China celebrates women who make a difference

Meng Xiaomei

Inspirational teacher

Since 1991, Meng Xiaomei has taught at Beigeng Township Primary School, a boarding school in Xincheng county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

In the eyes of her students, in addition to being a teacher, the 45-year-old is also a loving mother.

"More than 60 percent of the students are 'left-behind children', who are looked after by their elderly grandparents while their parents are working in big cities," she said. "My students cannot leave me and vice versa."

Besides teaching the students, Meng and her colleagues also have to make sure the children eat properly, have enough clothes and stay healthy. Most important, they ensure that poverty doesn't force any students to drop out of school.

In 1996, she earned only 180 yuan a month, yet she still loaned money to students who were unable to afford the tuition fee.

In 2010, Meng took charge of the school's public welfare program and embarked on a series of charity events and fundraisers during her leisure time.

She often visited poor students' families in mountainous areas, and tried to raise money to help the students stay at school.

In the past eight years, Meng has raised more than 2 million yuan in funds and materials, subsidizing more than 500 students in the process.

To ensure transparency and fairness in the allocation of funds, she registers and details the distribution of every single donation, large or small.

Organizing charity events is hard work, but Meng does not receive payment; in fact, she pays the transportation fees out of her own pocket. She never complains, though, because she understands the pressures on the children and their families.

"I was very poor as a child because both of my parents are disabled. We had to rely on help from our neighbors, who had very little themselves," she said. "When I graduated from high school, I wanted to become a teacher, a profession that is tiring but rewarding."

She said no matter how hard she works or how busy she is, she feels happy whenever she thinks of the children's longing for knowledge.

"When you plant seeds of love and kindness in the hearts of children at a young age, you will end up with a large number of adults who are willing to sacrifice what they have to help other people," she said.