I am a 17 years old student from a very poor family.  My ethnic group is Pumi.

All my sisters are sent to live with my grandmother and attend schools in the city.  In 2006, I started my first grade in the village school.  In that year, the village people saved up a small amount of money and built a school.  It was just a small wood house with a few panels inside. However, the roof was built well with no leakage.  The village chief invited several educated people to give lessons but most of these teacher candidates shown little interest.  At that time, we had no more than five or six students in each class.  And there was about 10 students altogether.

During the second grade, the last teacher left the village looking for better work.  The chief held a village meeting, but all the educated ones had already gone.  So the students are scattered, and some did not go back to school and went to work in the farm along with their parents.  Fortunately, my parents decided that I must receive education.  They sent me to live with my grandmother along with my sisters and attended the same school my sisters went.  As a very young child who has never left home, many nights I was awakened by my own crying for missing my parents.

From that traumatic experience, I built up my will and learned to be independent.   I am hoping through the financial help of you loving people at Peach Foundation, the burden on my parents can be reduced and that I can fulfill my dream of pursuing further education.