Over the summer, students from the SAS microfinance club EggsChange visited Guangpi village in Jiangxi province to check up on chicken farming families they had sponsored and to recruit new families. Three students recorded their impressions of the trip.
The goal of the trip was to expand the EggsChange Project by selecting new farmers to sponsor. These farmers were selected partly based on their annual income (on average 10,000 RMB), but other criteria included responsibility, dedication, and their future dreams and aspirations.
We visited six farmers who were the original families we had sponsored. When we inspected their chickens, they were healthy and energetic, flapping their wings as if to welcome us.
After visiting the original farmers, we then split into three groups and visited a total of 12 new farmers. Out of 12, we ended up choosing 10 farmers who met our criteria. The two farmers that were excluded were much better off than the rest and did not seem to need our help. One of them even offered to play his trumpet for us!
Apart from visiting farmers, EggsChange members also took a detour to a local kindergarten. We taught the kids some English and played with them all morning. We are proud to report that the EggsChange trip was a great success as it has changed the lives of the farmers that we sponsored as well as the members who traveled.
“The trip was an awesome time to hangout with friends and was a great experience for me,” said junior Ryan Chen. “I really hope I get to go again next year.”
—Weilin Tu Ye
The trip to Guanpi, a village secluded by the mountains and greenery of Jiangxi, took us about an hour via bus. It was a bumpy ride and the air conditioner kept us awake in the dense summer heat. For many of us it was our first trip, so we were excited but unsure of what to expect. We met the village police chief’s daughter, whose nickname was “Watermelon,” and trekked up a hill to where the farmers lived.
One of the first things I noticed upon reaching the first farmer’s home was the sign, which read “EggsChange Supported Farmer.” This was as much of an emotional achievement as it was visual evidence of the success of our efforts. I felt a sense of happiness and thought, “Oh, this is real” as we all pointed excitedly at the sign.
Moments later, the farmer took us to see the chickens, which were all scurrying about at the top of a hill behind his house. It was literally a “free range” — there were no fences, no food bowls, no coop. Just shrubs, dirt, and wilderness. The only thing that kept the chickens in the area was the grain the farmers fed them.
—Ying Ying Ng
As I entered the bustling Hongqiao Train Station and flocked around with the rest of the group, chattering excitedly, a wave of memories swept over me.
We had six hours ahead of us on the train, but time flew by with several rounds of Mafia and homemade beef and egg sandwiches. It felt like a China Alive or Habitat trip — except without the worried chaperones.
The trip to the village was definitely the highlight; meeting the farmers we had sponsored and witnessing the chickens with our very own EggsChange rings on their feet was a fulfilling and memorable event. But other minor, trivial moments — playing Mafia, eating watermelons, watching The Hangover, the kindergarteners, smiles and laughter — were also priceless snapshots that pieced together to make the three short days in Jiangxi an unforgettable experience.
— I Hyun Park
The goal of the trip was to expand the EggsChange Project by selecting new farmers to sponsor. These farmers were selected partly based on their annual income (on average 10,000 RMB), but other criteria included responsibility, dedication, and their future dreams and aspirations.
We visited six farmers who were the original families we had sponsored. When we inspected their chickens, they were healthy and energetic, flapping their wings as if to welcome us.
After visiting the original farmers, we then split into three groups and visited a total of 12 new farmers. Out of 12, we ended up choosing 10 farmers who met our criteria. The two farmers that were excluded were much better off than the rest and did not seem to need our help. One of them even offered to play his trumpet for us!
Apart from visiting farmers, EggsChange members also took a detour to a local kindergarten. We taught the kids some English and played with them all morning. We are proud to report that the EggsChange trip was a great success as it has changed the lives of the farmers that we sponsored as well as the members who traveled.
“The trip was an awesome time to hangout with friends and was a great experience for me,” said junior Ryan Chen. “I really hope I get to go again next year.”
—Weilin Tu Ye
The trip to Guanpi, a village secluded by the mountains and greenery of Jiangxi, took us about an hour via bus. It was a bumpy ride and the air conditioner kept us awake in the dense summer heat. For many of us it was our first trip, so we were excited but unsure of what to expect. We met the village police chief’s daughter, whose nickname was “Watermelon,” and trekked up a hill to where the farmers lived.
One of the first things I noticed upon reaching the first farmer’s home was the sign, which read “EggsChange Supported Farmer.” This was as much of an emotional achievement as it was visual evidence of the success of our efforts. I felt a sense of happiness and thought, “Oh, this is real” as we all pointed excitedly at the sign.
Moments later, the farmer took us to see the chickens, which were all scurrying about at the top of a hill behind his house. It was literally a “free range” — there were no fences, no food bowls, no coop. Just shrubs, dirt, and wilderness. The only thing that kept the chickens in the area was the grain the farmers fed them.
—Ying Ying Ng
As I entered the bustling Hongqiao Train Station and flocked around with the rest of the group, chattering excitedly, a wave of memories swept over me.
We had six hours ahead of us on the train, but time flew by with several rounds of Mafia and homemade beef and egg sandwiches. It felt like a China Alive or Habitat trip — except without the worried chaperones.
The trip to the village was definitely the highlight; meeting the farmers we had sponsored and witnessing the chickens with our very own EggsChange rings on their feet was a fulfilling and memorable event. But other minor, trivial moments — playing Mafia, eating watermelons, watching The Hangover, the kindergarteners, smiles and laughter — were also priceless snapshots that pieced together to make the three short days in Jiangxi an unforgettable experience.
— I Hyun Park