A community is generally defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as, ‘a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common’. It can however, be more specifically ‘the people of a district or country considered collectively, especially in the context of social values and responsibilities; society’. We believe this definition very much describes the Friends of Hiba community who held their first charity event last weekend. Friends of Hiba worked hard to establish which charities would be the focus for this year and had the full involvement of the Hiba Academy Shanghai families to ensure that the charity garnered the support of as many families as possible. Charity and the donation of time, energy, and effort can be a contentious issue. Some people believe in it, some would argue that the end results often don’t benefit those in need whilst others believe it is the higher responsibility of governments. Admittedly, not all charities worldwide practice with integrity and honesty. There have been sufficient news reports to validate this.
However, here at Hiba Nursery, we very much appreciate that if we can do something to make a change, then why would we choose not to? Charity does not necessarily means giving money. For many, the sacrifice of time to a deserved cause has much more impact on both the giver and receiver. In a busy world, the opportunity to stop and do something for others can be emancipating. In addition, the message to others, particularly children is a powerful one as we model responsibility in the hope that they too as adults will continue to be positive role models for others. The event, a beach clean-up to support Rendu Ocean was not only a sell-out but a wonderful success.
Rendu Ocean was founded in 2007 and has been member of UN Environment Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) since 2013.Rendu Ocean’s vision is to return cleanness to the ocean and restore the friendly relationship between humans and ocean. And its mission is to promote marine conservation and reduce litter input into the ocean through coastal clean-up activities.
On April 14th, 17 Hiba Academy Shanghai pupils along with 21 parents participated in the “Little Marine Detectives” project — a beach clean-up activity which led them to go on a marvellous adventure on the Nanhuizui beach.
It took our young detectives and their adult helpers a long time to get to the beach but upon arrival ‘on the scene’, they immediately began their investigation.
What did they find?
Similar poses, they must be related!
When they finished the investigation tasks set for them, the little detectives started to write down notes on their observations.These notes recorded by the pupils were a reflection of their creativity and dedication to improving the environment.
The best way to be close to a beach is to sit on the sand.
Young lady sitting elegantly
Can I use this container for a while?
What did we find on the beach? Something rarely seen in our daily lives. Something that should not be there. And some unexpected things that made us reflect on the nature of life itself.
Mooring rope covered with seaweed
Fragments of foamed plastic
Barnacles adhering to a buoy
Sunglasses
And a dead fish, which was rotten,Permeated its stinking smell. We did not know how it ended its life-long journey, or how it arrived at this beach. Every detective, once seeing it, gained a true insight on nature, Its beautiful side as well as its cruel side.
Finally, we cleaned 89 kilograms of marine litter throughout the course of this activity.
