Two books that teach children how to help others

Every one of us starts life as an egocentric baby, concerned only with having our own needs fulfilled. Somewhere along the road to adulthood, we all become less self-centred, to varying degrees. Some children are so protected from growing pains that they never let go of their self-centredness. Others grow up in an environment that lets them become empathetic and aware of others' feelings.

I was fortunate to have parents who valued volunteerism and community. As far as they could, they lived each day, putting the needs of others ahead of their own. This included participating in micro-loans to help friends through difficulties. Hui are loan clubs entrenched in Chinese society and extensively relied upon by the Chinese diaspora. My parents never turned down an invitation to join a loan club. With nothing more than a handshake, it was a win-win proposition that relied on mutual trust. My parents understood that, for the initiators of the loan clubs, the effect of this pooled support ranged from convenience to life-changing impact.

Katie Smith Milway explores its life-changing aspect in One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference. Part of the CitizenKid series of books, which uses fiction and non-fiction stories to inform and inspire children as global citizens, One Hen is about a boy whose mother receives a small loan from some village families after his father dies. The boy uses some of the money to buy one hen; it grows to 25 hens by the end of one year, and eventually becomes the largest poultry farm in Ghana.

I appreciate the idea of teaching people to help themselves. It seems to provide more sustainable outcomes than simply giving hand-outs.

As a result, I spend most of my free time volunteering with two local non-profit organisations that focus on training, including Bring Me A Book Hong Kong. Besides donating picture books, it focuses on training parents and teachers on the art and science of reading aloud to children.