BBSG Enquiry Week: Eliminating Poverty

How can we make our living with only 15 RMB per day?

Most urban citizens never have to contemplate this throughout their entire lives.

During our second Enquiry Week, BBSG organised a series of learning activities centred around the first United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal - "Eliminating Poverty."

Students actively participated in face-to-face discussions with a documentary director, gaining insights into the realities of impoverished lives. They visited a farm, experienced the challenges of agricultural labour, and witnessed how technology revolutionized productivity in agriculture. To make it even more challenging, they undertook the task of living on a daily budget of 15 BBSG dollars...

How did they overcome these challenges? What ideas did they generate for eliminating poverty after experiencing it firsthand? And how will they take action based on their own initiatives? Let’s watch the video below and read on!

Another Real World in the Movies

To kick off the Enquiry Week, primary students watched the movie "Children in School," while junior secondary students viewed the documentary "Children of the Village," allowing them to gain insights into the lives of left-behind children through the lens of the camera.

As they were deeply moved by the stories portrayed in the films, they further enhanced their understanding of economic inequality through the "Dollar Street" activity in the afternoon.

The "Dollar Street" website is designed to showcase the real living conditions of 264 families in 50 countries, presenting their income data and authentic images. This provided students with a tangible understanding of diverse living conditions based on different income levels.

 

The students were astonished by how their perceptions diverged from reality. They realized the staggering number of impoverished families worldwide and the unimaginable hardships they endure, surpassing anyone's imagination. Conversely, this also highlighted how fortunate we are to live the lives we have at present. Shaun C in Grade 6 shared, "The resources we possess come with the responsibility to assist others and improve the living environments of underprivileged families."

Working in a Farm

Living on 15 “Dollars” Per Day

China has successfully eradicated extreme poverty in all of the country’s impoverished regions through the power of agricultural development. To delve into this topic, BBSG students visited the Nansha Mingzhu Urban Agricultural Park and participated in a variety of practical activities. Moreover, each student received fifteen "BBSG Dollars" per day and had to engage in farm work to earn more "money" to cover their daily expenses such as food, accommodation, transportation, and more.

Learning Beyond Classrooms

Working and learning on the farm proved to be an enlightening experience for the students. Under the guidance and instructions of specialists, they learned about crop growth and the role of microorganisms in food production. They also conducted pesticide residue testing and created insect traps. In the actual fields, they explored innovative planting techniques, set up hydroponic systems, and witnessed how technologies like drones enhanced agricultural productivity.

This hands-on experiential knowledge went beyond what textbooks could offer, satisfying the students' curiosity and fostering practical and critical thinking through various activities.

Work for Your Living

From the moment they boarded the school bus in the morning, the students had to "spend" their BBSG dollars, just like in real life where expenses are present everywhere. Consequently, they cherished each opportunity to "earn money" through their work.

They transplanted rice seedlings in the sunlit fields alongside Mr Peciak, our Academic Principal. They prepared cultivation soil and planted vegetable seedlings, wielding sickles to harvest vegetables and fruits.

Carrot and taro fields were particularly popular among the students, as they eagerly anticipated uncovering what lay beneath the soil, just like opening a surprise box. Each student carried bags filled with their "treasures": corn, taro, carrots, lettuce, and more.

Winston Z in Grade 7 enjoyed this delightful experience. They said, "This is our first time harvesting vegetables in the field. We had a blast! However, the sun was scorching today. It must be very tiring for farmers to work in the fields every day."

The older students also took on the responsibility of packaging these vegetables themselves. They utilized their design skills to create a brand, planned for sales and worked as a team to earn additional income by selling vegetable packages to our staff.

Learning New Survival and Life Skills

One of the most memorable experiences during Enquiry Week for our students was camping overnight on campus.

The evening began on a positive note as teachers and students worked together to set up tents and played games, filling our green field with joy and laughter. However, the latter part of the night wasn't as picturesque. Instead of stars and fireflies, students found themselves in the humid and hot southern summer night, accompanied by buzzing mosquitoes. Nevertheless, it was inspiring to witness all our students persevere through these challenges and demonstrate extraordinary adaptability.

Throughout the day, they continued to navigate their "livelihoods," planning their income and expenses with their "funds." During the barbecue activity, some students decided to pool their resources and purchase ingredients as a group, enabling them to save more money while expanding their food choices. Additionally, some students even discovered a new business opportunity by selling barbecues to staff in exchange for BBSG dollars.

By the end of the day, some students had focused solely on meeting their basic needs. Over the two days off-campus, our students realized that working and collaborating can be enjoyable experiences and that rewards are earned through hard work.

Time for Actions to Eliminate Poverty

Upon their return to school, students immediately began working on action plans to eliminate poverty. BBSG invited professionals from public welfare organizations and charity institutions to share their expertise with our students: Eliminating poverty involves not only providing food and shelter but also promoting the fair distribution of social resources, such as education and job opportunities.

Inspired by these professionals, both junior secondary and primary students initiated their own public welfare organizations or engaged in studying and advocating to join existing charity institutions. They created project proposals, PowerPoint presentations, and posters, and delivered public speeches to the entire school, actively promoting their ideas.

Jay H (Grade 4) and his team discovered during their research that there are vast areas of uncultivated land in China. They proposed reclaiming these lands, developing farmland, and constructing new houses to provide more job opportunities and improve living conditions in impoverished areas.

Abby W (Grade 6) and her team proposed joining the non-profit organization "World Central Kitchen" to provide food and assistance to people in need and those facing disasters worldwide.

This embodies the essence of our Enquiry Week: Real-world problems often do not come with a standardized answer. The open-minded exchange of ideas, the sense of responsibility, and the actions driven by ownership during the enquiry process are far more important than the answer itself.