Derong Prefecture lies in the southern part of Chattring Prefecture and is the smallest prefecture inside Ganzu county. The town of Derong lies in a very narrow valley surrounded by mountains; therefore there is no space for the construction of private homes, only for governmental buildings. The farmers’ fields rely on rain as they are usually lying on mountain slopes and cannot get water during the dry season. If there is not enough rain, the crops are damaged and the farmers can only harvest half or even less of the normal crop.
Until recently it was not necessary for farmers to allow their children to attend school if they could not afford to do so, especially when the harvest had been poor for several years. But today they must send their children to school and although primary school is free of charge, parents have to pay for educational materials, stationery, and clothing for their children, which is an enormous burden for the poor parents. Very often the schoolteachers buy the necessary supplies for the poor children with their own meager salaries, or the village chief lends the parents money, which they will have to one day repay.
We started a sponsorship program for the poorest of children in Derong in 2003, so they would have the chance to enter junior high school and graduate after three years of study.
Thanks to the articles about our foster parent program in the daily newspaper Mainichi Shinbun, more and more children are being sponsored through our society.