The companionship of reading with tribal kids

Many parents of children studying at Bihou Elementary School in Yilan’s Nanao work in temporary positions, manual labor jobs, or as drivers. As a result, they have limitations on the time they can spend reading books with their kids. Recently, four students from Tamkang University participated in a program aimed at providing these indigenous children with someone to accompany them reading and share a sense of warmth and companionship.

The project organizer, Xie Hao-yin (謝顥音), has been deeply touched by the contribution of these college students. She said: “When I first set eyes on them, I assumed they'd be the usual "city kids" and wouldn’t be able to endure traveling the long distance here each Monday. They not only endured the long journeys, but also incorporated an endless amount of exciting discussions and exercises into the program." The initiative and effort of this mature and responsible group of students to make a positive contribution to society has helped spread warmth and companionship to children in rural communities of Taiwan.

以下為中文對照

就讀宜蘭南澳碧候國小的孩童中，有許多家長的工作是臨時工、粗工或司機等，由於工作時間較不固定，導致無法常常陪在孩子身邊。為了讓這些孩子有溫暖的感覺，有來自淡江大學的四位學生參與了到部落共讀計畫，然而共讀不只是共讀，他們希望共讀中帶來的是一種陪伴。

計畫發起人謝顥音也非常感動這群大學生們的付出，她說：「我看著這些我所認為的都市孩子，以為他們無法堅持每個星期一次的舟車勞頓，但他們不但不以為苦，還加進無窮盡的討論演練。」這群大學生們展現負責任的態度，他們透過自身的實踐希望能為社會盡一份心力，讓小孩們能感受到陪伴的溫暖。

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