Big opportunity from a tiny piglet

In Nanjia, a rural town in Gansu, China, 10-year-old Yuzhuo Nan has a lot more time on her hands these days. Two years ago, her parents reluctantly pulled her out of school to take care of her toddler brother Jian. The farming family was getting by on $12 US each month and they needed Yuzhuo’s babysitting help while they worked the fields.

When a new school was built in her village, Yuzhuo got excited about the chance she might have to go back to school. But like many other village children, she was still needed for work at home.

Then sustainable development projects came to the village to support the new school. A clean water well was built and income-boosting piglets were given to each family. It would now be easier for Yuzhuo’s family to earn money. They would be able to get by without her help at home. Weeks later, Yuzhuo was back in school, alongside 98 percent of the village children.

Yuzhuo still helps her family, but her newfound spare time leaves more hours to just be a kid, playing Chinese badminton, sharing secrets with her best friend Jia and doing her homework. She’s finally able to work toward her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, with the short-term goal of moving on to high school.