Since early June, LSSC has been holding night classes for working adults and day lessons for stay-in
students and in the evenings, we have been progressively getting LSSC ready for our Summer
English Programme which is scheduled to begin on Monday 18th July. Registration of students will
be from 11th to 14th July. Some local volunteers have already checked in and all volunteer s must
checked in by 16th July.

Our main community development activity in encouraging and helping villagers to move from a very
susistence rice planting farming to a commercial pomelo orchard planting activity is moving forward
very well. The trees planting project had been completed. Last year ’ s harvest had been profitable.
There is still one crucial step that has to be taken – taking care of the trees so that they will be a
regular source of income for the villagers. As to be expected, every villager thinks he or she knows
exactly how to take care of the trees – type of fertilizers – time to fertilize – how to fertilize. The
most common local logic is – the more the better! So, most villagers try to buy the cheapest
fertilizers (more!), do constant fertilizing (more!) and digging holes everywhere (more!) whereas the
actual skill is what different fertilizers to use, when to fertilize and how to fertilize.

Thank God, I know a Taiwanese commercial pomelo orchard businessman who regularly hires a well
known Taiwanese agriculture expert to inspect and advise him how to run his estate. One day he
told the expert what I have been doing as an English teacher and what I am trying to do for the
villagers in encouraging the planting of pomelo. The expert offered to inspect our trees and give
advice free of charge. Hopefully then, this availablility of expert advice will bring the level of our
pomelo economy to a higher and more sustainable level. He has already visited us twice this year.


                         Taiwanese Agriculture Advisor                 … …looking at the pomelo trees

An interesting event this year is the fact that when the pomelo trees were flowering in early May, my
Taiwanese friend advised us to use a more expensive fertilizer that has to be sprayed onto the leaves
and not spread or buried in the ground. As to be expected, none of the villagers believed. In the
Hakka dialect, “Qian fong ngin how shao. Gian fong ngin tai dol” … pioneers are rare … followers
are many. I encouraged my nephew take the plunge and invested RMB3 thousand for about 1
thousand trees. At the end of May, when flowering was over and fruits were formed, it was very
obvious that the leaves of his trees were thicker and healthier and on the whole there are more fruits
per tree. I will not be surprised that more farmers will follow suit next year!

             Agriculturist listening to farmers                                      … giving expert advice.

This summer should be interesting as all volunteer teachers will be teaching using a smart phone as a
teaching aid. I thank Mr Wang Chee Seng of Penang for helping me to convert my PinPhonics
reading skills into apks on android and my grammar in songs into MP4. We just placed an order for
10 ukeleles so that each teaching group will have two ukeleles to teach grammar through singing. I
also want to Mr Chan Tong and his team of teachers at La Salle College, Kowloon, for collecting
used smart phones for us to use as teaching aids this summer.

This is it for the present. I want to thank all who have generously supported this our Lasallian
out-reach mission in a rural setting in mainland China. Your generous contributions have enabled
LSSC Changjiao to become a nationally acknowedged gratuitious English Study Centre and assisted
villagers to send their daughters and sons to university.

Take care and God bless.