Because I’ve been caught in the rain before, I want to hold an umbrella for others.

“The mountain is there, so hope is there.”

My name is Huang Chunyan, and I'm from Chongqing, China. I participated in "Suoma Flower Support Teaching" with Sichuan Province Suoma Charity in the autumn of 2016. I worked there from September 2016 to the end of 2017 as a mathematics support teacher at the Green Hope Primary School in Meigu County and served as the head of the teaching and research team in my final semester. I now live in Daliang Mountain, a city I've grown to love. I have my own family and often spend my spare time with them or pursuing activities I enjoy. I'm currently a full-time staff member at the Suoma Charitable Foundation. During weekdays, I work at the school and return home during holidays when there's no work. I'm responsible for school management, as well as teaching minor subjects and mathematics in my class. Our school now has 13 teachers, all from different regions. We've come together out of love, and this harmony among like-minded people is a rare blessing in life. The supporting teachers from outside Liangshan Prefecture, in particular, return home only once per semester and spend most of their time at school. Due to limited teaching resources, we have two teachers leading each class, except for Chinese and mathematics—these teachers are responsible for both minor subjects and class management.

To explain why I joined Suoma Charity, I should first explain my path to education. The idea of becoming a volunteer teacher first emerged during my college years, and the desire to help those in need has remained deeply rooted in my heart ever since. My upbringing was marked by both hardship and fortune. In retrospect, the difficult moments comprised only a small portion of my childhood, with fortunate experiences making up the majority. During my childhood, my family faced financial struggles, and my parents could barely afford my education, much like scenarios portrayed in TV shows. I was the only child in my family who attended school, which illustrates our predicament at the time. Fortunately, my parents highly valued education and supported me, even if it meant borrowing money to pay for it.

I remember when my father would take our family's produce—bitter melons, cowpeas, eggs, oranges, and watermelons—to the market. Although we didn’t have much harvest, he always selected the highest quality produce and went door-to-door asking neighbors if they wanted to buy. This was the most effective way to sell our goods. As a child, I was eager to help and often followed my father, despite not fully understanding the process. Shortly after I started school, a director noticed our situation and offered to help us apply for exemptions or subsidies. Soon after, my father learned that a caring individual had offered to sponsor my education and wanted to maintain contact with us. Communication wasn't as advanced then as it is now, so I had to borrow neighbors' landlines to contact my sponsor. Instead, I primarily wrote letters. This correspondence continued from elementary school through college, planting a seed of compassion in my heart and inspiring me to help others just as this caring uncle had helped me.

Regarding my choice to teach at Suomahua Primary School, let me first introduce the Suoma Charity Foundation in Sichuan Province. In May 2009, several photography enthusiasts who loved freedom and adventure were deeply moved by the extremely difficult living conditions of the local Yi and Tibetan people while climbing the 4,359-meter-high Luoji Mountain and the 7,556-meter-high Gongga Mountain in southern Kangding. They discovered a large number of children in need. This inspired them to mobilize internet users to collect supplies for children and villagers in remote mountain areas. They came to realize that only education could truly change these children's destinies and futures.

The Suoma Charity Foundation provides extensive opportunities for development to better implement social welfare activities such as poverty alleviation, disaster relief, and assistance to the elderly and orphans. Through the power of the internet, we've raised funds and materials to support remote mountain primary schools and families in need throughout the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. We conduct long-term charity projects including teaching support, student assistance, school construction, "sunshine lunches," and poverty relief to help low-income families overcome their difficulties. Ultimately, we contribute our love and effort to support the healthy growth and education of underprivileged children in the area.

This journey explains the existence of Suomahua Primary School; it's named after the alpine rhododendron, representing more than just a flower but embodying a spirit. As a public welfare primary school, Suomahua serves not only as a place for children but also as a beacon where socially conscious people help children's dreams take flight. We hope that the children here can achieve their dreams, whether that means leaving the mountains or returning to them. In truth, the location of teaching matters less than the ability to help those in need. When I see these children, I see reflections of my past self.

After obtaining my teaching qualification in college, I committed to teaching in areas of need for two years post-graduation. Unexpectedly, I returned to Suoma Charity in 2020. I went back because the passion for volunteer teaching had never left my heart, and my previous experiences had become an integral part of my life. I encountered a friend from my earlier teaching days who had inspired my journey in charitable service. This meeting became the catalyst for my return to Suomahua. It was like a divinely arranged two-way journey. We both had hope and needed each other, making my presence at Suomahua Primary School feel less like a choice and more like destiny. I remain grateful to my parents and my caring sponsor for everything I have today.

When I first began teaching, the experience of being called "teacher" by a group of children filled me with excitement. We faced various challenges, such as the harsh environment: when we first arrived in Liangshan, we endured extended periods without water and electricity, making life at school uncomfortable. However, I soon realized these weren't real difficulties after adapting—this was simply life in the mountains. The true challenge emerged when I started teaching first-grade students. The school primarily served Yi ethnic group children whose mother tongue was Yi, and most couldn't speak Mandarin, which wasn't yet widespread in the area. Without any Yi teachers at the school, communication became our biggest obstacle. We initially relied on older students for translation, but since they were all primary school students themselves, not everything could be effectively conveyed, leaving us to manage classroom communication on our own.

After considerable thought about solving this problem, I sought advice from an experienced teacher. They suggested incorporating movements, expressions, and drawings, while also encouraging more after-class communication. They also recommended requiring students to speak Mandarin on school grounds. These new methods proved remarkably effective. Through this immersive language environment, students made rapid progress in both listening to and speaking Mandarin. This experience reminded me of the saying, "There are always more solutions than difficulties." With a willingness to think and practice, any problem can eventually be overcome.

Our school also offers the "Sunshine Breakfast" program because many children live far from school, and some have to walk more than an hour on mountain roads just to attend. They often skip breakfast and bring food from home, such as cold potatoes and buckwheat, the day before so they can get to school on time. These foods are causing malnutrition in many children. Soon after, the Suoma Charity Foundation launched the "Sunshine Breakfast Project" to raise funds for students: only 4 yuan is enough to help a student get a nutritious breakfast. After the meals are served, the children can have their breakfasts as soon as they arrive at school. The breakfast includes eggs, milk, and steamed buns, which the children enjoy very much. I remember once when I found a child who didn’t drink the milk or eat the eggs but kept them in her school bag. I walked over and asked her, "Why don’t you eat them? Are you not hungry?" She replied, "I have a younger brother at home, and I want to bring him the eggs and milk because he can’t even get them at home." I was touched by her answer and action, and I felt sad for them. The children here are simple, kind, and cute, and they face life positively even when they are in deep difficulty. This is their merit and what attracts me the most. Sometimes, seeing them is like seeing myself as a child.

Throughout my experience working with the Suoma Foundation and volunteering in Daliang Mountain, I would like to say that I am happy to have met Suoma, the children on the mountain, and the volunteer teachers. Stories happen here every day: the touching actions by the children, and the growth and support from my colleagues… all of these are unforgettable. Even if one day I’m no longer teaching and my hair turns grey, I will still keep the precious times and memories in mind. I believe that volunteer teaching is not only a journey of love but also an encounter with hope. As the Suoma Charity Foundation often says, "Hope is where the mountain is." Here, in addition to the children being the hope of their parents, they are also the hope of those of us who support education and care for them—and even more so, the hope of the nation. We fulfill each other’s hopes, making difficulties no longer harsh and allowing this to become the strength to overcome barriers.

A student once asked me, "Why should I study? My brothers and sisters didn’t study, and they still work to earn money. What’s the purpose of reading so many books?" To answer this question, you could talk about their ideals or aspirations, like becoming scientists, musicians, teachers, policemen, etc. But these ideas are too far away and unrealistic for the children of the mountain. In fact, the purpose of studying is to obtain knowledge and not to remain illiterate. Why should you study harder? It is so that you can have more opportunities and get jobs that are easier than your parents’ in the future. For example, your parents might be farming at home using very primitive methods. If you have the knowledge to improve farming, the efficiency will be higher than that of your parents doing the same work. Or, when facing job opportunities, you can choose an easier job with your knowledge and degree. Supporting education is a rush of love and a commitment to responsibility. When education is discussed, educating the people is far more important than simply teaching knowledge. No matter when or where we are, I hope that we will never forget our original aspiration.

- Huang Chunyan

Chongqing, China

Jenny Liang｜Content curator

应志豪 Victor｜Editor

黄春燕｜Translator