The Jingjieniao Home is in Xi’an, Shan’xi province. It provides services for the mentally handicapped from poverty-stricken families. The organization is dedicated to improving their spirit and living standards and advocating for every disabled individual to have adequate access to social resources. The 2013 cooking contest began on Teacher’s Day. The competitors were busy preparing very early in the morning. There were 4 groups (Cucumber Group, Potato Group, Lotus Root Group and Onion Group) and each presented their unique culinary techniques. At 11:30 AM, dishes were served on the table: braised meatballs, crispy meat, rice pudding, braised chicken, etc. All of them seemed so appetizing. Little You Ran could not feed herself so her teacher had to feed her. We want this child to feel love and warmth here in Jingjieniao. The food judges commented on each dish. They were moved by the earnest optimism of the teachers and children from Jingjieniao, and heartily thanked all the teachers. Original article written by Zhaohao Feng, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang Aili Myasthenia Gravis Association is dedicated to caring and helping those that suffer from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness and fatigue. We come from an ordinary rural family. For a better life, we had to leave our children in our hometown and work in Guangdong. In January 2013, my mother told us my daughter's right eye had strabismus. We took her to the city hospital and the doctor prescribed medicine. After a week, her right eye could not open. We were scared and quit our jobs and took her to see doctors. We went to several hospitals and wrote a lot of checks. The results finally came out--myasthenia gravis. I felt faint when I saw the result. I could not help weeping with a frustrated heart. It’s hard to image how I sustained my life in that period. Then I found helpful information on the internet. I went to Guangzhou with my daughter for treatment. Seeing people look at my daughter strangely made me feel pain in my heart. We went to the hospital for many tests. My daughter became fearful of strangers as a result of this experience and it took a long time for her cheerful personality to come back. We were anxious whenever we thought about the treatment. We hope children like our daughter can be supported and receive better treatment. We really thank the loving people that have helped us. Original article written by Xiaohui Zhang, translated by Maggie Li and edited by Yanyan Zhang Rainbow Village Help Center is a TFish Strategics Member. It was established in Chengdu of Sichuan, China and for the purpose of giving glasses to impoverished children. One month after the 4.2 magnitude earthquake in Lushan, the first phase of relief was completed and the second phase of reconstruction was started. Rainbow Village launched our projects in Taiping Town, Lushan County in early June. There are 4 primary schools with 876 students and most of them are left-behind children. Taiping is 15 kilometers away from the epicenter and 90% of the houses were damaged to varying degrees and 60% of them were collapsed or dilapidated. According to our survey, Rainbow Village can provide services on following aspects. 1) Psychological services for the children. A) There is a phenomenon of anaplasia among the children after the quake. B) The temp shelter is crowded and in poor condition, so the children tend to be irritable. C) Some of the children blame themselves after the earthquake because their parents do not have time to communicate with them. 2) Food related problems. A) Their diet is monotonous and most of the children have eaten instant noodles and sausages for over a month. B) Inconvenient transportation has increased the price of fruits and vegetables, which is causing a nutrition problem among the children. C) The children do not care about their own dietetic hygiene. 3) Social relationships. A) The original communication system has been damaged and the ways of communication between neighbors and family members has changed. B) Many parents have not been able to understand their children’s reactions after the quake, which has created isolation. As for the 3 problems mentioned above, Rainbow Village designed an interactive activity, aiming at creating a fun environment for children and their parents. We wanted them to be able to communicate with each other in relaxed surroundings. This is the first stage of our work: to enhance understanding. It is the largest parent-child activity we have ever carried out. We invited 12 families to participate. We worked hard to prepare and see it through, because we want the children to benefit from the activity. Our goal for the activity is to let the children interact, cooperate and share happiness with their parents. Original article written by Quandi Cheng, translated by Maggie Li and edited by Yanyan Zhang
Panda Care is a volunteer group formed after the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake in Sichuan. They aim to help children living in poverty who lost love ones to the disaster.
The mudslide in July 2013 not only influenced the life and economy of the local people, but also made it difficult for people who needed to travel through this region. One month after the slide, we visited the place with the purpose of delivering funds to the children we support. We walked into the village at the end of August. We had to walk along the river and cliffs. When we got back in September, we were less lucky. Several days of rain made the river rise and submerge the paths we normally walked on so we had to walk on steel pipes across the river. Even so we were lucky, because we not only had the steel pipes but also, we had each other. Original article written by Guirong Ma, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang International students from Beijing University made up a volunteer team in winter holiday of 2013. Following a certain NGO, they went to JOSSA orphanage of Katmandu and completed a 15-day voluntary service. During this period, we interviewed relevant persons-in-charge from NGO, school and orphanage, witnessed the poor living conditions of the children. We hope NGOs can use their money wisely and provide direct physical and funds support to JOSSA orphanage. Guess where I had the most delicious dinner? I had never experienced hunger before I came to Nepal. Like most Chinese students, I never had to worry about for food and shelter, even though I wasn’t born in a rich family. I still remember my mother asking me to eat an egg every day, but instead I threw a lot of them away. I was tired of eating eggs. I never thought there was anything wrong with disliking eggs. I thought it was just a harmless little quirk, until I came to JOSSA orphanage in Nepal. The orphanage can only provide 2 meals a day. The morning meal is served at 8:00AM, and evening meal is served at 7:30PM. As a Chinese who was accustomed to eating 3 meals a day, I felt hungry again by 12:00. There’s a tea time between 2 meals, but it only consists of a little cup of tea and cookies. Mama gave each volunteer one bag cookies, but I still felt hungry. Not the kind of hunger described in The Call Of The Wild—a spiraling upward, erosive hunger, but a kind of slow and dangling starvation sensed between the 2 meals. Each day, after tea time, I waited eagerly for dinner. I did not expect the taste of the food. I expected Mama to cook more. Actually, each meal is almost the same. As the picture above shows, it is always a curry cooked meal. Mama would allot rice to each plate, pour something like porridge over it, then add some vegetables pickled by curry. Mama and Roma would buy the vegetables at the market nearby. Each person is only given a small portion. Curry became the only thing that would stimulate my taste buds. The food might seem abundant in the picture, but it is all that is provided to over 20 people. Mama would give a little bit more to the children, but for a growing child, the little more food is far from adequate. Uncle Roma told us that food shortage is always a problem here. He tries hard to buy more, but the price is always increasing. He is also unsure how long they will be able to provide rice. Food is not the only issue here. The protein shortage has seriously influenced the development of the children. The orphanage tries to provide eggs on Wednesday and meat on Friday, but the actual situation is much more challenging. Anna, a volunteer from Switzerland, has stayed here for 3 months now and said she has never seen meat. Longwan Caring Home is located in Dahua County, which was listed as one of the poorest counties in Guangxi 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.
A new semester began after a busy summer holiday. In the 12 years since it was established, Longwan has helped to bring school education, tuition, maintenance grants, medical aid and comprehensive quality education to children. The expenses of the children in Longwan are entirely paid for by the organization. Part of the expenses was raised by the staff personally, and part was supported by civil society organizations. We appreciate those who support us. Thanks to their support, our children can eat well and focus on their studies. Each child is the hope of the nation, whether poor or rich. They are the future and pillar of the country. We will try our best to help the children complete their school education and fulfill their dreams. 6 students supported by the organization have graduated from high school and were admitted by the university, which is the fruit and joy of our efforts. 8 children in Longwan are in grade 1 this semester. We urge the children to comply with traffic regulations before going to school. We will arrange for 2 of the older children in a higher grade to take care of the little children. Original Article Written by Banai Hua, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang |
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