On the morning of March 11, Guan Jian, a Chengdu-based volunteer of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), helped hand the first charitable grant of the Hive Fund to the local bee farmer, Xu.

Xu is over fifty years old and lives in loneliness. He was excited to cry when receiving the funding agreement, and pressed his hands tightly, trying to express his gratitude to the volunteer and all those who care for him through body language.

The financial support is limited but it's a godsend to Xu who almost gave up his life when his wife, Liu, and daughter passed away and trapped into the high debt and the grim reality that a massive number of bees are dying. Fortunately, his friends kept encouraging him and raising donations, which support Xu to move forward.

At the beginning of March, when Xu received the call from the colleague of the Hive Fund of CBCGDF, he was busy in calculating the debt and economic loss and worried about how to get through it. The staff of the Working Group of Epidemic Prevention and Work Resumption of CBCBGDF, Xiangshu, contacted Xu and introduced the Hive Fund. Xu will receive the special financial support of 10,000 yuan from the Hive Fund so as to purchase bee breeds, sugar, and other material to resume agricultural production if he could donate an equivalent amount of money to help other bee farmers in troubles after making profits. This is also the incentive of the Hive Fund: to spread kindness among generations.

Xu promised without hesitation and also expressed his deepest appreciation to CBCGDF. "In comparison with the financial support, I feel grateful that CBCGDF trusts me that I can overcome all the challenges. As an old saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. They also teach me to open a store on Pinduoduo (the emerging e-commerce platform) to increase a channel of agricultural product sales. I believe in myself. What's more, I will convey the kindness from the civil society to help more farmers who are in difficulties," Xu said.

Xu was born in Ziyang City, Sichuan Province in 1964, and learned the skill and knowledge of breeding bees since 1982. He treated bee farming as a method to improve his life, but he cannot foresee the enormous difficulties accompanied. His daughter and wife both passed away years ago. Officers tell CBCGDF that the Xu is in the list of the most impoverished household, and show appreciation to CBCGDF’s considerable assistance.

The majority of bees have died during the coronavirus outbreak. Xu visited his friend in Jianyang City and he told the volunteer that the situation is not optimistic as only a few boxes of bees survive.

The reason for setting up the Hive Fund is to help households who are severely affected by the epidemic. Dr. Zhou Jinfeng says he wishes more people will give hands to those who are in trouble to resolve difficulties.

The Hive Fund is fulfilling dreams of more beekeepers, like Xu. If you are faced with troubles, please contact us.

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/11611.html

By / Wang Yanqing