<TITLE>Girls Global Education Fund - Interview with Michael Ma

YOUNG CHINESE-AMERICAN LEARNS THE VALUE OF EDUCATION ON

TRIP TO HIS HOMELAND

An article by Joseph Kahn and Jim Yardley, published on the front page of the August 1, 2004 New York Times, told the tragic story of a bright 18-year-old peasant boy who killed himself because he could not pay the $80 college entrance examination fee:

"Had he been among China's urban elite, Zheng Qingming would have spent more on a trendy cellphone. But he was one of the hundreds of millions of peasants far removed from the country's new wealth. His public high school tuition alone consumed most of his family's income for a year."

The article goes on to explain: "By Western standards, the long list of fees - tuition, dormitory rooms, textbooks, computer access - may seem a pittance, about $290 a year. But that is more than the $253 average per-capita income for farmers in Sichuan in 2002. A comparable ratio in the United States would have public schools charging each student about $43,000 a year."

As difficult as the situation is for boys, it is even worse for girls. In China, public school is not free; families must pay to send their children to school. As a result, when a family is forced to choose between sending a son or a daughter to school, it is generally the daughter who remains at home. Poverty and traditional beliefs about the value of educating girls keep 90 million Chinese girls out of the classroom; two-thirds of all children not attending school are girls.

Girls Global Education Fund (GGEF)* provides funding so that rural Chinese girls can go to school. In July of 2004, GGEF facilitated a trip to China for a 17-year-old Chinese-American, Michael Ma.** Born in Beijing, Michael came to the U.S. (with his parents) at the age of six. Today, he's entering his senior year at Darien High School, in Darien, Connecticut. Fluent in Mandarin and English, Michael was able to chat easily with his Chinese peers on a return trip to his homeland, and to establish a rapport that would have been difficult for either Chinese- or English-speaking adults. We interviewed Michael to understand what he learned:

Where did you go? I flew from Shanghai to the southern city of Nanning, in the province of Guangxi (near Vietnam). I was met by GGEF local coordinator Matthew Xu, who arranged my visits to three nearby villages, Na Ma, Ping Guo, and Fu Shi, each about 50 miles from Nanning.

Tell us about Na Ma: Matthew rented a mini-cab to take us from Nanning to Na Ma. We brought boxes of pastry and bread for the students, plus a supply of safe drinking water, since the local water is often infested with parasites and bacteria. As gifts, I brought automatic pencils (which they had never seen), pens, and sets of erasers as gifts for the girls, which I thought they would like and find useful, as well as being easy to pack. It took us 90 minutes to drive on Na Ma on a dusty, potholed road, and we arrived soaked in sweat, exhausted by the merciless heat.

As Matthew and I unloaded the supplies from the mini-cab, the GGEF students lined up by the school entrance, staring silently at us with a mixture of awe and bewilderment. Their arms crossed together behind their backs and their hair neatly bundled up in short ponytails, I could tell that they had dressed up in their best clothes for the occasion. Bright, immaculate clothing shone in the summer heat, evidence of many years in the closet and countless hours of hand-washings.

We entered a classroom in the town hall, with plain white walls and a long blackboard. The GGEF students nervously filed into their seats, each too shy to look up. The girls gradually relaxed over the course of a three-hour discussion among students, Matthew, and myself. The conversation ranged from school subjects to future aspirations, daily schedules to the weather. My age, so close to that of the students, helped dissolve the tension, allow productive discussion.

What did you talk about? I planned to ask the girls about their favorite TV shows, movies, and music, but when I asked the Na Ma girls about watching TV, they looked back at me in stunned silence. Few of them have ever owned a television, and the ones that do watch local news in black-and-white. Radio is the most modern electronic appliance that many families own. Instead of choosing from a multitude of music stations as we do in the U.S., they can pick up three static-filled channels, each giving the weather forecast (never accurate), crop report, and news (not so new). After my initial question on TV, I dared not ask them about their favorite movies, for as I later learned, the closest movie theater was 50 miles away.

What about Ping Guo and Fu Shi?

Although the topography and population of these villages were different, the settings were similar, and the heartbreaking stories the same. These students are desperate for adequate food, shelter, health, and most of all education.

Did you get to know any of the students a little better?

I'm glad you asked that question! I'd like to tell you a little about two of the brave young women from Na Ma whose lives are being transformed by GGEF.

Huang Yan Rong is a 14-year-old attending 8th grade. She lives on a small commune five miles from the village where she attends school, and often walks to school. She lives with her mother and three-year-old sister. Her brother works in a factory in Guangxi and periodically sends money home. Her father died when she was three of an undiagnosed illness; she has no recollection of him. Huang's family subsists on meager rice harvests, often having to accept food rations from other families to survive. Huang has been sponsored by GGEF for three years, and in that short time she has risen to the top of her class. Her mathematics homework (calculus, trigonometry, algebra) is similar to our 12th grade curriculum, while her English and grammar would surpass those of American third graders. Huang's house is a literally a bundle of sticks held together by strings, vines, and nails. Rainwater pours freely into the three-room house. Huang's room contains a wooden bed,! bedside table, and a bare light bulb dangling from the ceiling. As we sat on the dirt floor (no chairs), I asked Huang what she wanted to be when she grew up. After a moment of pondering, she replied "a teacher."

Xie Yang Feng is an equally good example of the typical GGEF student (although each of their backgrounds is unique). Her father drowned in a local river while he was transporting goods from one port to another when Xie was three. Her mother died of cancer when she was seven. She sadly explained that her uncle is her sole surviving adult relative. Her hut is about three miles away from her boarding school, and she is not sure what has become of siblings. Every year, she helps her uncle harvest the field of corn outside of her house. The excess corn, if any, is shipped to a local market to be sold for a meager profit. Remarkably, Xie is perpetually optimistic and determined to succeed in school. She realizes that the only way out of her present life is through education. Before GGEF accepted her as a scholarship student, Matthew took $200 RMB (U.S. $24) of his money to help with her family situation. Much to Matthew's surprise, he learned that none of the money! was spent on badly needed food or clothing. Instead, Xie immediately gave the entire amount to the school she attended, who had long waived or delayed her school fees. When I asked Xie what she wanted to be when she grew up, I didn't understand her reply. Afterwards, I asked Matthew, and he explained her response: "A humanitarian."

Did you spend any time in Nanning?

I invited Xie and Huang from Ping Guo to spend a day with me in the Nanning. They had never been to this city, only 50 miles from their home. We went to Nanning Mall. Assuming that both would appreciate some new clothes, I gave them $200 RMB (U.S. $24) each. After four hours and 15 laps around the mall's three floors, they still hadn't bought anything. They explained that money was so scarce at home, and both girls viewed "city goods" as being overpriced. Instead, they pleaded with me to spend that money in a local bookstore. I explained that we could do that as well, so after two hours and much persuasion by me, they finally each bought a shirt and a pair of jeans, spending less than $15 each. On the other hand, most American girls love to shop, and could easily spend hundreds of dollars in an hour or two. I've heard girls in my school chatting about their newly bought Gucci satchels, costing over $500.

Was it hard to say goodbye?

I've never been good with goodbyes. On the morning of my departure, I met Matthew and the two girls in the lobby of their hotel. My bags packed and ready, my eyes started to water. With difficulty, I managed to hold in my tears by promising myself that I would remember the girls, write often, return soon, and most often, work hard to help GGEF fund education for increased numbers of needy students.

How different is your hometown of Darien, CT from the Chinese villages you visited?

Rural China and an affluent American suburb are a world apart. While Darien teens are choosing the color of their BMW, millions of children go to sleep hungry each night. The average meal (a cabbage leaf filled with rice) for GGEF girls is $0.50 RMB (six cents), while many kids spend $6 on lunch in the school cafeteria without thinking twice. Kids complain about having to help with simple household chores while the students that I met are work in the fields four hours a day. The closet of a typical Darien teenager is stuffed with clothes, while GGEF students barely had three sets of clothing, and no closet at all. Think about the equipment and fees involved with sports like lacrosse, hockey, tennis, and golf. The students around Nanning don't play any sports, because they are too busy helping their families; most have never even heard of basketball and soccer! What does an American teenager want? Probably a car, party invitations, a girlfriend/boyfriend, available! alcohol, achievements on the field/court, popularity, and plenty of spending money. What does it mean to "succeed" for the GGEF girls? All they want is ample food for their families, some good books, and an education to get out of their present situation. Is that too much to ask for?

How can we make a difference?

A contribution to GGEF provides the few cents a day that can save the life of a child. I strongly urge you to contribute to the welfare and education of the underprivileged youth around the world. Particularly in Africa and Asia, children are not only fighting for their lives against disease, poverty, and malnutrition, but are also fighting for the opportunity to escape their present conditions and to lead productive, successful lives. They see education as the key to their futures.

*All travel expenses paid by the Ma family, not by GGEF.

** Girls Global Education Fund provides funding so that rural Chinese girls can go to school. Co-founded as a non-profit 501(c) (3) corporation in 1996 by Robin Bernard, the mother of two adopted Chinese daughters, and Iming Chen, a computer consultant from Taiwan. GGEF's dual mission is to help girls go to school, and to raise public awareness of this worldwide problem. Once a girl is accepted into GGEF, she remains with the organization, receiving education and support until she completes her schooling. GGEF has helped over 150 girls complete their schooling in the Guangxi and Shandong Provinces of China. It is GGEFs goal to raise funds to expand educational opportunities to girls in other provinces in China as well as other under-developed countries.



	Ma with GGEF students



	GGEF school children in the village of Fu Shu.



	The high school in Na Ma.



	A classroom in Na Ma.



	Isolated villages are often found in the shadows of remote mountain ranges. In the foreground, a woman washes her vegetables in the cleanest water supply available.



	The biggest shop in Ping Guo, not exactly a Walmart or Costco.



	The main street of a Ping Guo village.



	The only supply of drinking water for the village of Fu Shu, an 19th century well.



	The front doorsteps of Huang's house in Ping Guo.



	The master bedroom of Huang's house.



	The only bedroom of Xie's house