These two men in China show us that no obstacle is a match for the bond of friendship.
Finally the friendship shared between two men in Hubei Village, China, is getting the (online) screen time it deserves.
Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi have singlehandedly breathed life into eight acres of what was once rocky village land, turning it into a living forest with only two working hands and eyes between them.
Their mission, which started 14 years ago after Jia Haixia lost his eyesight during an accident at work, has resulted in over 10,000 new trees planted, which now protect the village from floods.
Although their village committee didn’t stand in the way of their work, the two friends had to endure skepticism from other members who didn’t believe that they would be able to accomplish anything from their time and effort. Each year, however, both men still continued on, and eventually became famous after their story went viral on social media.
In response media giant CNN proceeded to film a short video documentary based on their story as part of their Great Big Story video series, which you can view below.
Unfortunately, this increase in international exposure hasn’t yet made much of an impact when it comes to donations to help the pair further fund their mission. Not only do they have to cut their own saplings to plant by climbing trees and cutting them off branches for lack of funds to buy young trees, they also have to walk four kilometers (almost 2.5 miles) daily in order to fetch water for the saplings to grow.
Perhaps if those of us watching could find a way to match even the smallest amount of the effort Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi have put in to help the environment, it would allow them to continue their work for many more years to come, and ensure their village’s survival.
Source: YouTube/Great Big Story via Shanghaiist
Feature/top image: YouTube/Great Big Story