Myasthenia Gravis Care Association is dedicated to caring and helping those that suffer from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness and fatigue. On August 17, Hai Lian, a myasthenia gravis patient and the president of the Myasthenia Gravis Care Association, reached the peak of Dongling Mountain, the highest mountain in Beijing. Dongling Mountain is 2303 meters above sea level. It took about 7 hours to complete the 10 kilometers distance. This is the 28th mountain that Hai Lian has climbed since he got myasthenia gravis. Hai Lian has been suffering from this illness for 16 years. He started mountain climbing to bring attention to myasthenia gravis patients. Previously, Hai Lian was a painter, but he cannot not paint any more. He sold newspapers for 9 years and paid off all his medical bills. Now he often paints on paper fans, just so he can remember his old vocation. His triple identity as a painter, traveler, and patient now make up his new life. There are many more moving stories among the members of the myasthenia gravis group. They have their own dreams and are making great efforts to achieve them. Original article written by Wenyu Li, translated by Maggie Li, and edited by Yanyan Zhang Mingda School is in Xiji County, Ningxia province and pays attention to rural education in northwest of China, in particular English education. The School provides a relaxing and healthy education environment for the left-behind children living in rural areas.
I felt somewhat worried about beginning this topic. I was planning to teach the students about puberty. When I talked about it with the volunteers, they blushed. They asked me why we should talk about this subject with the children in remote areas. Why not? Why can't children in the remote areas accept such basic education? I remembered when I was a middle school student, our teacher asked us to read books about puberty. But most of the students would only do the required homework, chat, or play, so I did not receive any education about puberty when I was a teenager. When I finally reached university, I found I had missed out on knowledge that I should have gained in middle school by reading those books. Though the mountainous areas tend to have more conservative thoughts, we still hope our children can gain knowledge that is appropriate for their age. We should not avoid this important topic. Though it was a lecture, the content was related to physical health. The volunteers attended this lecture with the students. They were told to speak freely, using words that they were normally too shy to speak. The children realized that there was nothing to be worried about. Original article written by Fangding Zhang, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Vanne He Longwan Caring Home is located in Dahua County, which was listed as one of the poorest counties inGuangxi Province. Longwan Caring Home is a big family consisting of orphans, single parents, and abandoned children. The normal expense of the Home is sustained by plantation, breeding, and small business.
Our fields are beautiful. Because it was a breezy day, we went to visit them. Looking at the yellow rice paddies, we were filled with happiness at the sight of the harvest. In the meantime, I could not help thinking of something sad. On May 4, when we completed work in this field, we went to visit Liao Liping’s father, who had been suffering from illness for a long time. Before we finished supper, we were told her father had passed away. We felt sorry for Liping, because she is still young and has to bear such pain. This was a reminder that something unexpected may happen at any time. We will try our best to help and take care of these poor children. They are as tender as seedlings, waiting for sun, rain and cultivation. We hope our labor will be rewarded just like the rice harvest. Original article written by Aihua Ban, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Vanne He Volunteer Association of Tai’an City, Shandong Province was established in 2009, consisting of people from various sectors and university students. It is a non-profit social organization which aims to provide voluntary services to the society.
Total of 9 activities were organized in April 2013, including 2 events for caring of the elderly, student grants totaled $3,750 Yuan to those who are less fortunate and in poverty, and six other activities. April 4, 2013, Tai’an public welfare volunteers cleaned up martyrs cemetery. Their sacrifice inspired us and as result of their sacrifice we care able to live in peace with freedom today. This event is a way of showing our appreciation and respect. We want to carry on the heritage of defending the dignity of our country. April 4, 2013, Tai’an public welfare volunteers set up information kiosk to provide services to tourists during the 3-day Ching Ming Festival holiday. Mountain Tai is one of the 5 most famous mountains in China and is a very popular tourist destination. Tai’an is right next to Mountain Tai. Our services helped tourists with the information and convenience they need and hopefully their visit is a pleasant, memorable experience. April 6, 2013, Tai'an public welfare volunteers came to a small mountain village to issue scholarship to kids in poverty. Hope our contributions can be a blessing to those who are less fortunate. On Saturday and Sunday, September 7th and 8th, TFish attended the Mountain View Arts and Wine Festival in downtown Mountain View to promote its transparency cause and fundraise for NGOs that aid underprivileged communities.
The children who have this rare disease and their parents will encounter various problems in life. 3 psychologists were invited from the Red Maple Women and Children's Center to come to the activity and provide counseling services. Psychological support can help to ease their psychological burden.
The children and their parents received separate counseling in different rooms. They talked actively about accepting the strengths and weakness of the children and learned how to better communicate with each other. The children were also asked to draw pictures of their homes and explain them. This activity helped the psychological teachers talk to their parents one-on-one later. The children prepared a surprise for their parents at the end. Their parents were deeply moved. Xi’an Alliance works to promote a spirit of volunteerism. Many student volunteers are trained to participate in public welfare activities and social work. The main office is in Xi’an, China.
On August 15, 2013, a volunteer team made up of 6 members from Shanxi 029 Public Welfare Service Center visited a special family with 15 members in Mapaoquan village. This family is defined by the government as 'stricken', which means their family includes members that are mentally challenged, disabled, widowed or left-behind. They have not been educated. We have been calling for loving people to care and help the family and help us bring them daily necessities. There are 3 elderly people living with three of their sons and 2 daughters-in-law. One of the sons and his wife work in the city, leaving their children at home. The eldest son has 6 children, of which the eldest daughter is 21 and mentally challenged. Her name is Nini, and she loves to smile, but we did not meet her on the day we visited the family. The second child is a boy. His name is Li Tongtong and is 19 years old. He is also mentally challenged and does not like talking. The third child is 13 and in Grade 5. He worked hard in school, but had to leave because the family did not have enough money to support his education. The 4th child is 6 and lovely. He is currently going to school, but the family cannot afford to continue his education. The 5th child is a girl, who is 3. The 6th child is 1 year old and does not have a name yet. It was hot outside, so the volunteers helped to wash the children and feed them, in addition to cleaning a minor wound on one of the children. Original article written by Bin Kong, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Vanne He
On July 29, 2013, Sarah, Janna (interns from the USA), and I visited the Mingda School. We left Lanzhou at 8:30 in the morning and arrived at Jingning at 12:30. We finally arrived at Xiji at 16:00. We met Teacher Zhang and visited the project - the Mingda School - on July 30.
The school is located in a small yard at the foot of a hill. The red tiles are quite obvious, especially in the middle of the green trees. The bookshelves have not been completed yet. There are 2 shelves at the moment. Some books were donated, and I am thankful for that. The reading room is the same room as the dormitory. With the expansion of the school, we expect to see more reading rooms. The two girls from the USA were popular among the children. They held a vivid, American-style English class for the children in spite of their fatigue from the journey. Original article written by Yujie Yun, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang |
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