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School brings hope to kids
from China Daily

Standing in front of the newly-built classrooms in Pingzhuang Village, 13-year-old Ma Meihua, smiles widely.

"I can finally go to school," she says.

Like many girls in her village in Dongxiang Autonomous County of Northwest China's Gansu Province, Ma could never before attend school because her family was so poor.

Living on the slope of the big mountains, Ma, her parents and two siblings led a threadbare life, squeezing a living out of planting potatoes and herding sheep.

Her days revolved around day-long household chores with her elder sister. Going to school was a wild dream.

But the dream came true last autumn, following the completion of a new school in her village.

And Ma was not the only beneficiary.

Covering an area of 2,648 square metres, the China Daily No 1 Hope School has received 159 dropouts from 12 neighbouring villages. It also has boarding rooms for students who live far away.

"I have never seen such a beautiful school," said teacher Yan Chenlin.

Thanks to donations from China Daily readers and staff members, five primary and middle schools in poor areas have been improved.

And this year two new primary schools have gone up - One is in the Pingzhuang Village where Ma lives and the other in Nutuping Village, which helps 400 dropouts from 27 villages.   

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