For recipients of 'Small Fish' award, a little bit of money goes a very long way

The "This Small Fish Cares" scholarship, which is given out by a volunteer teaching team, has recently made waves on social media as netizens responded warmly to the story behind the award.

The team in question, the 24th graduate volunteer teaching team from Xiamen University in Fujian province, works with students at the Minning Middle School in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and posted about their scholarship on Weibo on May 13, drawing attention.

It explained the origin of the unusual name of their scholarship by posting part of a story about a boy throwing small fish trapped on a beach back into the sea.

"Child, there are hundreds and thousands of small fish, you cannot save them all," a man said to the boy.

"I know," the boy replied.

"So why do you keep throwing them back? Who cares?" the man asked.

"This small fish cares. This one cares, and this one, too," the boy answered as he kept throwing fish into the sea. The story reminded many netizens of their own learning experience and inspiration.

"The amount of the scholarship may not be large, but it is important to every student who receives it, because this small fish cares," one netizen commented.

"This is the true essence of a scholarship. It may not be able to help everyone, but it can help one person at a time," another wrote.

According to Xiamen University, 345 master's degree candidates have volunteered to teach in Ningxia since 1999. They usually remain for a year before returning to their studies.

In counties such as Haiyuan and Longde, recipients have been telling the scholarship's story year after year, helping more students.

Ma Xiaohua, who comes from Haiyuan, was one of the beneficiaries. Ma was a 12-year-old freshman at a junior high school when she received 200 yuan ($28.30) from the scholarship.

"It wasn't much, but I got it for good grades," Ma said, adding that the scholarship chiefly helps students from poor families and also encourages excellent students with good grades.

She still remembers the names of her volunteer teachers, especially her English teacher Lin Yangqiong, who made classes fun. "They were the ones who made me determined to study hard and get the chance to see the world," Ma said.

Haiyuan is located in the barren, mountainous reaches of Xihaigu, which was once labeled the least fit place for human settlement in China. Pictures of the sea the volunteer teachers showed her encouraged Ma to travel.

In 2013, Ma got the highest score in the county on the gaokao, the national college entrance exam. Her dream came true when she was admitted to Xiamen University. The following year, her sister Ma Lingling joined her at the university.

While studying, Ma Xiaohua participated in a variety of volunteer activities.

During summer breaks, she returned home to teach. She also shared her story with other children, inspiring them to pursue their dreams.

When Ma graduated in 2017, she was torn between staying in Xiamen or returning to Ningxia, but eventually decided to go home and became a Chinese teacher at a high school in Yinchuan, the regional capital.

The following year, her sister also returned after graduation and found work as a grassroots civil servant in Wangtuan town in Wuzhong city.

The sisters are proof of the impact that the Xiamen University's volunteer teaching team has had on Ningxia's youth.

Sources from the university show that since the first team was sent in 1999, it has raised nearly 13 million yuan for the scholarship, provided assistance to nearly 20,000 students, prevented 5,000 students from dropping out of school and helped save two children with congenital heart disease.