Our visit to the Yangzhou Children’s Welfare Institute was an extraordinary experience. This was the orphanage where Shaelin spent the first 13 months of her life. We emerged from the bus greeted by an overwhelming reception that included all the orphanage staff, local government officials (including the mayor of Yangzhou), all the caretakers, and kids who live there. There were many cameras, local TV crews, and reporters. First we walked past a chorus of drums as we headed to the welcoming ceremony. Then we watched a beautiful and moving welcome song performed by the staff and heard several speeches by administration and local officials. We saw several of Shaelin’s former caretakers who recognized her and looked in amazement at the “before and after” pictures we brought with us. There were many tears and hugs. A TV reporter interviewed us as they did several of the families in our group. Following the ceremony a large billboard was revealed with the baby pictures of all the kids attending the reunion. We spotted Shaelin’s picture right away. All the girls signed their photos. After that the girls made dumplings with the kitchen staff. On this trip, the kids made (and ate) a lot of dumplings! Then we were treated to a tour of the new children’s building that is under construction. We visited the babies and children who live in the orphanage. The caretakers let us play with the kids who were sooo adorable. Its clear the staff gives these kids all the attention they can and really cares for them despite limited resources. It was very emotional to visit these kids and we were grateful to have had the chance to meet them and spend time with them. The visit to the Yangzhou Children’s Welfare Institute to participate in the 20th anniversary was an experience we will never forget. The video below captures some of these moments….
No comments:
Post a Comment