The Promise

Twenty-four ago, a young girl named Rong, aged 12, from the west of China asked herself three questions:“Will I always have to suffer walking that daily mile to my school? Will I ever have a pair of shoes that is actually my size? Is it too much a dream that I can wear a new pair of socks every day to school?”

Walking the cold mile every day to her school, facing the increasing coldness in each winter and suffering from what looked as an endless blowing wind. The wind defeated all her attempts to keep the torn uniform on her tiny fragile body, and what could be called a sockless worn-out pair of shoes on her weak skinny feet. The girl needed to feel warm. She knew that she would not be able to walk that mile for a long time; she understood that she was losing her battle with the endless wind; she felt that she was losing her powers, and losing with them something more precious, her hopes.

That is when she realized that her only chance to survive was that someone – or something – could pull her out from this coldhearted winter, something that can push her never to stop walking, something to shield her from that merciless wind. This is when the girl stood straight, raised her head, faced the wind, and made her promise.

‘I, Zu Rong, native of Hechuan, Chongqing from a small village called Milan, make my promise to Heaven, that if I can survive these winters, if I can go to college, and if I can return home as a graduate girl, a successful woman and a loving mother, l will donate a total of 1 million pairs of socks to the kids from the poorly-off areas; so thousands of kids may never feel or suffer what I am going through again. I pray to Heaven to hear and answer my promise. I understand that it is hard to be fulfilled today, maybe someday, hopefully not far away.’