By BI Weizi & WANG Xiaolan

Mr. Michael Hermann. (COURTESY PHOTO)

German Michael Hermann likes nothing more than to head out to remote villages in China and educate people about transmissible disease prevention and treatment or other social issues. Hermann also raises funds to provide pre-school education to disadvantaged children in rural areas, and if that's not enough he also actively cooperates with environmental protection departments and schools to promote green and low-carbon development. His passion for public service and charity work is undeniably front and center.

Transmissible disease control and treatment

When he first arrived in Yunnan in 2005 as the Chief Representative of 'the Federation for Associations Connected to the International Humana People to People Movement (Switzerland)'s Yunnan Representative Office, Hermann found that many villagers were forced below the poverty line due to infections of HIV and malaria. Hermann and his team subsequently introduced a new model of transmissible disease prevention and treatment based on local conditions, including questionnaires and one-on-one psychological counseling, which proved to be effective.

"At the end of the day, it's the individual who needs to know what the problem is and how to overcome it. Through this program, more than 3.5 million people have learned about these diseases, and their livelihood has been improved a lot," he said.

Preschools of the future

"In the first three years of a person's [life], you see his adult; in the first seven years of a person's [life], you see the end, which means the first seven years is the foundation of a human's life. We have to start with this generation and help them navigate the 21st century when comprehensive skills, including learning, creation and communication, are required," said Hermann, noting that the very first step to help the poor is to provide high-quality preschool education.

In 2008, the Federation officially launched the 'Preschools of the Future' project in Taozizhai Village, Zhenkang County, by recruiting teachers with junior high school education or above and providing them with more than 600 hours of comprehensive training over three years to improve their management, parenting, psychological knowledge and play skills. "This project aims to establish a village-level early childhood education system for rural preschool children, so that they won't be left behind by their urban peers," he said.

Currently, this program has reached more than 17 counties in Yunnan, Sichuan and Hubei, providing preschool education for more than 50,000 children. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Yunnan's development, Hermann was awarded the "Caiyun Award" for foreign experts in Yunnan province and was granted a permanent residence permit in China.

Hou Yi operation

With more and more natural disasters wreaking havoc on people across the globe, Hermann realized that raising people's awareness of environmental protection is urgent.

In 2020, the climate change education project called Hou Yi Operation was launched. "The ancient Hou Yi (a hero in ancient Chinese legends) had to shoot down nine suns, and our current Hou Yi has to shoot down carbon dioxide," he said. Currently, more than 200 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and universities across the province are participating in the project. "We live in the same global village, and human beings are a community with a shared future, [so] we must reduce carbon footprints by saving water and electricity and using clean energy in daily life," he suggested.

Now that Hermann has lived in Yunnan for 17 years, he said that it is one of the best places in China, with its beautiful mountains and waterways, rich biodiversity and cultural diversity. What also impresses him is the tremendous economic and social development achievements in Yunnan. "Yunnan has eliminated absolute poverty, the China-Laos railroad is open, and infrastructure is improving, such development achievements are amazing," he said.

When asked how much longer he planned to stay in Yunnan, Hermann said, "I promised former Premier Wen Jiabao that I would do 50 years of public welfare work in China when I met him in 2009. Hopefully I could continue my work until 2050."

The article is also contributed by Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department.