Senior supports 118 students in education

Zhang Rupu, a 77-year-old resident of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, has supported 118 students to obtain education over the past 29 years.

In 1995, Zhang saw a notice written by a local charitable organization calling for donations to help impoverished college students in the local newspaper. He immediately contacted the organization and joined the efforts. A student surnamed Gao was his first donation recipient.

Gao, who is from Hebei province, was admitted to Ningbo University but couldn't afford the tuition. Zhang supported Gao for years until she graduated from university.

To keep up to date about those in need, Zhang has read the newspaper for many years. The majority of the students he has supported study in Ningbo but came from elsewhere.

But his donations were not limited to Ningbo when he learned from a TV report that several students in Huian, Fujian province needed help. Zhang called the Huian City Charity Federation and decided to support ten impoverished college students every year. To date, he has supported 40 students in Huian.

At first, the money that Zhang donated to students accounted for 25 percent of his income each year. After his daughters found jobs after graduating, he donated a third of his income. After his retirement at the age of 60, the elderly man increased his donation to half his income. And his donations are still increasing.

Zhang has a box of letters sent from those who he has helped.

"Your support allowed me to achieve my dream of going to college. I will study and work hard to give back to society," one student wrote in a letter.

"I don't contact them often because I want to give them space," said Zhang.

Zhang Rupu, an elerly resident of Ningbo, smiles when talking about the students he has helped. [Photo/Ningbo Evening News]