After seeing the advertisement for this show a couple of times on TV, I tell myself, this is a must-see show for me!
It just debuted last night, on Channel U, 8pm – 9pm, every Thursday.
If you have no inkling of what the show is about, let me briefly introduce. The show will feature local and Taiwan stars, going lengths to help out needy people.
In the show, we are able to see how stars are willing to put down their position as an artiste, getting down and dirty with just to render help to the needy.
It’s an inspiring show and I strongly encourage everyone, old and young, to watch it.
After watching the first episode, featuring a Taiwanese star, 阿布, most known for his hosting on 冒险王, I had many reflections and thoughts.
He went off to Sichuan, Heishui Province, to help out villagers living in mountainous areas, 3000m above sea level.
Their tasks are mainly focus at helping the kids in these mountainous regions, to provide them with a schooling environment, so they built libraries, brought tables, shelves, books to the local schools. In addition, they also taught the kids basic hygiene such as using the soap to wash hands/face and also using a toothbrush. They also visited the families of 2 kids.
Reflections:
- On the donation of books and library to the local school:
When the volunteers were putting the tables/shelves together, the kids stood outside the room curiously and earnestly, and when the library is ‘officially opened’, they all rushed into the small and cramped room, each grabbing one book, and just go to wherever there’s natural lighting to start reading their books. And they just cramp together, you will see them standing side by side around the window area, just so to get the natural lighting to read the books, while those luckier ones who got in earlier manage to have seats. Do you ever think kids in Singapore does that? Definitely not, books aren’t really high on SG’s kids agenda, you probably guess what’s top on their list, iPod, PSP, DSLite or eve iPhone.
Kids there are so conscientious, they wanna learn but they are deprived of that because of living conditions. Me, in the teaching field, just feel that our kids here are incomparable to them, who have such hunger for reading and studies.
Life can be so simple for these kids, it suffices with just a book to read. This is what i call Simple Happiness. It teaches me that, happiness can be simple, and we do not need to be rich to feel happy.
- On the volunteers teaching hygiene to the kids:
The volunteers brought with them toothbrushes, toothpastes and soap to these needy kids. Because these kids and their families live under such harsh conditions, they do not have access to the basic hygiene items, such as toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.
And it was said that, judging from their dirty faces/hands, the kids probably do not know that washing up is important. The kids were taught how to wash their hands correctly and also using soap to wash their faces! One of the volunteer mention on the TV, people in affluent countries are always lathering many products on our faces, moisturiser to keep our faces moist, or wearing sunscreen to prevent pigmentation and protect our skin, but the kids there havnt even washed their faces with soap before, it is so unfair that they do not have such access. To them, they don’t wash, don’t moisturise, yet they don’t suffer from bad skin that some people spend thousands on to get treated for.
It makes me feel guilty, cos i buy facial products every now and then, sometimes not finishing the bottle and I will get new products. It really makes me stop and wonder.
Also, they were taught how to brush their teeth. This was the first time they brush their teeth, so when 阿布 was teaching them how to brush the correct way, the kids were brushing so hard that 阿布 mentioned in the show 7 out of 10kids actually brushed their teeth so hard that they bled! Hearing this, my heart just broke and tears continue flowing down when my eyes are already swollen. Such simple tasks in our daily lives, may actually be a once-in-a-lifetime activity for these people living in rural areas. If not for the volunteers, not sure if they ever would have the chance. And well, some kids in SG dont even brush when they can do so freely here.
- On the home visits:
I can’t imagine how a child can grow up in such harsh conditions. Perhaps I’m just a city child and I really admire the kids there for their tenacity in life. THey have to face the harsh living conditions, trying to make ends meet, and also wanting to study.
Especially for the 2nd girl featured, due to the lack of medical assistance in these areas, when she fell ill a long time ago, and wasnt in time for cure, she lost her hearing and speaking ability.
The teacher in her school kicked her out of school because of her disability, as the teacher fears that she will slow down the progress. But she is so intent on learning, so the volunteer leader actually proposes her to leave her house and go into the city to study in a disabled school, so they went over to her place to plead with her parents to allow her to do so. Her parents seemed hesistant, because leaving them and into the city, so far away, further more they are worried of no one taking care of her. But after some persuasion they allow them to take her away into the city to receive better education.
Education is definitely important, no matter to a normal kid or disabled kid. Education allows one to be more worldly and achieve a set of skills in order to sustain ourselves in the future. Yet, some kids that I see are not serious in education here in SG. I think, SG kids are just too pampered to treat studies importantly. I don’t know why, some kids are like being force into studying here, they do not see the importance of education in their future lives, they just want to play all day, skip classes. I cringe at this thought.
I think every kid should watch this show to see how lucky they are to be born in SG. We do not lack anything and our government takes care of us very well, giving us education.
I hope that we start to think about how we live in our daily lives and give more thought to people living in these rural areas.
We should be content with what we have in our lives, the hunger for new electronic gadgets or that new handbag, they are just extras in life, remember life can be equally happy with just a cup of coffee/tea and a book.
If you havnt catch this show, please do so next week!
