Jiashuo

Jiashuo was born in 2013 and is now in the fourth grade. His parents divorced when he was three years old. Jiashuo and his 17-year-old sister are in school and they are dependent on their single father. Their father has continuous pain in his waist and legs and can’t go out to work, so the family is dependent on produce from their five or six acres of farmland. His sister is considering dropping out of school because of their family’s situation, which is an option that many families in difficult circumstances usually choose.

Jiashuo’s family has been renting, and living in substandard housing. During school days, he lives in a dormitory, which charges, near the school. During holidays, he is able to return home to his father and sister. The main sources of income for the family of three is a $42 per month subsidy from the state and the harvest from the father’s farming.