Little Red Scarf is in Lanzhou, Gansu province and provides financial support and encouragement to children suffering from congenital heart disease. In addition, they provide families with post-operative care and help the children sustain a healthy lifestyle.

There were 17 children discharged from the hospital in April, 2011. We called the families one by one 2 years later, asking about their lives and health. 

203 Tian’er  

Discharge time: 04/01/2011. Call time: 10/12/2013. Recent developments: Tian’er is in Grade 9 and she has been much better since the surgery. She seldom caught cold during 2 years. Now she could attend PE and the wound is healing well. Her mother concerned a lot about her study. She does well at school. The home is about half hour away from school and she has lunch at school with 70 RMB per month.

206 Zi Qi

Discharge time: 03/30/2011. Call time: 10/23/2013. Recent developments: Zi Qi is 5 and attends kindergarten. She is lively and loves singing and dancing. She seldom caught a cold, but easy to have bloody nose. The wound is healing well. She grows much taller.

210 Ji Kui

Discharge time: 04/15/2011. Call time: 10/12/2013. Recent developments: Ji Kui is 5 and attends pre-school class. He seldom caught cold, but ate less, so he is thin. He could run and jump, but not as healthy as other children. He could not walk long distance. The wound is healing well.

211 Zhuan Hong

Discharge time: 04/25/2011. Call time: 10/12/2013. Recent developments: Zhuan Hong is 10 and grew much taller and gained some weights. He is 60 kg now. He is naughty and likes running and jumping. He looks great. He is in Grade 4. The school is far away from home, so his sister sends him to school with bicycle.

According to their motto - “Love, truth, and service to community” - Xingyang Volunteer Federation works to enhance people’s sense of social responsibility through providing them various volunteer opportunities.The office is in Xingyang, Henan province.

The 2013 Chongyang Festival was a memorable day in my life. It moved me a lot.

I visited the Qiaolou Old-Age Home with volunteers of the Xingyang Volunteer Federation. Upon coming into the yard, I could not help but burst into tears. I had never expected to see people living in such a way. An old man told me no one had visited him before. I asked him if he was happy there. He said yes but he wished there were more people to chat with him. It reminded me of my parents who said the same thing. They told me that because they are getting old and I won’t have time to take care of them, I might have to send them to an old-age home so that they can play with other old people. I agreed happily, thinking some other people could keep them company and they would be happy.  When I heard the old man’s words, I said to myself that I would never send them to an old-age home. I decided to live with them and take care of them no matter how busy I will be. Although the staff is warm-hearted, I still feel the loneliness of the old people who live away from their children. I don’t want my parents to be alone.

The old people are just like children. They long for care and company from their children. Seeing the volunteers bring them happiness by talking with them made me wish I could be their child.  If there are more volunteers who can be with them and chat with them every day, there will be less loneliness. I don’t think any of the old people would like to leave their children and live in the nursing home.

People might become more open and clear when they are getting old. Our grandparents’ generation did not have opportunities to enjoy a comfortable life, but they are still thankful. We will become old one day, so we should be kind to old people. When I visited the old-age home, I found their needs are so simple. They just need someone to talk with them.

To be a volunteer makes me understand and learn a lot in life. 

Original article written by Xiao Yao, translated by Maggie Li and edited by Yanyan Zhang

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.

Thankfulness is a mentality. A bird might thank the sky for motivating it to fly higher. Thankfulness is also a blessing. It is like a tree that thanks the earth which provides the tree with water and nutrition.Thankfulness is like sweet dew. It is like a flower that thanks the sun which provides the flower with color and fragrance. We want to thank TFish for providing us with material support.  We met unexpectedly, and now we get support and help from TFish. With the motivation and encouragement of TFish, some people in Beijing donated their spare clothes and books to us. The children said they would not feel so cold in the winter thanks to these loving people. Thanks to the help from TFish, we received 3000 RMB as seed funding. We are not good at writing blogs, but we will diligently fill out our blogs and project reports. Our development is closely connected to the support of TFish. We also thank Yang Jing, a women in Beijing, for her clothes and books. We thank all of you for your love. We wish you all the best!

Original Article Written by Banai Hua, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang

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 October 26, 2013, volunteers set out to help students with economic difficulties. These volunteers are from Dandelion, an organization that assists impoverished students. With the support of people from all sectors, Dandelion is printed with the spirit of lasting selfless service.

We always define our connection to education as "on the road." Only these three words can symbolize the enthusiasm of our volunteers to overcome all kinds of difficulties to help poor students to continue their education. The volunteers are all committed to trying to change people's lives through education.  

When we were visiting we were proud to see a child in Grade One focusing on his students without distraction. I am thankful to be on this road and I hope to help children everywhere maintain their innocence. As Chen Kun said during “Walking Action”, “hopeful people gain more spiritual power via walking, because they walk out of love. The positive power from their activities can be passed on to more people.” He seeks inner peace through his feet.  We are walking on the same road of hope and we hope to meet more companions along the way.

On October 26, 2013, a group of people were walking on the road to Gepai township. They visited 13 children and supported 9 of them on the spot. The activity went smoothly. We want to thank these people for their donations. 

Original article written by Bin Kong, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang

This is our first project development report since we became interactive partners with TFish.  We started a public library project in Suzhou in 2012 but it was suspended due to a lack of funds. Thanks to our cooperation with TFish, the project will be completed by the end of this year. 

We have had about 3,000 books donated by local people. We plan to do more donation activities so that we have more resources for the library. We held a project launching ceremony in cooperation with a Shanghai company before Mid-Autumn Day. The principal from a local school and 2 student delegates attended the activity. 

The person-in-charge of the organization gave an introduction about the organization, the situation of the connected school and the development of the project. Blue Sky, the Shanghai company, is leading the financial cooperation, which is a brave undertaking. The cooperation is in its initial stage and the company promised to donate about a thousand books this year. We hope to have more discussions with them about how to achieve greater cooperation for public welfare. 

Bookshelves that have been donated are coming soon. In 2 months, the rooms will be painted. Volunteers will help to sort books. We will try our best to complete the library by the next semester.

Original article written by Ying Deng, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang

Green Olive Environmental Culture Communication Center is an environmental organization located in Shijiezhuang. The organization aims to promote environmental improvement, maintain natural balance, disseminate advanced environmental culture, support and nurse grass-root organizations and promote the sustainable development of society. 

Several activities that we implemented recently are: 

1. Life Education Lessons 

On October 22, 2013,  we hosted a lesson on life education that was given by Teacher Yan Fu for people from the community.

2. Song of the South-to-North Water Diversion

The lyrics were written by Yan Fu and Ye Xian, the ex-president of the Heart-to-Heart Art Troupe, did revisions. The song was taught to the local communities. The song is about the project of south-to-north water diversion that will start in 2014. This project is being implemented to increase the amount of drinking water in Shijiazhuang.

3. A community studio in Jianhua was set up. The pictures below are of the sand table room and the calligraphy room, where the residents are doing activities.

Original article written by Yanhua Li, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang

Ms. Zhou focuses on mental and psychological counseling for women in rural areas. Ms.Zhou’s main office is in Tanshan, Hebei province.

A visitor called Banana asked for a telephone conversation via QQ. I said yes, but she said the telephone call must be made after 11:00pm. I was thinking the late call would affect my sleep. I asked her to leave me the question onQQ and I would get back to her. 

Banana left me messages several times on my QQ. I found her questions were not clear. Finally, I gave her my number and said she could call. I did not hear anything from her for several days, so I started to forget about it. She sometimes messaged me but always said she was too busy for a full call. Whenever she had time, it was too late to make a phone call. 

One night, I texted her and said no matter how late it was, I would be waiting for her call. At 10:40 PM, my mobile phone rang. The number showed Nanping City of Fujian Province. I was surprised to hear the voice on the other side of the phone was that of a man.

His family name is Fu and he is 40. He works in a factory due to heavy family burdens. He likes to read books on psychology. He read one of my cases in a magazine. He thought it was a miracle that I performed hypnosis as part of the treatment. He recently borrowed 600 RMB from his father and found a psychological consultancy organization. A psychologist received him but he did not know what kind of treatment the doctor used. He paid about 1000 RMB, but his problems were not solved. When he wanted to make an appointment with the psychologist again, they lost connection. At that time, he found my QQ number in the magazine and became curious about hypnosis. 

His problem is that he is afraid to be alone. He was also scared of those around him but felt he had nowhere to hide.

Loving Public Welfare Association of Anding District，Dingxi City of Gansu Province is consisted of teachers and students from universities, which is engaged in helping vulnerable groups by means of voluntary services.

At 7:45PM on July 22, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit at the border of Mian and Zhang counties. People living in the quake-stricken areas underwent severe psychological trauam. They were still in a panic even after a few months had passed. 

On October 14, 2013, Ding Xi Loving Public Welfare Association organized a volunteer service team for counseling. The team visited Dagu Primary School and Lalu Primary School, offering counseling for the aged and the children, and bringing them goods for winter use. It’s the first time that our city has sent a counseling assistance team.

After a two hour long ride, we arrived at the Dagu Primary School. Walking into the school, we heard gales of laughter and applause from tents that served as classrooms. Volunteers gave the children psychological counseling. The volunteers then put on interactive activities for the students. They also started some group activities and distributed stationary, all of which will hopefully encourage the children to regain confidence in a bright future.

The activity in total provided 20 days of psychological counseling services to about 1000 children and senior citizens. These volunteer activities at the quake-stricken schools were the first steps in complete psychological assistance. Hopefully, the volunteer team can do even more in quake-stricken areas. We hope everyone affected by the earthquake can get back to their normal life and rebuild their homes with a healthy mentality.

Original article written by Jingtian Yao, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang

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.

During the afternoon of October 15, Wang Jun and Yu Jie, staff from TFish, visited our Home. They gave us very useful technical internet advice. They also asked about our life and work situation. We really appreciate their support!

Original Article Written by Banai Hua, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang                                                                                 

After a day’s ride, Wang Jun and Yun Yun, staff from TFish, arrived at the Chongqing station. Yun Yun got seriously car sick. It was almost 9:00 PM when they got to the hotel. 

This was my first time to be so close to the staff from TFish. They are so kind and we had a lot to chat about on the way. The next morning, Wang Jun and Yun Yun visited our Center. Director and staff from Chongqing Xinyue Senior Citizen Service Center. The staff did an introduction on the history, development, current situation and future plan of the organization to staff from TFish. They were very nice and humorous. When we talked about our current situation and difficulties, they responded with positive encouragement. Wang Jun shared with us how senior citizen services and social work are done overseas. They also gave us a book with practical advice. 

At noon, we had lunch with them at the school’s canteen. They like spicy food. In the afternoon, we guided them to visit 2 senior citizens. They old men were very pleased to see them. Seeing their living situation, Wang Jun said nothing, but fought back the tears in her eyes. When they left, Wang Jun and Yun Yun gave their sincere best wishes to the old men. We believe their wishes and warmth will accompany the old men each day. 

Original article written by Ling Feng, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang