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By Emily Wong, World Vision China aid worker
The 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province, China on 12 May 2008, has caught the world’s attention. I like everyone else, was left wondering what I could do to help the people caught up in this massive disaster.
As an aid worker of an international humanitarian organisation, I am especially anxious to chase after the daily news. When disasters happen, I have to be ready to respond.
Today is the eighth day of my arrival in Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province. But I feel like I’ve spent more than half a month here. Scared by aftershocks every day, people are still taking refuge in temporary shelters, and the city is crowded with tents.
My mission to Sichuan was to focus on something that people might think an easy job – running World Vision’s “Child Friendly Spaces” (CFS). This is the first time the organisation has ever provided psychosocial care for children in China. In these Child Friendly Spaces, World Vision provides children with a safe place to play, a place where young minds can forget their fears brought on by the disaster. It is a place where workers like myself have witnessed children walk out of the darkness and into happiness.
Our team of 7, comprised of all women, was responsible for setting up and running 3 Child Friendly Spaces in Jiange County. The tents are designed to accommodate 50-70 children at once but they are usually brimming to their maximum capacity of 100.
In each CFS, there are toys and storybooks, and also children’s favourite games and lessons. Zhang Limin, a third grade student from Yuanba District in Guangyuan City, said, “I love to come here so much. I have been longing for the afternoon lesson! When we play, we just forget about the earthquake.”
Another kid at CFS, a sixth grade student Ma Haiyan, also exclaimed, “I really love it! I’ve learnt to sing new songs and to make handicrafts and I’ve made many good friends here. But my classmates have moved to some other places because of the quake. My dad and mom don’t worry about me if I come here. They feel safe to leave me here and go and take care of their own business.” The kids seem more mature after having survived the disaster.
World Vision has a heart for children and is also distributing activity kits to children who do not have the chance to be a part of the Child Friendly Spaces. In Guangyuan City I met 11-year-old Xiao Hong who was still grieving the lost of his sister. Close to tears he said, “I miss my younger sister! If she had not fallen asleep that day, she would not have gone… She will love this child friendly kit very much…” he lamented.
The child’s whimper really pulled my heart string. I quietly held her in my arms and let her cry. Words became redundant. When she stopped crying, I took her to the Child Friendly Space. Together we read stories, drew pictures, made handicrafts and took pictures. A few days later, I finally saw her smile. I couldn’t help saying, “Xiao Hong, you look so beautiful when you smile!”
Tomorrow I will go back to my office in Guangxi and need to hand over my responsibilities to other colleagues. When I left the area, the children were bidding us farewell. “Take care, teachers!” Little Zhicong shouted. “Teachers, please don’t forget me!” she sang out.
We were all moved very much. In the past two weeks, we have been extremely exhausted working more than 10 hours every day under the blistering sun. But we are more than happy to know that we can bring joy and peace to the children. I am really thankful to be able to take part in this humanitarian work, attending not only to the survivors’ material needs but being people-oriented and addressing the psychological needs of children.
To all the children affected by the quake in Sichuan I’d like to say, Take heart, children! Never give up your dream and smile again!
More than 69,000 people were killed and some 17,000 remain missing after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Sichuan, China on May 12. The lives of 46 million people were affected as schools, homes and community structures crumbled.
To date, World Vision has distributed more than 31,000 quilts, set up 213 school tents for nearly 9,000 school children and continues to offer disaster preparedness training so children can learn how to better protect themselves during a disaster. As part of a larger recovery programme, World Vision will build 50 schools, 15 school dormitories, 7 health clinics and 6,000 homes among other activities.
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