Special friends for quake children
THE first year in high school has been tough for Xiao Wei (not his real name) — but thanks to a pen pal his life has improved.
The boy from Ya’an City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, has regularly written to Chen Xing, a junior at Sichuan University, for two years under a pen pal program that was launched after a magnitude 8 earthquake devastated parts of the province in May 2008.
“At the beginning, 468 students from Sichuan University volunteered to be pen pals of 610 students from nine primary and middle schools in the worst-hit areas, such as Beichuan County, to help relieve their trauma,” said Professor Xiao Xu who initiated the campaign.
“In line with the calculation method of the World Health Organization, millions of people could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by the quake, including hundreds of thousands of students.”
The program, “Colorful Stones,” was named after a Chinese myth in which a goddess mends a broken heaven with colorful stones.
Even if pain inflicted by the disaster has long faded, the program has remained and expanded. Currently, more than 20,000 volunteers from several universities write to children in the province and neighboring Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing, offering psychological support and academic help.
“I still remember the first letter he (Xiao Wei) wrote to me. I read loneliness of a boy raised by his grandfather and lacking care from his parents,” Chen said. Encouraging Xiao Wei to work harder at school, Chen also reflects on herself: “I often tell myself to be more proactive and positive. So I would say he and I are growing up together.”
The campaign epitomizes the bourgeoning volunteerism following the catastrophe. Official data showed that more than 1.18 million people applied to help with quake relief. The volunteers trooped into quakehit areas on foot, bicycle and in their cars, giving anything they could to those left homeless and grieving by the quake.
After its devastation, Sichuan set up a team of certificated volunteers to respond to natural disasters. Now, the team has more than 5,000 members and consists of 10 contingents dedicated to respective fields, such as rescue, health care and psychological support.
The experience of being helped after the quake has also shaped the life of Du Cancan, then a student at Beichuan Middle School.
After the quake “my classmates and I were sent to a shelter. Volunteers were comforting us, holding our hands,” Du said. “I never knew their names. But I remember the warmth.”
Since then, she has been passionate about public welfare. After graduating from college in 2009, she co-founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting families in need.
“Because of the disaster, I found the direction in my life,” Du said.