New Zealand
China Earthquake
1813 children have been benefitted from seven Save the Children Child Friendly Spaces in Mianzhu, An County, Qingchuan, and Pengzhou counties. 92 trained local volunteers are running activities in shifts in the Child Friendly Spaces helping children to play, learn, and develop safely.
Peng Jing
We met Peng Jing, a fourth grade student, when she was taking her final exam at the Huamiao Primary School. We could tell that she was very happy with the rapid resumption of school. After the earthquake, Peng Jing felt depressed about the damaged school, helpless about the chances of the resumption of school, and surprised and delighted at coming back to school. All these changes have made her more mature, and she is grateful for the many opportunities to learn.
Zhao Weiyi
Inconsistent with her age, nine-year-old Zhao Weiyi seems shy, maybe because she lives in a mountainous area. Her family is so poor that she is only in second grade, and her clothes are made of relatives.’ She understands the family’s hardships, and worries that the life will become even more difficult. After the earthquake, Weiyi was anxious at home, but returning to school makes her feel better. Although the school operates in tents, teachers and students have new desks and chairs. Weiyi believes it when the teachers say, “Everything will be alright.”
Xu Kesheng
Xu Kesheng is a math teacher at the Xiaoba Town Primary School. After the earthquake, he actively took part in the resumption of school, and became a volunteer at the “child-friendly activity centre” established by Save the Children in An County. The “child-centred” training provided by the child protection experts of Save the Children benefited Xu a lot. Nowadays, in addition to facilitating children to play various “child-centred” activities in the “child-friendly activity centre” every afternoon, Xu also incorporates the concepts into his daily teaching. Students live a hard life in the bunk houses, but he said the supplies distributed by Save the Children have addressed the urgent needs of the children. After the earthquake, the Xiaoba Town Primary School has received substantial help from all walks of life, and Xu is confident that the school will resume soon.
What we're doing:
Save the Children has been working in China for 13 years and our staff are already working in the disaster area - setting up safe areas for children orphaned by the quake. We're also setting up temporary schools, providing support and stability to child survivors of the earthquake.
We've reached almost 4,000 children, but many more need help.
Donate online or call 0800 167 168 to donate over the phone
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