28th May 2005, China Care went to 乳源縣，大布村．

I had been asked to go see 聶豔梅, a girl of 15.

For the past 5 years, I had been making these 10 hours train/bus journey to 大布村 once every 6-8 months to see kids; to ensure that they are well.

I met 聶豔梅 at her home. It was to be an experience that surpassed everything that I saw in all my visits.

聶豔梅 was small compared to other kids of her age, At a height of approximately 4 feet, she was scruffy looking. Her face, despite the discoloration by filth, showed an innocence that aged. It was obvious that she had out washed nor eaten a full meal for quite some time.

She is the 2nd daughter in a family of 4. Her elder sister is 16. Her younger sister and brother are now respectively 13 and 11.

聶豔梅 was reluctant to speak with me, at first. She was reserved and pensive. It must have been the unfamiliarity of having to speak with someone much older.

I told 聶豔梅 that someone's thought was with her ask these months since she was last visited by one of our volunteers and that I was the bearer of kind wishes. She seemed touched by the fact that someone actually cared about her. Being thought of and remembered was obviously not an everyday experience for this kid.

A faint smile began to appear on those cheeks that had become so unused to opening.

She began to tell me without a stint of emotion that their father died about 10 months ago in an industrial accident whilst working in the city. Their mother, overwhelmed by the tragedy and the burden of 4 growing children, chose to ignore the calamities she faced and disappeared into obscurity, leaving behind not only her reality but also her 4 children.

The emotions had run dry. She was able to tell with composure and constrain. She had gotten use to the idea and accepted her fate that she was to go on living, not just for herself, but also for her younger brother and sister whose welfare now rest fairly and squarely on her shoulders.

The house, if you will condescend to calling four mud walls that, was a barren shell. It provides temporary shields to 聶豔梅 and her young brother and sister against the wind, but not the rest of other elements.

Inside this house was one bed. On this bed were all their worldly possessions, ragged clothing, eating utensils, and scrap papers on which I see copybook handwriting. This was obviously where all 3 children lay their heads at night.

By the bed, there was what had been an open fire on which stood one pot and a wok. This is were 聶豔梅 cooks for herself and her brother and sister. She would cook whatever she was able to collect in the fields left by their father and what neighbours handed out to them.

There was no lighting, no water source, no table, not even an oil lamp. All the necessities that humans of modern civilization would take for granted to fulfill basic living were missing.

The concave mud-wall on the side of this house was another eye-opener. Its curvature indicates near collapse and it it does so at night, it will be right over where these 3 children sleep.

聶豔梅 assured me that she and her younger brother and sister could continue to live like this. She assured me that her 16 year-old elder sister, who is now working in a nearby town, cared for their welfare. This elder sister would be there if ever they needed any help, she told me. I told her I wanted to see this elder sister of hers. 聶豔梅 answered me I the positive, but then I may have to wait a few months before she comes home.

聶豔梅 also assured me that she also has an uncle, her father's younger brother. Again I demanded to see this man. She told me that this uncle works in the same quarry that her father had his accident. He had not been seen for a few months now.

聶豔梅 appeared keen to assure me that she has everything she needed in this house of hers. I believe the fear of being removed from this familiar milieu and the possibility of having to endure yet another trauma of adjusting to some strangers' home was strong enough motivation behind this young child's assurances.

I do not know how to consider this report. I had thought about it for many days since my return. Seldom do I find myself so out of words.

It bothers me whenever I think of 聶豔梅. I wish I have solutions to all her problems but I do not.

What the future holds for 聶豔梅 I do not know. But whatever that may be, I know she will face up to her challenges with insurmountable courage and pride. After all, life can only get better from hereon.

I salute you, 聶豔梅.

Arthur Tso
1st June 2005

September 2005, A New Home

Great news! 聶艷梅 is to have a new home. A kind donor agreed to pay HK$15,000 to build her a new home.

The building works commenced almost immediately. 艷梅 and her younger sister took part in the construction.

January 2006, I visited them. What joy it was to see the new house near completion. 艷梅 wanted to thank the kind donor but was not able to come up with words. Not a word.

April 2006, I visited them again. The 3 tiny children with big smiles moved into a brand new home of their own. Dakki bought them new clothes and necessity items to go with the new home. What a happy day it was!

They looked clean and appeared to be eating well. Aboveall, the 3 of them remained together and all studying.

I was assured that they would be well looked after. They even found 艷梅 uncle a job at the primary school. This was to ensure that he would at least see these 3 children every now and then.

I was also assured that they would continue with their schooling. If and for whatever reasons they are in need of anything, I would be informed.

What a happy day it was!

Arthur Tso
April 2006

2nd January 2009, I lost 聶艷梅.

She had stopped going to school since Chinese New Year 2008.

Despite my strongest protest to the Education Authority that no one was entitled to release her from school until she completes her 3 years of junior high school, and 艷梅 has not, she was somehow let go, a year and a half before she completes junior high school

No one was able to tell me where she was.

Her younger sister, now 16, is now in charge of the house that 艷梅 and her built. She is also left in charge of her brother of 14. Neither of them knew where 艷梅 is.

Neither is the uncle willing to tell us anything.

I have lost her. And I fear the worst.

Arthur Tso
20th January 2009

Reply from Ru Yuan Education Bureau related to Nie Yan Mei

To: China Care Fund

Happy Lunar New Year.

Regarding the incidence of Nie Yan Mei of Tai Po Village, the situation is as follow:

Nie Yan Mei was studying in year 7 at Tai Po Junior Secondary School in September 2006. She left school in Spring 2008. She behaved well in school but her academic performance was only average.

Nie Yan Mei failed to report to school after the Lunar New Year holidays in 2008 The school sent the class teacher to Nie's home to ask her to report to school only to be told that Nie had left the village gone away to work with her counsin (her uncle's daughter just before school started.

The class teacher asked Nie's legal guardian - namely her uncle, why she would not go to schoo, where she was working and whether she could be contacted by telephone. Nie's uncle, however, refused to provide any of these information. He said Nie no longer wanted to go to the school. Afterall, he said, Nie was no good in her studies. None of these produced any results.

The school subsequently sent the class teacher again together with Nie's classmates to the uncle's home to try and convince him of the value of education. Education policies were also explained to him. To this day, we were not able to obtain Nie's telephone number. We have no way of forcing her to go back to school.

We feel very sorry about this incident. We have ordered the school to try contacting Nie again. The school should let allow her to continue to her study at no cost if she agrees to continue her study

Best wishes,
Liang Chun Ling

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