced out of their homes and businesses, and the five Vibrant Communities’ activity centers in Beijing were reduced to only two.
Scrolling through news report online in my dorm room, I was heartbroken. I could not imagine the emotional and psychological hardship they went through as a result of this huge, sudden change in their lives. Many parents overlooked the well-being of their children when facing more imminent crises. I wanted to do something and give their children hope.
During the summer, some of the evicted migrant families moved back to their hometowns and went through reemployment and restarted school. I traveled to Ninglang, an impoverished village in southern China, and a common hometown for migrants, and planned to teach there for two weeks.
I found that many students moved to cities in search of better opportunities once, but were forced back under economic and social inequalities.During the first week, I taught third graders at an elementary school. I was curious about what specific difficulties the families faced, so I visited local families and talked to parents and students after school. I found that many students moved to cities in search of better opportunities once, but were forced back under economic and social inequalities. Some other kids had never even left their village before; the discrepancy between their mental maturity and academic performance and students in the cities were significant. Wanting to help them, I set up “Sunshine Corners” in the school, which are small libraries with activity areas where we had themed conversations and reading sessions. The kids who once experienced city lives learned more about the society and how to cope with changes and adversities; other kids simply got exposed, for the first time, to the outside world—other countries, the Earth, and the universe.
The village I went to had a very high altitude, and unfortunately, after the first week, I caught a cold, which triggered serious altitude sickness. I had to go to the hospital, do a ton of inspections, and used an oxygen cylinder. The doctor suggested that I go back to Beijing immediately, so I ended up staying in Yunnan for only one week.
It was a hard goodbye. Although the altitude sickness threw me off my intended schedule, my plan was two-parted—I extended the part of my project in Beijing to three weeks.
After I went back in Beijing, I worked closely with Vibrant Communities on their strategic and communication plans. The organization was facing a crucial turning point at the moment due to the evictions; nearly half of its beneficiaries had to leave the city, and one program even died out. Besides leading sessions in the early childhood program, I also helped with research and analysis to determine the next step for the organization in the office.
As insignificant as one month might seem in the journey of my life, the one week in Ninglang and the three weeks at Vibrant Communities taught me valuable lessons and influenced me immensely.A final crowdfunding campaign of Vibrant Communities concluded my Haney Fellowship. I cannot express my appreciation and respect for Mr. Haney, Ms. Haney, Ms. Brzys and everyone else who made this experience possible. As insignificant as one month might seem in the journey of my life, the one week in Ninglang and the three weeks at Vibrant Communities taught me valuable lessons and influenced me immensely. I will continue working on the equality of educational and social opportunities of all residents of Beijing.
