This is a heart-warming story of an ordinary woman whose heart reached out doing the extraordinary act of kindness for the well-being of others.
Chen Shu-chu is a vegetable vendor and a philanthropist from Taiwan. She has astonished the world with her benevolence and altruism. She made the world understand that charity is not only the domain of the affluent or the wealthy, but everyone is capable of doing so if he or she really yearns to serve the mankind.
She has donated approximately Rs 1.5 crores to the various charitable institutions. When asked that how can a vegetable vendor with meagre income is able to donate such large amounts. Chen replied beautifully,
“Spend on only what you need and you will be able to save a lot of money.” She displays no fondness for luxuries of life and is equally not interested in materialistic gains of the world. Instead, chief matter of concern for Chen is her work and she finds solace in it.
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| photo courtesy: BBC |
Also, Chen considers everything as a luxury other than some modest amount of food and a shelter to sleep. She led a miserable life as a young girl who had to give up her studies to work at her father’s vegetable stall to support her family and earn a living. She had lost her ailing mother and later her illness stricken brother as they could not afford the adequate treatment and medical aid was beyond their reach. This made her empathise with the mankind and motivated her towards the work of selflessness and magnanimity.
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| photo courtesy: chinapost |
Ever since then there was no looking back for Chen. She has worked devotedly towards the well being of the needy and the underprivileged. She has extended financial help to various educational institutions, one of them being her own school. She attempts to revamp the hampered academia which the poverty ridden children cannot afford. Therefore, she aspires to provide ample of education for as many underprivileged children as possible. She gained worldwide recognition and acclaim for her generosity and determination.
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| photo courtesy: Wikipedia |
Chen was also bestowed with various awards and honours. In the year 2010, Chen was enlisted by the TIMES magazine under the
100 most influential figures, Sachin Tendulkar, Bill Clinton amongst the others. She was invited to the banquet hosted by the TIMES magazine in the US to which she initially refused, but later participated at the request of the Taiwanese Prime Minister and claimed her award. In the year 2012, she has also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Chen Shu-chu is truly an inspiration for all.
Written by
Taiyaba Sarvar
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