Volunteers lift spirits of left-behind children
Updated: 2012-03-12 16:06
By Lu Hongyan and Gao Shuyue (China Daily Shaanxi Bureau)
|
|||||||||||
|
 |
| Students play games with volunteers. |
Volunteers from 10 universities in Xi'an went to Xiushidu Primary School in Jingyang, a county of Shaanxi Province, to play with left-behind children on Mar 10.
"Left-behind children" refers to children whose parents have relocated to work and live in urban cities.
The activity was held by Shaanxi Women's Federation to care for left-behind children in the province.
The 28 volunteers were divided into five groups to give lectures at Xiushidu Primary School throughout the day. Some volunteers organized playground activities for the students while others taught music and art.
Duan Jiao, a volunteer from Xi'an International Studies University, said that helping left-behind children gave her a lasting impression, and made her reflect on her own childhood. Duan encouraged left-behind children to be brave and confident.
"I enjoyed playing with the volunteers. We have never had such activities. It's so fun!" said Qiu Yiting, a grade five student at Xiushidu Primary School, whose parents have been working and living in Shenzhen for several years now.
A wish card, designed by the volunteers, was also given to students to write their wishes on it. Some students wanted a basketball, some wanted a piece of cake on their birthday, and some said that they just want to be with heir parents.
The students' wishes will be spread around the Xi'an universities by the volunteers to attract help from fellow college students, and to turn their dreams into reality.
Students from Xi'an Aizhi High School donated books and clothes to the left-behind children. Xi'an Mingzhu Education Group also donated computers.
Xiushidu Primary School has more than 500 students, among whom 352 are left-behind children. Most students live in school and go home once a month. Every weekend, teachers organize activities for students to ensure that they do not get lonely. This was the first time that volunteers had come to school to play with the children.