Six days is not a long time, but it can be long enough to change our attitude towards life.
Under the auspices of Hong Kong Committee for Unicef and the sponsorship of HongkongBank Foundation, 29 Hong Kong students aged from 15 to 19 embarked on a life-changing journey that took them to a poor area in the mainland province of Sichuan.
The six-day tour, which ended last Thursday, was aimed at arousing students' awareness of underprivileged children on the mainland .
It also showed visitors how social service programmes - Social Development Programme for Poor Areas (SPAA) in China and Local Planning and Action for Children (LPAC) - have been implemented in rural areas to help the poor raise their standard of living and become self-sufficient.
Under the programme, 200 women in every county under subsidy can apply for a maximum loan of 1,000 yuan (HK$940) and are trained to develop their own income-generating activities, such as raising livestock, while improving their awareness of child care and health issues.
If they have a good repayment record, they can apply for a second and a third loan of 1,500 yuan and 2,000 yuan to expand their business. These mothers , once self-sufficient, can then afford to send their children to school.
