“Difficult 2020, with twist forward’’
2020 is a year full of changes and turbulence. Under the influence of constant disasters and COVID-19, each one of us has a deeper sense about the fragility and impermanence of life. Given the difficulties year 2020 brings, it was especially gratifying to see kidness of DENER’s friends and people that allowed this year’s stationery aid project to unfold as scheduled.
This year’s stationery aid project has entered tenth year. According to the original plan, it would be carried out in different regions: China was responsible for schools in China; Taiwan was responsible for schools in Taiwan, Nepal, Bhutan and India.
But since spring, the epidemic has become more and more serious in the world. As countries’ anti-epidemic policies continue to change, India’s borders with neighboring countries had also been blocked. In previous years, we would transport stationery to India by sea or air, and then use truck to move across borders to schools and Buddhist Academy in Bhutan and Nepal. The transportation process was often full of risks. And this year, due to the epidemic, both sea freight and air transportation were forced to suspend temporarily. Therefore, this year in Taiwan, we devoted all our energy to remote mountain schools in Taiwan.
“selection of the stationery for the children’’
Stationery was the most needed and practical tool for children during their studies.
For us, in addition to encouraging the children to continue their studies, it was also a way for us to continue to support these rural schools.
Over the years, we had found that remote schools had long lacked various resources such as reading, art, music and sports. And these were just the resources that would most inspire kids’ independent learning ability, creativity, aesthetic ability and mobility during their growth. For this reason, DENER especially want to help schools in need for these.
Every year we spend a lot of thought on the design and selection of stationery and supplies. We hope that students could feel our good intention when they received stationery. In addition to continuing to choose the most practical, environmentally friendly pencils, erasers, exercise books, and mechanical pencils, we also purchased a batch of extra-large crayons and DENER pencil cases this year.
Some schools had reported that children needed dictionary very much, which would greatly help children to recognize and comprehend the words. Therefore, this year we also added a batch of student dictionaries to our stationery portfolio. In artistic inspiration, there was a remote school that wants to have children learn calligraphy, a mode of Chinese culture and art. After many searches, we had selected a small set of calligraphy supplies that the school could provide to the children during calligraphy classes. There were some schools that also wanted children to continue to learn handicrafts, hoping to preserve the traditional culture through such learning. In sports, we had selected some tchoukball and soccer balls for schools in need.
“Daily needs for Buddhist students”
This year, a new LED dual-purpose light had been added in China to provide students at Buddhist Academy in remote mountainous areas. The idea for this light came from one of our volunteers. During a visit to overseas schools with DENER, she carefully observed that in the mountainous areas of Nepal where electricity was very scarce, students needed to make a lot of effort in order to get enough lighting to learn and write. It turned out that having sufficient conditions to learn is actually a hard-won happiness and luck. After returning to China, she initiated a special team to find a suitable plan. In her free time, she personally tried a variety of different lights. Finally, during a lot of test, the team unanimously selected a light-weighted and portable LED dual-purpose light that can be used for charging. This LED dual-purpose light can be used as a flashlight as well as a small desk lamp. For the students of the Buddhist academies in a remote mountainous area of China, we hope this light will bring them more convenience.
Last year, the natural pigments we provided to Buddhist academies to draw thangkas received very good feedback. For this batch of pigments, some Buddhist academies had also gave us new suggestions, hoping to make some adjustments in the diversity of colors as well as in the degree of integration. After consulted many opinions, we got the full guidance and continuous testing from a professional cake designer and finally we found a satisfactory and cost-effective pigment toner. This toner is not only colorful, but also more delicate and dense in the fusion with butter, which could make the preparation of Dorma at the Buddhist academies safer.
“Institutions and schools we cooperate’’
We would like to sincerely thank all the cooperating manufacturers for completing all the processes quickly and carefully. The manufacturer also carried out labeling and subcontracting work for us. Because of their assistance, all the materials and stationery were delivered to the children smoothly and as scheduled.
The stationary ordered and distributed by DENER this year include:
2500 mechanical pencils, pencil lead
2500 pencil cases
3400 erasers
1120 dozen of environmentally friendly hexagonal pencils
7200 ball point pen
5000 writing exercise books
2800 box of large 12-color pencils
1200 dozen of SIMBALION pencils
80 Chinese dictionaries
45 box of calligraphy supplies
30 box of Cotton thread
20 thread
288 bundle of 12-color pencils
34 box of pigment
118 battle of pigment toner
730 LED dual-purpose light
In Taiwan, until mid-July, we have contacted and sent stationery to the following cooperative schools. We also personally visited a number of schools in rural areas in Nantou County to better understand the school’s situation and needs. After the school starts in September, we would continue to send stationery to other remote mountain schools in need.
- Nantou, XINYI elementary school
- Nantou, RONA elementary school
- Nantou, TONGFU elementary school
- Nantou, RENHE elementary school
- Nantou, DILI elementary school
- Nantou, DONGPU elementary school
- Nantou, TANNAN elementary school
- Nantou, TONGLIN elementary school
- Nantou, LONGHUA elementary school
- Nantou, SHUAMGLONG elementary school
- Nantou, RENAI elementary school
- Nantou, HUZHU elementary school
- Nantou, ZHONGZHENG elementary school
- Nantou, FAXIANG elementary school
- Nantou, WANFENG elementary school
- Nantou, CHUNYANG elementary school
- Nantou, HONGYE elementary school
- Nantou, DUNG-GUANG elementary school
- Nantou, WUCHENG elementary school
- Nantou, MINGTAN elementary school
- Nantou, TOUSHE elementary school
- TAIWAIN TATHAGATA’S HOME HUMANITY CARE ASSOCIATION
CHINA： We added some new school this year. The school and organization are :
- Jiang Da school, Ganzi County, Sichuan Province
- Luokema Zhibei School, Ganzi Luhuo County, Sichuan Province
- Dong Ga Elementary School, Ganzi, Sichuan Province
- Bai Ge Monastic School, Ganzi County, Sichuan Province
- Zari Yongkang Monastic School, Ganzi, Sichuan Province
- Duokesi Monastic School, Ganzi, Sichuan Province
- Tashu Monastic School, Tashu County, Sichuan Province
- Dazu Primary School, Liangshan, Sichuan Province
- Jiadeng Charity School, Ganzi, Sichuan Province
- Gong Bao School, Yushu County, Qinghai Province
- Yushu Nangqian County Primary School, Qinghai Province
- Jue La Two Boarding School, Yushu County, Qinghai Province
- Zi Niang Middle School, Yushu County, Qinghai Province
- Chuanggu Buddhist School, Yushu County, Qinghai Province
- Chuanggu Nunnery, Yushu County, Qinghai Province
- Nianjicuo Primary School, Yushu, Qinghai Province
“After ten years, thanks being together’’
In the past ten years, we have continuously provided assistance in the most needed schools around the world. Due to the epidemic this year, we have returned to the starting point-Taiwan, but we continued doing the same thing. As long as there are schools and children in need, we will do our best to provide them with assistance. Because love is equal, it can spread anywhere, regardless of nationality and ethnicity.
On this remote education road, people often ask, “Does it really help doing this?” I still remember when our volunteer team went to Shree Mangal Dvip School in Nepal last year, we heard the principal said to his students and teachers, “When I was in the Buddhist Academy, I received pens and stationery with “DENER” attached to it every year. I didn’t know where the stationery came from, but I always used it to write homework and take exams.” When we heard him saying this at the time,
we knew that in the past ten years, the care to the children that everyone has passed bit by bit through our stationery, has accompanied children in need to grow up. Now he has graduated from Advanced Buddhist Academy and became the principal of this school. The touch we felt was the answer to our persistent efforts.
We know that facing the epidemic this year, everyone felt the difficulties and worked hard! Thank you so much for continue to accompany DENER in this situation. The strength from just each one of us is really limited, just like planting a small tree in the desert, it seems like there is no effect in the short time. But we sincerely hope, if everyone is willing to pay a little bit of care and participate a little bit more, then gradually, these little bits, little bits, will one day grow into big trees and become forests everywhere, helping more and more children in need.
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We sincerely hope that if everyone is willing to contribute a little, these tiny but meaningful supports will eventually become a stream someday, then become a lake, then finally merge into a huge force of help as big as the ocean, benefiting many more children in need.
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