Jian Jian Ming (right) is grateful to everyone for their kindness, and hopes to reciprocate this kindness that has been shown to him through active participation in the recycling project. He and his mother have been volunteers for the past 3 years, and they hope to carry on to the best of their efforts. (Photo by Tan Paik Hui)
Tzu Chi Foundation's Seeds of Hope Financial Assistance Scheme beneficiary, Jian Jian Ming, has been a volunteer at the Tzu Chi recycling point in Yishun for nearly three years now, ever since it was set up. “When the Sister from Tzu Chi came to us for the home interview one Saturday, it was coincidentally the evening before the recycling point was to be set up. She thus took the opportunity to invite my mother and me to go check it out,” he reminisced. As the place was in close proximity to their house and they happened to be free the following morning, both mother and son agreed.
The following day, Jian Ming and his mother made their way to the recycling point at the void deck of Block 805 along Yishun Ring Road. The sight of many middle-aged and elderly volunteers sorting the collected materials out into different categories greeted them. “Wow recycling materials doesn’t look that difficult. I think I can do it too,” Jian Ming thought to himself. “As I am a beneficiary myself, even if I can only contribute a little bit of effort, I still wish to give back (to the community). Hence I decided that day that I would be a volunteer. It is one of the ways through which I can repay society.” Because Jian Ming’s mother was already doing something of a similar nature in her daily work, she too strongly supported the idea of recycling.
From that day onwards, Jian Ming and his mother would volunteer at the Yishun recycling point in the morning every second Sunday of the month, motivated by the thought of contributing back to society. As time went by, Jian Ming learnt that part of the funding for the Seeds of Hope (SOH) Financial Assistance Scheme actually came from the proceeds from the sale of recyclables. This discovery reinforced his motivation to participate in the recycling project. “The more actively we participate in recycling, the more people we can benefit, hence I will definitely continue volunteering,” he stated with conviction.
Recycling of materials taught Jian Ming to cherish each and every object and life and he implemented this concept into his daily life. In his school, there is a reading programme that provides newspapers at no cost for students to read. Jian Ming took the initiative to inform his classmates that newspapers can be recycled and appealed to them to put unwanted newspapers into a recycling box sited in one corner of the classroom. “It would be such a waste to see materials that can be recycled being thrown away,” he remarked.
Love for Mother Earth Funds Student Subsidies
Situ Yu Shan is another beneficiary of the Financial Assistance Scheme from the same school. She has been volunteering at the Yishun recycling point with her mother for more than a year. When she was invited to participate, by volunteers who were conducting the home interview for the subsidy award in 2013, she agreed at once, in hopes of making her own contributions to society.
”When I first learnt about the Seeds of Hope Financial Assistance Scheme, I thought that all the funding came from donations from rich people. Only after attending the SOH presentation ceremony did I realize the truth and the purpose of recycling.” Yu Shan was full of praise for the Tzu Chi recycling project and the monthly proceeds generated that are channeled into funding for the subsidies. Her interest in charity was cultivated from the civics and moral education lessons that she attends at school every Friday. Ever determined do her part for society, Yu Shan expressed, “At that time I didn’t know how I could be a volunteer, so the Tzu Chi sister’s invitation was most opportune and timely for me.”
2015 is the third year-running that she has received meal allowances from the scheme. She is the only child in a middle-income family. Her father is a welder, while her mother is a housewife. Understanding her family’s financial situation, she would head home straight away after school daily to do her homework, rather than go out shopping with her friends, thus leading a thrifty lifestyle.
Yu Shan is full of gratitude after being granted the allowances for three consecutive years. “I am very touched by how the accumulation of everyone’s efforts (and love) is helping us. Participating in the Tzu Chi recycling project not only helps us but benefits others as well. Also, the thought of volunteers sacrificing their time in the midst of their busy lives to help us gives me great motivation to work hard in my studies.”
To Yu Shan, recycling is a simple yet meaningful activity. The location of the recycling point is a mere 20-minute bicycle trip from her home, and the timing of the activity on a Sunday morning is very convenient and does not interfere with her other activities. Therefore, she sees no reason not to participate. Holding on to the belief that spending a little time and effort can go a long way in helping others, she continues to be an active volunteer.
Do not let Yu Shan’s petite frame fool you. When she is hard at work, she displays great strength and passion, and she is no less efficient than the more seasoned volunteers. From the moment she reaches the recycling point, she works tirelessly, uncapping plastic bottles, stomping them flat and finally throwing them into big collection bags. Despite the monotonous and repetitive nature of the work, she does not grumble or gripe. Instead, she is all smiles when she remarked, “Initially I learnt to do everything, but I gradually found that this job is the most suitable for me, as it is quite interesting and isn’t too heavy for me.”
Taking it one step further, Yu Shan decided to share the joy of recycling and protecting the environment with her good friends, inviting them to participate as well. Hence, from the start of this year, she has had ‘recycling buddies’ sharing the load and fun of recycling with her. As they take turns to uncap the bottles and stomp them flat, they reduce each other’s burden and aches, and develop an unspoken sense of teamwork and camaraderie, ultimately strengthening the bond of friendship that they share.
Protect the Environment, Cultivate a Heart of Gold
Participating in the Tzu Chi recycling project has taught Yu Shan many lessons that cannot be learnt from the textbook, including how to categorize materials for recycling. She has also learnt to appreciate and value the environment and its resources, as well as the art of reusing. “At the recycling point we often come across advertisements that are printed only on one side. In order to save paper, we use the blank page behind as rough paper for our mathematics calculations. I have also developed the habit of bringing a recycling bag when I go out shopping.”
The posters put up at the notice boards at the recycling point have also given Yu Shan much inspiration. The one that has left the greatest impact on her is the poster on vegetarianism. It taught her about the how one should value life as opposed to the cruelty of killing animals. In addition, savouring the vegetarian meals provided by the Tzu Chi Volunteers at the end of every session has also cleared her previous misconception about vegetarian food. She was surprised to discover the great variety and tastiness of vegetarian fare. Although not a full vegetarian yet, Yu Shan admits that she is gradually eating less and less meat, and in the process she has noticed an unexpected benefit: she falls ill less frequently and her body feels a lot healthier now.
After a day’s work, beads of perspiration can be seen on Yu Shan’s forehead. Her mother Xiao Yan Fang, who participates in every recycling activity with her daughter without fail, passes her a piece of tissue to wipe away her sweat. During the process of categorization of the recycled materials, she will alternate between standing and sitting, but instead of complaining about how tiring it is, she treats it as a form of exercise. At times, she will also ask her daughter which category the material she is holding belongs to, to which her daughter will patiently answer. Such sweet interactions between mother and daughter can be seen frequently at the recycling point, bringing much warmth to one’s heart.
Ms Xiao has also gained quite a few pearls of wisdom from her experience in recycling. For example, during the process of classifying plastic bottles, she might notice that some bottles still contained residual beverage or liquid products, which would soil her hands at times. She hence realized the importance of processing and cleaning materials to be recycled at home first before bringing them to the recycling point, so that volunteers could sort them out under safer and more hygienic conditions.
Both of the two young students, Jian Ming and Yu Shan, sincerely wish that as they continue to participate actively in Tzu Chi’s recycling project, more and more volunteers will join them, hence increasing the scale and reach of the project, and ultimately the number of beneficiaries.
Volunteer Lin Hui Zhen (left) continues to provide care, concern and encouragement to Jian Jian Ming (right), whom she has been in touch with for many years, and his mother. (Photo by Bernard Ng Jia Han)
Situ Yu Shan (left) and her mother have been volunteering at the Yishun recycling point for close to a year. They share a very special bond, and seeing their interactions during the sorting of recyclables brings much warmth to one’s heart. (Photo by Tan Paik Hui)
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