Simple Kindness for Simple Wishes

Simple Kindness for Simple Wishes

Sanitation workers, the city’s beauticians, serve the city and its people all year long.

Recently, a donation campaign for caring for the sanitation workers has been launched via the official WeChat account of Jinjiang Economic News. After that quick post, a ripple of kindness followed. As of 7 pm yesterday, a total of 45,538.89 yuan (about $6,900) in 4,263 donations had been received.

Heartwarming comments poured in, such as: “Thanks for their hard work”, “Thumbs up for both the hard-working people and this meaningful campaign.”

Mr. Ke, a citizen living in Xintang community, has pledged a 99 yuan donation via the official WeChat account. He said that sanitation workers have made contributions to Jinjiang’s advancing environment, and that this campaign is meaningful and he hopes more people will participate in public charity events to make the city better and warmer.

Wen Zhengming is one of the 6,427 sanitation workers in Jinjiang. He is responsible for several bustling streets in the city. Wen said he has worked as a sanitation worker for more than ten years and was deeply moved by the kindness and caring of the public. 

According to reports, the daily waste disposal capacity of Jinjiang is around 2,000 to 2,100 tons, which makes the workload of those sanitation workers. In order to appreciate their dedication and serving amid the epidemic prevention and the urban civilization construction, a campaign with its slogan “Make their wishes come true” sponsored by the Jinjiang Federation of Trade Unions and organized by Jinjiang Economic News has been launched officially on December 18.

During the campaign, sponsors and organizers visited various sanitation units of the city and walked through every street in Jinjiang to communicate with sanitation workers, learning more about their jobs and listening to their needs.

Donations from the public and enterprises will be part of the special fund set up by Jinjiang Federation of Trade Unions, which will be devoted to the well-being of sanitation workers by making their wishes come true.

“Sanitation workers have always been the focus of trade unions at all levels in Jinjiang. Over the years, we have also made a lot of efforts in caring for their health and happiness.” Officials from the Jinjiang Federation of Trade Unions said that they would like to appreciate the sanitation workers for their contribution to the city. They launched this campaign at the end of the year to wish all the sanitation workers in Jinjiang a happy and healthy New Year, hoping that they will feel the love of the city.

The campaign was sponsored by the Jinjiang Federation of Trade Unions, organized by Jinjiang Economic News, and co-organized by the Urban Management Bureau of Jinjiang.

Their stories

1.Huang Yuzhen:“I’m hard of hearing, so this job suits me.”

Huang Yuzhen is a sanitation worker who’s responsible for a public toilet at No.1 Xingguang Road, near Jinjiang Sunshine Square.

“I’m hard of hearing, which closed many doors when I was looking for a job. But being a sanitation worker, I feel really good doing this job,” Huang said. As a witness to Jinjiang’s public toilet revolution, she was there to see them transformed from the old ones to the new ones.

The toilet is clean and odorless under her care. The floor tiles are clean, the sink is spotless, and each cubicle is so clean that homeless people can spend their nights in it. However, no one escaped Huang’s notice, even the wiliest tramp. Working hard and responsibly, Huang checks the whole place again every night before she takes a break from work.

“I never took it as a public toilet. For me, it’s no different from my home. I take care of this place like tending my own house,” she said.

Here in the downtown area of Jinjiang with the heaviest traffic, the toilet is crowded every day. In order to finish cleaning before the peak-hour, Huang and her husband get up early at 5 am every day to do all the flushing, brushing, and scrubbing, hoping that the place will be ready in mint condition to welcome more people. Everything will be cleaned at least 3 times a day, especially the floor.

“People coming in to find that everything’s clean,” Huang said. “Hearing their approval, we feel so happy and fulfilled.”

Huang’s husband, Liao Shangen, is responsible for landscaping in the same area. After finishing his job, he’s always there helping with the cleaning. This loving couple spends day and night together here in their territory, enjoying every moment of their life with their inconspicuous yet fulfilling jobs.

“For years, we build a life with our own hands. And you see, it’s getting better and better now,” said Liao. The couple is also proud to have their child in college.

This public toilet of more than 200 square meters has become the witness of this happy family.

Lin Zhonghua: “Our days begin at 3:30 in the morning.”

Coming from Sichuan Province, the 54-year-old sanitation worker Lin Zhonghua has been working in Jinjiang for 16 years. She’s responsible for cleaning the streets connecting Minyue Park and RT-Mart Jinjiang Store.

Lin works with her husband, her brother and brother-in-law, her sister and sister-in-law as sanitation workers in Jinjiang. Every morning, the whole family begins their day at 3:30. After getting everything ready, they pick up the tools and go out to work. Each one of them takes care of a street or part of a road as on Changxing Road, Century Avenue, and Quan’an Middle Road.

Before coming to Jinjiang, Lin told, she’s been in the bean sprout business in Xinjiang, which was pretty hard. Her younger sister who’s working in Jinjiang kept persuading her to come joining them here as a sanitation worker. So here she came, at the age of 38. 

“I felt quite uncomfortable at first, you know, to sweep and to pick up litter in the grass. It’s kind of embarrassing. But my sister talked me out of this by saying that it’s unnecessary to be ashamed, and it’s an honorable job to create a clean environment for a city,” Lin said. And it took her three months to get used to this job.

As Lin eased herself into this job, a brand new world unfolded before her eyes. Walking in the streets of the city, she feels so pleased that not only is she contributing to the city’s tidiness, she’s also making herself valuable as getting old.

“I’ve been working as a sanitation worker in Jinjiang for more than ten years. The government and people from all walks of life really care about us. Their love and concern always make me feel like at home and surrounded by my loved ones. I love this job,” Lin said.

And she also added that one of her nephews also quit his job in Fuzhou three years ago to reunite with his parents here in Jinjiang. He is now working as a driver at a refuse transfer station.

“I think my family deserves a name of ‘Family of Sanitation’,” Lin joked. She said that the job she’s doing is such a glorious one that she will continue doing it for many years to come.“

Shi Ying:“I love my job.”

16 years ago, Shi Ying left her hometown, Henan, and came to Jinjiang to engage in the work of waste collection. While in 2008, she became a sanitation worker. “I chose this job by myself because collecting waste was more than I could stand as I got old,” she said. She added that it was her first thought to be a sanitation worker when she wanted to change a job, because these two jobs have something in common, one of which was to make a better environment for the city.

Coming from the countryside, Shi Ying has the simplicity of a traditional woman. She likes to do some cleaning at home to make it tidy and comfortable. So she likes this job from the first day she took it. She’s been working on Shuanglong Road for more than ten years. She gets up at 5 o’clock every morning, and always has the road cleaned before 8 o’clock. 

Whatever weather it is, Shi Ying never misses a day at work. She knows every corner of Shuanglong Road as she knows about her home. 

“My son has not yet been married when I started working here in Jinjiang. But now I have two grandchildren. My family is here, and we celebrate every Spring Festivals together in Jinjiang. Jinjiang is my second hometown.” said Shi. 

Her older grandson is a 10-year-old primary school student, and the younger one is about to have his first birthday. This year, they are still going to have the Spring Festival here as usual. When being asked about her wishes for the New Year, she said that she’d like to have a television for her grandchildren. She believed that television could bring much joy to the family during the holiday season.

With her influence, her husband also decided to work as a sanitation worker six years ago. Every day, this couple go out to work and come back home together. Being surrounded by her loved ones, Shi Ying finds her life very satisfied here in Jinjiang.

Their New Year’s wishes

NO.1 

I’ve been working as a sanitation worker in Jinjiang for more than ten years. We spend the Spring Festival here every year. I wish to have a television this year so that my grandsons can enjoy watching the programs during the holiday.

NO.2

Only when we are full, can we have the strength to work. I wish to have a rice cooker this year so that I can have hot rice whenever I get home.

NO.3

I would like to have a rice cooker and a soup pot so that I can not only steam buns and rice but also keep them warm in it.

NO.4

I wish to have an electric stove which is very convenient to boil water and to do some cooking.

你的心愿我来点亮

　　有这样一群人，他们遍布城市的每个角落。不管是烈日、刮风、还是下雨，三百六十五天，他们都靠着一双手、一把扫帚、一个畚斗，默默为这座城市奉献，守护城市的美丽，他们就是城市“美容师”——环卫工人。

　　日前，一场“关爱环卫工点亮微心愿”认捐活动在本报官方微信公众号上推出，温暖了环卫工，也温暖了这座城。截至昨日19时，认捐活动收到认捐善款4263笔，共计45538.89元。

　　“感谢你们，城市美容师。”“小小心意，你们辛苦了。”……本报微信推文的后台，收到许多热心市民网友的留言，他们纷纷为这个公益活动打Call，点赞环卫工，呼吁更多人参与到活动中来。

　　家住新塘的柯先生在微信公众号的认捐渠道里认捐了99元，他说，晋江越来越美丽的环境有环卫工的一份功劳，这个活动非常有意义，个人的力量是绵薄的，希望更多人参与公益活动中来，让城市更美丽，让生活更美好。

　　“我干了十几年环卫工，非常感谢大家对我们的关心，让我很感动。”文正明是晋江6427名环卫工的一员，负责晋江至大剧院、东华街、塘岸街等市区街道的路面管理。

　　据介绍，晋江全市每日垃圾的处理量为2000~2100吨，这也是环卫工一天的工作量。为了感谢他们在防疫及城市文明建设中的无私奉献、坚守岗位、用心付出，由晋江市总工会主办、晋江经济报社承办的“关爱环卫工点亮微心愿”主题活动于12月18日正式开启。

　　活动采取线上线下相结合形式，在线上向企业、社会人士开启认捐的同时，晋江市总工会联合晋江经济报走访环卫单位，走上晋江市各市政大路，深入一线实地，与环卫工畅谈，了解他们的工作并收集微心愿。

　　据了解，社会爱心人士及爱心企业的认捐善款，将与晋江市总工会“关爱环卫工点亮微心愿”的专项资金合并，由晋江市总工会统一进行环卫工“微心愿”的采购。

　　“环卫工向来是晋江各级工会关注的对象。多年来，我们也在关爱环卫工这项工作上做出了诸多努力。”晋江市总工会相关负责人表示，感谢环卫工为晋江城市整洁做出的贡献，在年终岁末启动微心愿活动，目的就是祝愿他们身体健康，温暖过年，感受晋江的关爱。

　　活动由晋江市总工会主办、晋江经济报社承办、晋江市城市管理局协办。

　　他们的故事

　　1.黄玉珍：“我听力不好干环卫适合我”

　　在晋江阳光广场附近的星光路1号有一座公厕，负责这一公厕的环卫工名叫黄玉珍。

　　“我听力比较弱，适合的工作不多，干环卫，我觉得很好。”黄玉珍说，她是这座公厕变化的见证者，从老式公厕改造成现在的新式公厕，她始终都在。

　　走进这座公厕，窗明几净，一点儿味道都没有，地砖干干净净，洗手台一点水渍也没有，每一间都非常干净，甚至还有流浪汉直接睡在里面。不过再狡猾的流浪汉也躲不过勤快又负责的黄玉珍，黄玉珍每天晚上下班休息之前，都会把每个卫生间再检查一遍。

　　“虽然这是公厕，但在我的眼里跟我的家没有区别，我像打理家一样打理这里。”黄玉珍说。

　　这里是晋江市区繁华路段，人流量也比较大，为了在人流量高峰期到来之前完成打扫，黄玉珍跟她的老公每天早上5：00起床，冲水、刷地、擦洗……早早地完成了清洁工作，每天以一个崭新的面容迎接每一名到来的群众。早中晚都要冲洗，仅地板一天就要洗刷两三遍。

　　“进来的人都说很干净，听到肯定的声音，我们就很开心，很有成就感。”黄玉珍说。

　　廖善根是黄玉珍的老公，同为环卫工的他负责同一片区的绿化，在做好自己本职工作的同时，他经常帮着妻子清理这座公厕，夫妻俩吃住都在这里。他们在踏实的劳动中，感受细碎生活的点滴。

　　“这些年，我靠自己的双手经营着生活，你看，生活越来越好了，孩子已经上大学了。”廖善根说。

　　这座200多平方米的公厕，成了他们幸福生活的见证者。

　　2.林中华：“凌晨3点半我们就起来工作了”

　　来自四川的林中华今年54岁，已在晋江工作16年了，她负责敏月公园至大润发一条街的清洁。

　　林中华的老公，哥哥、嫂嫂、妹妹、妹夫都是晋江环卫工。凌晨3点半，林中华一家就已经起床了，洗漱完毕后，便拿起笤帚出门开始一天的工作。他们分别负责长兴路、世纪大道、泉安中路等不同路段的保洁和管理工作。

　　林中华告诉记者，在来晋江之前，她在新疆做豆芽菜生意，比较辛苦。当时，已在晋江从事环卫工作的妹妹一直劝她到晋江工作。后来，她真到晋江当起了环卫工，那一年她38岁。

　　“清扫马路，在草丛里捡垃圾……刚开始我很不适应，觉得很不好意思。我的妹妹一直开导我说，没必要不好意思，环卫工为城市创造整洁的环境，是一份很光荣的工作。”林中华说，三个月后，她才慢慢适应过来。

　　适应了环卫工工作的林中华，感觉自己看到了另一个天地，穿梭在城市的街道中，她觉得很开心，环卫工作不仅为城市环境整洁贡献力量，年纪大了还可以继续发光发热。

　　“来晋江当环卫工人十多年了，政府及社会各界爱心人士对我们都很关心，每年都有慰问活动，让我们切身感受到家的温暖、亲人的关爱，我喜欢晋江环卫工这份工作。”林中华说。

　　据介绍，其侄儿为了与父母家人团聚，三年前辞掉了福州的工作，到晋江做起垃圾转运站的司机。

　　我们家可以说是‘环卫之家’。”林中华说，环卫是一项很光荣的工作，她将一直干下去，直到干不动为止。

　　3.史英：“我喜欢我的工作”

　　来自河南的史英，16年前来到了晋江，从事收废品的工作。2008年，她加入了环卫工的行列。“我是自己要做环卫工的，随着年纪越来越大，收废品的工作越来越吃不消。”史英说，收废品的工作跟环卫工有一定的相似处，都是让城市环境更美好，所以，准备换工作的时候，她第一念头就想到了环卫工。

　　来自农村的史英有着传统妇女的淳朴，她平日在家的时候就喜欢打扫，喜欢把家里收拾得干净整洁。自从当上环卫工，她就喜欢上了这份工作。在双龙路上，一扫就是十几年，每天早上5时起床，8时天渐渐亮了起来，路面就已经清扫干净了。

　　不管刮风下雨，史英长年如一日，坚守在双龙路的岗位上。对于这条路，她就像自己的家里一样熟悉，一草一木都在她的眼睛里。

　　“我开始在晋江扫马路的时候，儿子还没结婚呢，现在已经有两个孙子了，我们一家人都在晋江，每年都在晋江过年，晋江就是我的第二故乡。”史英说。

　　据介绍，史英的大孙子已经10岁，在晋江赖厝读小学，小孙子即将满周岁。今年他们一家还是准备在晋江过年。在问到有何微心愿的时候，她说，希望有台电视机，因为孙子们喜欢看电视，如果有台电视机，这个春节他们一家将更加欢乐。

　　在史英的影响下，他的老公在6年前也当起了环卫工。夫妻俩每天一起出门扫马路，一起回家，她感觉很满足。

　　他们的心愿

　　NO.1 我在晋江干了十几年环卫，都在晋江过年，我希望有一台电视机，这样过年的时候，我孙子就有电视看了。

　　NO.2 肚子饱了，才更有力气干活，我们干粗活的就想吃饱饭，我想要一台电饭煲，吃热腾腾的饭。

　　NO.3 我想要电饭煲及汤锅，我们餐餐蒸馒头吃，也想吃吃热饭。

　　NO.4 希望有台电磁炉，烧水煮饭都方便。

　　策划：秦 娴

　　记者：曾小凤 董严军 

　　翻译校对：张 蕾 黄荣足 黄雅君

　　编辑：王昆火

　　校对：严学锦