Through photos, donors find the needy

This is a special photo exhibition, for all the photos were taken by a farmer from Gansu province, who didn't intend to display his photography, but to look for private donors for poor students and substitute teachers. He did all the work on his own and at his own expense.

Wang Bo, 46, stopped going to school at age 14. Since 1986, he made money by taking photos for tourists in local scenic spots. Two years later, the death of a little girl suffering from leukemia caught his attention, and he began to turn his attention to children from poverty-stricken families in remote rural areas.

Wang visited schools and communities, collected information about poor children and substitute teachers, and showed their real conditions through his lens. Those who view his work through the photo exhibitions can choose whom to help.

Wang Bo，farmer-turned-photographer:

"In the past two decades, I have traveled to 13 provinces in West and Southwest China, including 80 counties, 600 villages, and more than 2,000 middle and primary schools. I can't remember the exact distance I have covered. By 2001, it was over 100,000 km. In total, I've shot and recorded information on 35,000 impoverished students and 1,600 substitute teachers. In recent years, more than 80 photo exhibitions have been held in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and several other cities, which successfully found sponsors for 18,000 students and 700 teachers."

Volunteers come and go, but Wang, the oldest volunteer, is always here, although he suffers from economic burdens and serious illness after decades of overwork.

Wang Bo，farmer-turned-photographer:

"I more than once want to give up. Many people said to me, 'You haven't given up? You have said giving up long before.' I did think about abandoning the work several times, but I can't. I just want to contribute something to society.

"A volunteer offered me traveling expenses for shooting this year, but I still pay for the photo exhibitions myself. If I can find donors for the other 500 students and 100 teachers in Beijing, I will come to an end of exhibition for this year. Photo exhibition is an efficient mode of assistance, but it also demands high energy and financial resources. I am not sure about the fate of the exhibitions for the future, because the expense is increasingly unaffordable, so we will turn to operations online instead."

"Now the only supporting community is Beijing University Loving Heart Club, who helped me for more than ten years do return visits, did investigations during holidays, and were dedicated to website maintenance."

Since 2002, Love﹒Wang Bo's plan gradually went online. In 2010, a total of 150,000 yuan in donations have reached the impoverished through the Web platform.

Wu Xian, a second-year student at the School of Physics of Peking University:

"When the project transfers to the Internet, we need to do more. For example, we will consider appropriate ways to have an impact on a wider population, provide them with knowledge of Wang Bo, and get them involved in our projects. So our next step is to find some methods to advertise this project and also our club. Personally, I was touched by the actions of Mr Wang Bo, as he is just a farmer without income, yet carried on doing this for 20 years. I don't think any ordinary person can afford that. So, like him, I feel like doing something for society, and I will persevere in this project.”

Over the years, Wang Bo collected more than 4 million yuan for impoverished students, substitute teachers, and several catastrophic natural disasters, including this year's landslide in Gansu province. Influenced by Wang, 70 university students from Peking University and Wuhan University went to West China to assist in teaching.

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Related Link: Wang Bo's plan online