Band of angels joins war on poverty

Wang Haizhu, who works in the financial sector in Beijing, refuses to remain on the sidelines as China’s war on poverty escalates.

“I don’t want to be just a spectator,” she said.

Wang once participated in a charity project near Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, where she witnessed the brutal poverty among single, elderly villagers, many of them in their 80s or older, who had no children or income. Deeply affected, she decided to act on her own.

Wang, whose English name is Anne, posted about her experience on her WeChat Moments. She told the story of a man of almost 90 who moved to one village three decades ago and married a local woman, who later died.

“They had no children, no house, nothing,” said Wang. “He lives with one of the families temporarily. He has nothing in his room except a blanket and pillow that look like they have been used for decades.”

Her friends were shocked by the living conditions of these lonely men and women, and they asked how they could help. They began sending Wang money so she could buy food and clothing.

Wang tirelessly gathered donated items and set out with seven other adults and a 10-year-old child to personally deliver hope and love to 26 needy souls in four remote mountain villages.

In a truck provided so this mercy mission could navigate the unpaved roads between villages, Anne and her band of angels arrived on a particularly bitter December day with care packages that included coats, blankets, noodles and rice.

The encounters with the lonesome villagers left a deep impression, Wang said.

“One of them was an old woman. When she saw us taking so much stuff to her home, she said thank you so much. Then she burst into tears.”

When they visited a man of about 70, “we were wearing thick coats and boots, but he was in a thin, worn-out coat and very thin shoes. I saw some dry rice that looked rotten in the pot. He was cooking that.”

Wang hopes to bring help to other villages. “My mom taught me a lot about Buddhism since I was little. I just want to help people as much as I can.”