"My biggest wish is to see, during my life time, my grandson master a skill that enables him to provide for himself." 72 year old Nkube told this story at the graduation ceremony for a computer training program held in Soweto, the largest black African community in South Africa.

"His mother died over 10 years ago, and his father remarried again. Since then the two of us have been living together. The boy has been a good student, but we can't afford college," said Nkube.

25 students attended the simple but happy ceremony on Sept. 6, 2014. The computer training program was fully funded by the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, and Chinese tech giant Huawei's South African subsidiary provided each student with a tablet computer for them to continue to practice their skills after the program wrapped up.

26 year old Ramabu, Nbeku's grandson, spoke on behalf of the students at the ceremony and expressed in halting Chinese his gratitude towards the Chinese embassy and the Chinese company.

Before January this year, Ramabu was just one of many unemployed young people in Soweto. He had tried hard to find a job, but always ended up filling temporary vacancies offering meager salaries, hardly enough to make ends meet. In South Africa, many of Ramabu's peers share the same problem. In 2013, the overall unemployment rate in the country reached 25 percent, while the number was even higher among people aged under 35.

But in January 2014 things took a turn for the better for Ramabu. He was chosen by a local non-profit organization named "I Care We Care" and enrolled into a half-year computer training program funded by the Chinese Embassy in South Africa. He explained that with the computer skills acquired from the program, he felt more confident in himself and expected to have a broader choice when searching for a job.

"Most of these 25 students come from single-parent families. Some of them are orphans. But they have all brushed aside inconveniences such as long distance travel and traffic congestion to complete their courses," said Gerti, founder of the organization. "I believe that what they have learned here will enable them to change their fate."

"The whole purpose of supporting this program is to show the affection the Chinese people feel towards their South African brothers and sisters and help them realize their dreams through self elevation," said Zhang Hua, First Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa.

"This program showcases the Chinese government's support for social development in South Africa. It is a timely aid, and I hope the students can take advantage of what they've learned to make a difference in South Africa and to South Africa-China friendship," a representative from a youth association in Johannesburg told the reporter.

"I'm going to start my own company," said Ramabu after the ceremony. "It will help create more job opportunities for young people in South Africa." 

This article was edited and translated from “中国的支持无异于雪中送炭”, source: People's Daily, author: Ni Tao.