Report_2003

1992年暑假期間，西南石油學院教授趙敏帶學生到位于庫區的雙峰鄉進行社會調查。面對庫區的貧窮、落後、愚昧、特別是孩子們小小年紀不能接受起碼的教育，還要用稚嫩的雙肩去挑起沉重的生活負擔，強烈的同情心和責任感讓趙敏晝夜不安。想辦法幫助這些不辛的孩子，成了她最大的心願。

秋天，趙敏在成都見到來自美國的朋友陳金浩先生。他是趙敏赴美國留學時的房東，在紐約經營針織服裝生意，信奉佛教，心地善良，樂于助人，擔任美國菩提心基金會副總裁、亞洲區總裁。兩人關於庫區兒童失學的談話，引起了陳先生對這些孩子的深切同情，當即表示願盡一份棉薄之力。志同道合的異國朋友走到了一塊。陳先生經濟上並不富有，還要供兩個女兒讀大學，且本人身患癌症，已動過兩次手術，可他還是拿出了2000美元委託趙敏救助雙峰鄉小學的138名失學兒童。

1992 Summer. Professor Zhao Ming from the Southwestern Petroleum University led his students into the area for a sociological survey. Facing such extreme poverty, the young adults of Koo County were too weak to ride on horses to show the visitors around. Professor Zhao was highly disturbed. Her life goal became helping these villagers.

In the autumn of 1992, Professor Zhao met with her American friend Howard Chen. Howard was the professor’s landlord when she was studying in the US. Howard worked in the textile and fashion industry and was a Buddhist. He was the Bodhicitta Foundation’s executive vice president. Their conversation regarding the village piqued Howard’s interest and he wanted to help. Howard was not a rich man. He had two daughters in college and had two surgeries related to his cancerous condition. Nevertheless, he immediately gave Zhao Ming $2000 to help the 138 students, who were enrolled in school, receive a better education.

陳先生回到美國後，立即組織了20多個朋友成立了燃燈助學計劃，寓意用愛心點燃貧困失學兒童心中的希望之燈，發展窮人幫窮人的活動。在當地華僑中募集資金，幫助升鐘庫區失學兒童重返校園。趙敏、王元夫婦負責在國內協助建校和助學工作。
為了掌握庫區貧困兒童失學的第一手資料，第二年元旦，陳金浩從美國專程赴庫區考察，來到雙峰、升水等中小學了解學生上課及住校情況，深入失學兒童家中訪問。眼前的幕幕景象讓陳金浩心情沉重。陳金浩立即表示要修建三所學校，燃燈助學計劃資助材料費32000元，人工則由島上村民義務提供。學校很快落成了，取名燃燈一小、燃燈二小和燃燈三小。

When Howard came back to New York, he gathered a team of 20 people who were equally as caring as he and they formed the Enlightening Education Program. They wished to use their compassion as a means of giving those in need a future.
Wanting to learn more about the situation in Koo County, Howard made a personal trip to China on Christmas Eve of that year. He visited Shuan Feng, Sen Tsui, and Bai elementary schools to see the conditions firsthand. He also interviewed the families who could not afford to send their children to school. Howard became very upset after seeing the state that the schools and families were in. He decided to rebuild the schools. On behalf of the Enlightening Education Program, Howard invested a total of RMB $32,000 that year for construction purposes. The manual labor was provided by the local community. The schools were named EEP1, EEP2, EEP3 and so forth.

回到美國後，陳金浩將升鐘水庫的教育現狀、助學目標、實施方案等輸入國際電腦網路，以期得到更多人的了解和支持，並利用多種形式在華僑、華人中廣泛宣傳，十塊美金就能讓一個孩子上完一年學甚至可改變一個孩子的一生。

陳金浩的義舉化成了不少華僑、華人的片片愛心。退休老人、餐館打工仔、縫紉女工、小商小販、正在讀書的兒童、大學生、留學生等，從他們本來就不多的養老金、打工收入、壓歲錢中擠出十美元、幾十美元、幾百美元送到庫區進行窮人幫窮人。從安徽到美國打工的嚴善懷是一位退休醫生，每年都要捐出兩、三百美元救助學生。有一位孤身婦女，靠一份工資養三個小孩也來捐款，她說：我雖然困難，但為了讓這些孩子能讀上書，我也願意盡一份力。

根據燃燈助學委員會的決定，捐款只能用於三方面：
1. 救助孤兒，殘疾兒童或單親家庭以及特困家庭的已失學，或瀕臨失學的中小學生。
2. 為中學設立獎學金，受助學校每期每班10人，資金500元人民幣，男女比例為4：6，以鼓勵女孩子多讀書。
3. 在沒有學校的村修建燃燈小學或修建破舊村小。為了把所捐資金用在刀刃上，還嚴格規定實施，燃燈計劃無任何管理費用，所有參與者在助學工作的任何花費，如機票、車票等交通費和食宿費等全部自理，不得占用助學資金。燃燈助學計劃實施範圍由小到大，從雙峰、升水兩個鄉向庫區其他鄉鎮幅射，像滾雪球 一樣逐年發展。

　　Returning to the US, he posted his experiences in China on the World Wide Web and reached out to more Chinese Americans. The original slogan was “$10 can give an education and change the course of someone’s life” Howard’s project brought out the generosity in all. Retired elderly, restaurant workers, grocery store owners, college students, and nurses alike all gave their savings, their money for luxuries. A retired doctor from China who currently lives in the US donates $200-$300 a year. A single mother of three donates even though she knows she is not in the best position. She says she wants to give these students a chance. Tens, hundreds and even thousands were sent to Koo County, igniting the poor helping the poor movement.

According to the Enlightening Education Program’s executive board, donations can only be used in 3 instances:
1. Fund orphaned, disabled, or poor families and families with unique situations send their children to school.
2. Fund a 500 RMB scholarship for 10 students in high school. The scholarship is designated for four males and six females as an encouragement for girls to attend school.
3. Fund construction of school buildings and classrooms in areas without schools or a proper building for education.

For an additional means of cutting costs, the Enlightening Education Program does not waste donation money on administrative costs. Expenses such as housing, airfare, paperwork, postage are all from individual volunteers. Donations can not be used. EEP grew from building a small school in Koo County to building several hundred schools across three provinces. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, it has gained incredible momentum.

世界不再一片漆黑
The World Is No More Dark

1999年3月8日，國際勞動婦女節這一天，參加燃燈助學考察的美國義工陸金玲女士在南部縣皂角鄉小學發放助學款。突然，她的目光被一個眼球突出眶外的小女孩吸引住了。詳細了解後得知，這個小學六年級的學生名叫杜小紅，和雙胞胎姐姐剛出生時，媽媽便因病去世。親生父親一人扶養不了三個孩子，就把杜小紅兩姐妹送給了大姐和妹妹，自己帶著不滿四歲的兒子外出打工。由於大姑家已有三個子女上學念書，收養了杜小紅後，本已拮据的家庭經濟更加緊張。杜小紅的養父告訴陸金玲，為了給小紅治病，前後已花去了幾千元錢,現在唯一的辦法就是動手術。他想以後再外出打工，等掙夠了手術費候，一定要給她治好眼睛！
看著因過度操勞，不足50歲的杜小紅養父已滿頭花的樣子，陸女士決定出資為杜小紅醫治眼睛，並從該學期起對口救助她上學讀書。陸老師出資為杜小紅治療眼睛的想法，得到燃燈義工們的大力支持和幫助，他們立即與南充川北醫學院聯繫協商，使杜小紅很快住進了醫院，還減免了部份醫藥費。手術後杜小紅一下子從一個醜小鴨變成了美麗的小天使。望著女兒燦爛的笑容，杜小紅的養父流下了辛福的眼淚。這件事，在消息閉塞的山區迅速傳遍了千家萬戶。

　　1999, March 8th, Women Workers Day. Lu Jin Yin, one of the EEP volunteers was in the Southern Region of Sichuan Province. She was at Chao Jiao Shang elementary school giving out scholarships. She saw a 6th grader named Du Xiao Hung who had eyes that were bulging out of the sockets of her face. Xiao Hung’s mom died while giving birth to her and her twin sister. Her dad was unable to support three children by himself so he gave Xiao Hung to his older sister and gave the other twin to his younger sister. He then left the province with his son.

Xiao Hung’s aunt, her adopted mother, already had three children in school. Xiao Hung’s existence created anxiety over their family’s financial situation. Xiao Hung’s adopted father told Lu Jing Yin that they had spent thousands of RMB on Xiao Hung’s eye condition but there was nothing they could do except for surgery. He was thinking of leaving their province in search of work so that they could afford the surgery.

Looking at the 50 year old man’s tired face, Lu Jing Yin immediately offered the money for surgery and decided to sponsor Xiao Hung’s tuition. Ms. Lu’s decision received a lot of support. Xiao Hung was able to get a bed in the hospital quickly and was sent into surgery without delay. After surgery, Xiao Hung went from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. Her adopted father cried with tears of joy. Their story spread all over the surrounding communities.

為了貧區的孩子們
For the Children of the Poor Area

1998年春，美國燃燈計劃委員會成員陳則東先生來到四川調查助學款發放情況，在得知紅旗村小學建校欠下15000元債務後，當即表示願意出資還清。同年秋，陳則東再次自費從美國紐約來到升鐘庫區考察，在保城鄉上房灣村小學參觀上世紀50年代修建的黃泥砌起的教室，親眼目睹了低矮黑暗、四處開裂的教室裡，幾十個在破課桌上寫作的孩子，和一名年輕男教師已在此任教近六年，連一張像樣的床和辦公桌都沒有的狀況。陳則東再次被打動了。
燃燈隨後捐助修建新的上房灣村小，並以因公殉職的女教師敬銀珍的名字命名。全體村民在燃燈愛心的感召下，齊心協力，只用了三個月的時間，不但修起了一所嶄新的學校，還把學生的課桌椅，老師的床和辦公桌全部換成了新的。

1998, Spring. Allen Chen came to China for inspection purposes. Red Flag Elementary School still had $1500 in debt. He offered to pay off the debt. The same autumn, Mr. Chen came back again to inspect a school that was made in the 1950s. It was a structure made of mud. He saw a classroom with low ceilings and very little light. In the classroom sat a few students and a young teacher. The teacher had been teaching in this condition for the past 6 years. There was neither a bed nor a workspace for the teacher. Allen was again inspired to give a donation.
EEP later donated to built a new school and named the school Jing Ning Jen after a teacher who had died on duty. The whole community helped build the new school building and only used three months time to build the new school, new desks and new beds.

陳則東先生參與燃燈助學計劃幾年來，多次自費到四川﹑貴州考察,建校助學，做了大量救孤扶貧的善事。1998年春到南部縣大坪鎮考察時，在領取助學金的學生中，發現了一個又黃又瘦弱的小女孩劉君，當得知她與年邁的老奶奶相依為命後，表示劉君每期的學費、生活費由燃燈助學計劃委員會資助。秋天，陳則東再次來到升鐘庫區，資助了趙金花、任尊勝和趙仕民三個初中準備生上高中。

Since joining the Enlightening Education Program, Allen Chen has done many positive things. He has gone on many inspections, all out of his own pockets. In spring of 1998, he was in Da Ping town handing out scholarships when he found out that one of the recipients, Liu Jun, was living with only her ill grandmother. Her tuition and living expenses were then completely covered by EEP.

據統計，十年來燃燈計劃捐款人數近5000人。捐款者絕大多數為華裔，年齡最大的為80歲，最小的只有7、8歲。捐款者中有成功人士，如台灣著名作家劉墉，不但捐了十所村小，還長年資助十幾名大中小學生。但大部份是一些社會基層人士，如縫紉女工、飯店服務員和留學生等。至2002年十月底，燃燈助學計劃在四川總共捐資471.7萬元。其中救助和獎勵大學、中學、小學貧困學生36260人次，修建燃燈村小121所 。

Since the start of the Enlightening Education Program, there has been over 5000 donations. Donations are mainly from Chinese Americans. The oldest patron is 80 years old and the youngest at age 7. There are average Joes and there are famous people such as Taiwanese author Liu Yung. Mr. Liu not only donated the money for a dozen schools but also sponsors a few high school and college students.