Child sponsorship update from Nanchang
10/03/2008
Update from Summer 2007
Dearest friends,
It’s end of year. Christmas day is coming soon. We are looking forward to new year. It’s winter now, and Nanchang is still sunny day. These days the wind is strong. The all kids are wearing many clothes. They look like cute bears walk on the road. We have a piece of glass for doing exercise. Sometimes, they would enjoy the sunshine in the glass.
This year we have two kids sit for college Entrance Examination. They work hard and get pretty grades in the examination. New term is coming, they will be living in the school. And they have speical experience own. They try to communicate with strangers and get along with them well. They still study hard, and the most of time they have to independently by themselves. They have to slove the many problems by themselves. They can adapt to the life in the college quickly. In the school, they get many new friends, and take part in many kinds of activity. That is very useful for them. We hope that they will be cherishing everyday they own, and enriching the life in the school.
This year, we pay a lot of atttention to skill, knowledge, or ability of art education. We hold a village band this year. There are 20 kids to take part in the band. They are learn about flute, sax, trumpet, tuba and drum. We invited a well-known art teacher to teaching kids about the art skill and basic knowledge. Every week, the teacher would come to our village for the class. The kids of village bank get great progress through the training. We are so surprise that they take little time to play the songs together. Every kids are training hard and enjoy the music every much. We are so happy to see that. We want to cultivate the kids in the many different ways, like learn more about the art cultrue. We know that a positive first step, we should begin to take a more active interest in the arts and culture.
Other side, we invited a well-know calligrapher to teach kids of brush-painting. The brush-painting is not easy to learn. And the teacher ask the morthers of kids take class with kids together. And now, our sos-mothers and kids are all doing well in the brush-painting. They are learn together and also have competition from each others. The kids study hard and try to beyond mothers. The mothers practise everyday for keep the good impress in the heart of kids. They are all get big progress in the study of brush-painting.
The cultrue study is still the most important for the children. This year, we employed the teacher for children. The new teacher is very young. He learn about Educationg in the univerysity. He had very good temper for the children and he is get along with children very well. Sometimes, he would make math, Chinese, and english papers for the children. Every nigh, children would go to his office for discussing problem with their “little brother teacher”. Same as the youth house, we invite a teacher to watch over the study of youth. The youth need to pay more times in their courses. We hope they have good future when they leave the sos village.
This year we get many amazing news from children. We are so proud of them. We know that the kids would never give up for themselves. One of girl is picked up by HuZhou Tennis Ball school, ZheJiang. The HuZhou Tennis Ball school sponsor her training and daily life. One of gilr win the Jiang Xi youth swimming Competion. She is really hard in the training course. She get so high prise, and we are so proud of her.
This year we have 26 youth leaving the sos village. And now they are indepentent competely. To be an adultman, they need learn more communicate skill or how to get along with other people well. The society is not easy as they think about. They have to take a long time to adapt to the life of society. The most of them find suitable job in the other city. And some of them stay in the Nanchang. They keep touch with SOS mothers and Assistant Youth House who the youth would like share everything with. The kids in the Nanchang would come back home to visit family at their free time. And they would buy some gifts for their brothers and sisters.
Other a good new for Retried mothers’ house. And now we are finish the civil engineering. The sos mothers feel warm and safe. They will never lose home even they leave the SOS Children’s village. They work hard and look after 8 kids carefully. They give their fervor, love and life for the children. The SOS mtohers is the most tough mothers in the world. We bless for them.
Thank you so much. We still say it to you. I think it is the most beautiful word in the world. You can see the mercy, kind-heart, warm, love and smile through that word. We get all of these from you, and we will teach the kids to be the person who like you. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your care. Merry Chiristmas to you and your family.
Yours sincerely,
Wen You
Village Director
SOS Children’s Village Nanchang, China
Child sponsorship update from Qiqihar
Update from Winter 2007
Winter has come and Christmas is near, here we would like to share with you the most important events happened in the second half of the year.
At present, our village has 155 children, in which 103 are living in 15 family houses, 52 in the youth facility. Among them 5 kids are in the nursery school, 59 attend primary school, 34 attend middle school, 9 attend high school, 25 attend second vocational school and 23 attend undergraduate courses, Now they are busy at their studies with great joyful.
On June 1st, all the children had holidays, the village organised a celebrating activity, the leaders from the local government came to see our children and joined in the activity, after the celebrating activity, the local modern drama troupe gave our children their performance, the name of the stage play is “the story of our class”, it was very interesting and deeply touching, the children were deeply moved by the story and they wrote their feelings in their diary.
During the summer vacation, our youth who are studying out all come back at our village; they all tried to find jobs. Some of them wanted to get money to go movies, and shopping for clothes or other things. Some of them took the money issue seriously and deposited the money into their bank account to save for their studies. Having a summer job however, is not just for the money, it is to help our youth how the real world functions, and make them understand the value of money. In their diary they wrote “I had gained experiences on how to treat and welcome customers, watched how the manager ran the place, how the employees worked and the etiquette that people regard each other with. After four weeks of experience, I realized how hard one has to work to earn money and I learned that our society functions by respect, if you respect others well, you will be treated well”.
During the holidays of October 1st, the staff members brought the children of the village orchestra to spend the national day with the older people who live in the building nearby, we bought some fruits for the old people, when we arrived at their building, our children washed the fruits for them, then our children sang and danced for them, the old people were very happy, they even sang together with our children. Later our children did some cleaning for the older; the older people enjoy staying with our children.
October 20th was the happy day which the children and mother were looking forward for a long time. The wedding ceremony Of Qi Ming the girl in No. 1 family was held on that day. Most of the people in the village joined in the wedding, Qi Ming was dressed in white wedding garment, she looked very beautiful, at the wedding she was smiling all the time, her SOS mother gave a speech and all the presents gave her prolonged applause, the wedding was very warm, now Qi Ming and her husband are both working in a house intermediary company the parents of Qi Ming’s parents in-law love her very much, so they are living together now.
Now it is winter time in Qiqihar, though it is very dry, even no snow, yet it is very cold, it is about -20 degrees; in the evening.
All the children are busy at their studies now, in China normally we don’t celebrate Christmas, but for the New Year’s Day we shall have 3 holidays from Jan 1 to 3; the most important day is spring festival, we shall have 7 holidays, it is not the same day every year, but normally it is in February. The school winter vacation will start in the middle of January; the vacation will last four weeks, children are looking forward for that.
Here we are sending you a picture of your sponsored child, you can see your child is taller than before and your child also made the card for you, hope you enjoy in it.
On behalf of your child SOS Children's Villages Qiqihar wishes you A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
With best wishes
Ms. Zhang Fengqin
(Village Director)
Relevant Countries: China.