How far would you go to make a child smile?

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   How Far Would You Go To Make A Child Smile?

“There are people in this world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” She points to a quote written on a piece of paper by Mahatmas Gandhi inside my binder. Without looking up, she said, “I tear up every time I see this.” I stare at her long slender fingers. Her age is clear by looking at the leathery wrinkles on her hands and arms. Her face is long and slender: her cheekbones protruding below her ears cause the only imperfection. Yet, something about her voice cradles gentleness. She’s sitting in a chair, arms and legs crossed, patiently waiting for my reply. Looking up and realizing this, I quickly explain, “Oh, right. My father printed it out for me to remind me how fortunate I am.” I wondered if that was a good answer. Was it? She quickly throws me a crooked smile and quietly agrees, “That you are, Yutaka.”

        Ruth Kendrick currently is the founder and president of a non-profit organization: The World Children’s Fund. Hundreds of dedicated citizens like Ruth, living in countries all over the world such as Switzerland and Germany organize funds to send humanitarian aid to the poverty stricken areas around the world. These countries include Africa, Philippines, Vietnam, Cuba, and North Korea.  As soon as she finished explaining the role her company takes to combat poverty in Developing Countries, I thought, “Great way to portray yourself as a hero!” However, as I would realize later, she is an incredible woman who has dedicated her entire life to helping those less fortunate than her.

        Ruth was born in Shanghai, China in September of 1957. There is a tradition in China that encourages the birth of baby boys. In Chinese culture, the male gender is the one that passes on the family name and “traditions”. Therefore, a baby girl is considered bad luck, and is often abandoned.  Instead of asking Ruth how she felt about this tradition, I brought up a novel titled The Good Earth written by Pearl S. Buck. In this book, I explained, the main character Wang Lung strives for a baby boy, but instead revives a girl. He then has to decide whether to keep the girl or abandon her. As soon as I finished this sentence, her face lit up. I was expecting her to demote this popular culture, but she looked down at her feet, and without looking at me, said: “It’s not right or wrong. It’s just different there.” Just at the age of two, Ruth’s parents decided to abandon her under a bridge. Quietly, as if she wanted no one to know, she calmly said, “This is why I can’t give you the exact day I was born.”

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        Ruth was taken to a local orphanage where she spent her days until 9 years old. This is when the biggest news of her life came to her ears. “I remember jumping up and down with joy, it was great.” A Chinese American woman living in San Jose named Nora Lam was adopting her. “But it wasn’t all happy you know. I remember Mother Tessa, telling me I was going to be moving to California. At the time, I didn’t even know where in the world that was. Let alone, I lived in China all my life.” Although Ruth has ...

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