The pupils and parents of BISS Nanxiang are helping to improve the lives of students and families of Wangjiazhuang Primary School - known as the Nord Anglia Spring Bud School in Tianshui Town, Gansu Province.

Gansu was also struck by the May 12 earthquake and many schools were damaged.

BISS started before Christmas, inspired by the enthusiasm of staff members Linda Guishard and Jacquie Cullimore, and launched its Shoe Box Appeal.

BISS pupils and families filled shoe boxes with simple, yet essential daily items. These included notebooks, pens, rulers, toothpaste, soap and other hygiene items, as well as essential fun things. These included toys, musical instruments, hats and makeup.

The school response was remarkable - 168 shoe boxes were packed and some families put together six or more.

The BISS Nanxiang pupils came to understand how devastating the earthquake was. They themselves contemplated what life would be like without the essentials we take for granted, such as a comb or a pencil. They gained some insight into the very different conditions under which their contemporaries live elsewhere in China.

The boxes were delivered to Tianshui before Christmas. It is the sincere wish of everyone concerned with BISS Nanxiang to be able to make even a tiny difference to the education and comfort of these children at such an important time of the year.

However, with an even more important time approaching - the Chinese Lunar New Year - it was only right that BISS again reached out to its sister school's pupils and families.

Once more fired by the enthusiasm and organizational skills of Guishard, BISS Nanxiang launched another relief project, titled From Our Hearts To Yours Giving Program.

For this effort, BISS Nanxiang has asked pupils, families, teachers and administration staff to collect household items and donate them to a Spring Bud family less fortunate than their own. These include household goods, clothing for babies, children and adults, toys and games.

This involved not only donations of material things, but also the dedication of time to collect, sort, wrap and deliver the goods.

BISS Nanxiang aims for these gifts to be delivered to the Nord Anglia Spring Bud School community on February 14.

BISS hopes once again that this expression of the care and friendship will go some small way to alleviating the hardship this community experiences as it tries to rebuild - in every way - for the future.

(Shanghai Daily February 4, 2009)