Taitung Yeyou Elementary School Selected for Cathay Charity Foundation's KITURU Dream Fulfillment Program

On 6/20, photography works were published documenting dives recording the beauty of the Lanyu sea

(Taiwan Business News) A camera that almost everyone in the city owns turns out to be a precious dream beyond the reach of children in remote areas! Elementary school students at Yeyou Elementary School on Lanyu, an outlying island of Taiwan, China, were recently selected for the Cathay Charity Foundation's "Cathay KUTURU Dream Fulfillment Program." To document the beauty of their hometown's ocean, the children used harbor jumping and rope-skipping relays to show the courage of the Yami people, hoping that through Cathay's support they can obtain waterproof cameras and showcase Lanyu's unique and beautiful ecology.

Taitung County Lanyu Township Yeyou Elementary School is located on the west side of Lanyu Island, nestled beside Yeyou Tribe and gazing across the sea toward the main island of Taiwan from afar. In this remote, mini elementary school surrounded by blue sea, a traditional Yami school, the children on the island have coexisted with the ocean since childhood and share the Yami people's characteristic harmony with nature. They all have a heart that loves the ocean, and therefore hope to use lenses to record underwater creatures and landscapes, so the outside world can see Lanyu's unique beauty of the sea.

Section Chief Li Jiande of Yeyou Elementary School said that the school values students' diversified development and integrates traditional Yami culture into curriculum materials, enabling the children to carry on Lanyu's unique tribal culture. In addition, the school has long promoted ocean-loving beach cleanup actions, letting children learn from an early age to cherish nature and coexist peacefully with all beings. A teacher once brought a camera to Lanyu and used a waterproof lens to capture the beauty under the Lanyu sea. This special camera planted the seed of a love for photography in the children's hearts. Because they now had a photography dream, this time they led the children in a rope-skipping relay of 30,000 skips as the goal for Cathay's dream fulfillment, and summoned the courage to jump into the harbor to pledge their determination. Through their shared efforts and extraordinary courage, the students have a chance to obtain underwater cameras and record the beauty of their hometown.

Director-General Gong Zhirong of the Cathay Charity Foundation, who recently visited Yeyou Elementary School, said that the children's determination and courage are worthy of encouragement. Having completed their challenge goal, they are making good use of the underwater camera, this dream-fulfillment gift, actively learning photography techniques, and will exhibit their photography works at a results presentation so everyone can see the beautiful ocean at a glance. It is hoped that through cultivating an interest in photography, they can enhance their inner qualities and record beautiful memories.