On July 18, 2023, the 25th session of the HUG Nami team, consisting of 23 volunteers, returned to the foothills of Xuebaoding to initiate a 20-day summer camp. This is the 13th year that they have come to the village and lend a hand to the local education.
Shang Nami Village is a small and typical Tibetan village nestled deep within the northwest mountains of Sichuan Province. It is situated at an elevation of 3,200 meters and is located just below a snow-capped mountain named Xuebaoding. The village lacks a school, requiring children to travel 15 kilometers to attend classes. Local villagers primarily rely on animal husbandry and cultivating medicinal herbs to sustain their modest incomes.
In the winter of 2010, a group of volunteer students from Tianjin University arrived in the village and initiated a summer camp called HUG Nami for the local students, offering them free courses across various fields. Since then, the volunteer group has remained committed to their initial aspiration, hosting teaching camps twice a year to support local education.
HUG Nami team in the winter of 2010
HUG Nami team in the summer of 2010
Thirteen years have gone by, and the total number of the volunteer team has grown from 8 people to over 200, providing education to 326 local students between the ages of 3 and 18. Their efforts have led to a significant achievement, as 15 local children successfully passed the National College Entrance Examination and fulfilled their dreams of attending college. One of these students is Qu Chilai. He initially attended the Hug Nami camp when he was in fourth grade, and since then, he never missed a single session for nine years. In the 2020 college entrance examination, he obtained the second-highest score in the Tibetan language category in Sichuan Province and was admitted to the Central University for Nationalities. Inspired by his own journey, he joined the volunteer group as a Tibetan language teacher, aiming to help more children from his hometown follow in his footsteps and discover opportunities beyond the remote mountains.
Students attend summer classes taught by the HUG Nami team
For the 25th session, this team has designed over 20 primary school courses, focusing on language, math, and English. The curriculum also includes subjects such as arts, sports, science experiments, world culture, and sex education, amounting to approximately 200 class hours. The teaching scope extends to Nami Village and surrounding towns within a several-hundred-mile radius.
In addition to the basic teaching tasks, the team members actively apply the knowledge they have learned to this vast land. For the first time, the team members established a "Digital Museum" in Shang Nami Village. Using digital technology, they have successfully preserved the village's cultural architecture and rare flora and fauna through images and photographs, ensuring that these treasures endure for future generations. This not only holds immense value for the villagers themselves, as it preserves their precious memories, but also provides a vital means for the outside world to gain insight into the uniqueness of this village.
The team capture local life and scenery with their camera
Over the years, students from various universities, including the Central University for Nationalities, Nanjing Tech University, Jilin University, North China University, and China University of Mining and Technology, have joined the team, collaborating to improve rural education in Nami.
“See you next year, Teachers”“Let’s make a deal”... TJU HUG Nami voluntary teaching team make promises to the local students every year and they keep to their words for 13 years. Their inspiring story will continue to unfold.
By Eva Yin
Video and photo courtesy of the 25th session of HUG Nami team
