By Ada Zhang

Xiao Hua, 9, is filled with excitement and she has a big smile on her face.

“Mathematics is passed,” she says happily. Living with cerebral palsy, she talks slowly and in short sentences.

Her whole family in Ningqiang, Shaanxi Province, say they are surprised at her achievement.

“Her scholastic record astonished everyone in the family. We never dreamed she could do so well,” says Xiao Hua’s grandfather joyfully. He adds that she also laughs a lot these days.

Nearly one year has passed since an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan, China disrupting the education of thousands of children, including Xiao Hua. The catastrophe affected more than 46.2 million people and killed tens of thousands. More than a million homes and schools collapsed from the jolt of the massive tremor, including Xiao Hua’s school.

Xiao Hua says one of the things that helped her get back on track with her studies after the quake was receiving a back to school kit from World Vision. Thousands of children received kits containing school supplies and disaster preparedness handbooks.

When asked about the school kit Xiao Hua promptly lists off the items: “Dictionary, school bag, a water bottle, too beautiful...”

She uses the pens she received from World Vision to slowly and diligently complete her assignments each night.

“Although Xiao Hua writes slower than the other students - only three to four lines compared to others who can write much more - she seldom submits her assignment late,” says her teacher Zhang Xiaoyu.

When Xiao Hua retuned to school she began classes in a tent. She endured the heat of summer and the small space inside the tent together with 29 classmates.

Currently, Xiao Hua is still taking her classes in a prefab classroom but this will soon change.

“We are so excited because World Vision has subsidised the construction of our new school building amounting to RMB1.44 million (USD 217,000). Work is ongoing and it will be finished in May,” says Xiao Hua’s teacher.

When asked how she feels about their new school, Xiao Hua just keeps silent because she’s still sad about her ruined school building. It is hard for her to express complicated emotions.

Mr. Zhang Xiaoyu says he has seen many changes in his student.

“She likes learning. No matter how bad the weather is, she is seldom late for school and she raises her hand to answer simple questions in class,” he says.

“She’s grown taller this year and enjoys jumping rope with friends. Though she does not jump so high, she is glad to hold the rope for her classmates. Her movements are more nimble than before and now she joins the queue to raise the national flag,” he adds.

On school days, Xiao Hua’s mother or grandfather brings her to school on a bicycle. Her father works outside the village and only comes home once a year.

“Sometimes, the weather is extremely bad, resulting in slippery roads. But even when it snows she would insist on going to school,” says her grandfather.

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To date, World Vision is supporting the construction of 12 schools and dormitories in areas greatly affected by quake making it possible for Xiao Hua and other children to once again enjoy school buildings.

Aside from the back to school kits, World Vision also provided Child Friendly Kits containing toys, writing materials and disaster preparedness materials to Xiao Hua and her schoolmates. “Bears of courage” were also distributed to help provide strength to children during their times of fear and loneliness.

World Vision also conducted disaster preparedness training through puppet shows and interactive games in which the children actively participated. They included Xiao Hua who watched and laughed along with her classmates.