Notes from a Volunteer

Due to COVID, I had no chance to return to my home country until the end of April, when I came back to visit some family members and friends whom I hadn’t seen for several years. I unexpectedly experienced the death of an elderly person in my family, and I was infected with COVID for the first time. For a while, I felt lost and confused, as if I couldn't comprehend anything, and I didn't even confirm my return ticket.

In this state of mind, the only app I could access on the Internet was the Gaode map. It suddenly reminded me of the days when I took some children to volunteer at NDFH. I remembered the original intention was for them to compare their lives to the orphan's lives, realize how blessed they are to have parents, and learn to share their happiness with others. The conclusions drawn by the children after playing with the disabled orphans in the foster home were completely different from my "ideological education"—the vision of NDFH is "never give up hope!” —and I am facing a crisis of hope right now? So, I opened the map to find the way to NDFH, I wanted to get back the feeling of "never giving up on yourself and hope"...

Fortunately, one of the searches led me to find a few friends who used to work at NDFH. They continue to work for NDFH. The children had to return to the orphanages. Some of the children returned to Wulanchabu. So, I decided to take a trip, and apply for a short-term volunteer activity with the Savannah Project of NDFH. I wanted to find NDFH, I wanted to find some sense of hope.

Here I like to express the visual impact brought to me by seeing the Wulanchabu Children's Welfare Institute after a few hours of travel:

Neat and clean environment, well-equipped rooms, childlike wall paintings...

So, what kind of life do the children in the NDFH project lead? Can hope really be found in this Disney World-like living environment?

When I saw the photos of the children in the Savannah Project, I suddenly saw Theodore who I met at NDFH in Beijing in 2018. He was still very young at that time, but he showed tenacious and unyielding spirit when he was young. I hadn't seen him in five years, how was he doing now? He was the first person I wanted to see when I went to the orphanage. It seems that he represents a little bit of conviction that remains in the various earthquake-like changes that have occurred in the past few years. If he is still fine as an orphan, then why should we lose hope in life and in the future?

Seeing you again!

Next, I devoted myself to visiting the children, embraced the changes, and gradually accepted the changes in life. Going from reluctance to happiness.

 

Although the children have changed their living environment, they still improve with diversified help from NDFH. In the Savannah project, the children's daily schedule is arranged for their individual needs, standers, specialized chairs, communication buttons, games...all of the facility is designed to better allow these physically handicapped children to get proper practice and development.

One of the girls in a foster family goes to a nearby elementary school, and returns home to eat and do homework like a child in a normal family. The parents in a foster family, take care of the children's daily life and tutor homework. Such families can provide children with preparation and care in a community setting. This allows the children to receive more individualized help.

Gabriel, who is blind, is also in a foster family. To the other children in the foster home, he is a big brother. He learned to play the saxophone under the guidance of a dedicated teacher. Although he lacks vision, his hearing is excellent- he can judge who is approaching by their footsteps. Gabriel's dream is to one day play the saxophone in various parts of China. He said he also wants to play the saxophone in the Great Hall of the People. Who knows? Is this a dream, a hope, or an idiotic dream? Not everyone has hope and not everyone has a dream that they can work towards. Have we reflected on whether we have been overwhelmed by material desires and no longer have dreams? Physical defects are easy to see, but who can see the defects and gaps in our hearts?

 

For the children who cannot go to ordinary schools, NDFH recruited teachers for rehabilitation training and education. What surprised me the most was that the staff who take care of the children in the Savannah Project said that they not only learned professional skills here, but also learned to look at their own lives and their children's education with a broader mind and perspective. 

After returning to Beijing, whenever I feel down, the singing of this song performed by the children can still be heard in my heart. I found the lyrics, and discovered it was a song sung by singers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and after the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008. And today, more than ten years later, if what we believe in is no longer love and hope, what else do we believe in?

Believe in Love (Wenchuan Earthquake Relief Song)

When the wind and rain wet the wings of dreams

When the rainbow hasn't reflected your face yet

Stretch out your hand, it represents the warmth you want

Believe that love has infinite hope

Answer all confusion with a smile

String together the rays of friendship with eyes

Not alone when I know you are by my side

Believe that love is the power to change

Believe that love is eternal expectation

Believe that love is the master of happiness

Believe that love connects the most beautiful wishes

Love forever, love forever, love together...

Many friends heard that I went to the orphanage to do volunteer work, and they all praised me for being caring. But to be honest, from the first day I arrived at the orphanage to the day I left, I didn't feel that I had done anything for them. On the contrary, I was cared for by the children, nannies, and teachers during the whole process! The "bank" of "love and hope" in my heart is gradually returning to normal after spending time with the children and nannies. The state of my heart is no longer bankrupt!

*Special thanks to volunteer Ms. Pan for her contribution! *