The enlightenment of living on the fringe

Dong Fen has given, given and given more. Now she would like something back

When Dong Fen was 16 she waived the opportunity to get a high school education because sending two children to school was beyond her parents' means. Instead she passed the chance on to her younger brother, and now, 14 years later, giving other people a chance has become something of a mission for her.

Dong, 30, a former waitress and saleswoman in a beauty salon, is the general manager of Hua Dan, a Beijing non-profit organization that tries to empower migrant women and children through theater training.