Nihao From Nanping - Page 5
- Touring The Yanping Social Welfare Institute -
- Day Two -

6-16-2000
 
I handed an 820 Chinese dollars donation,
(approx. U.S. $100.00), to Wang Fen on behalf of
Tie Mei's family yesterday and was given a receipt. Mr. Lin said all the donations are watched very strictly by various levels of governmental departments.  The only authority they have to use the money, is for the purchase of milk powder for the children.  

This morning I sent another 700 Chinese dollars to the institution for some toys and a tape recorder without asking for a receipt, after witnessing the lack of children's toys and music equipment. I was told that they had toys and a tape recorder.  The most appreciated gift at this point is milk powder.

OK, milk powder!
 
(This episode took place during my second visit while I was helping the moms feed children at lunch time.)
 
I had planned to go to a village where there were 41 foster families this morning.  However, I couldn't reach Mr. Lin by telephone for further plans, as the telephone lines were down.  So, instead of going to visit the foster families, I decided to go back to the institution, sending my 700 Chinese dollars to the institution and helping the moms there feed the children.  In the mean time I wanted to see more children, since I didn't get a chance to visit the forth mom yesterday.
 
I started with the group of children at the reception room this time.  Xiuyu was changing an infant.  "She came in last night at 9:25.", Xiuyu told me upon seeing me walk in.  The girl looks about one month old.  Her eyes are open wide but she is staring at nothing.

Hearing a child crying, I turned around and picked him up from out of his chair.  A boy, one of only two boys at the institution, is struggling with his wet pants.  Xiuyu said the boy was accepted two weeks ago and does not have a name yet.  Xiuyu started changing him while I was feeding the infant I had picked up.  When Xiuyu was finished changing the boy, she went to the kitchen to fetch lunch for the children, while I was left taking care of the four children in the reception room.  The other five children were sleeping in the bedroom.  The children sitting in the chairs are quietly waiting for the lunch while the boy without a name is still crying.

Xiuyu came back with some gruel, cooked with grounded rice and meat, for the older children, and some thick rice gruel for the younger children. The four children approximately one year of age shared two bowls of porridge and two spoons, taking turns being fed by Xiuyu and me.  When they were done, Xiuyu started making gruel for the younger children by adding milk powder, glucose and water, to thin the rice meal enough to be placed in bottles.  

All the children were quiet now and playing with plastic toys or just sitting there watching us.  Xiuyu urged me to go up and meet Mr. Lin and Ms. Lin, (they happen to have the same family names but not from the same family), the vice director of the institution.  It's a little after 11:00 a.m., just about time for them to be off for lunch.

After meeting with the two directors for an hour, I went to Mama Li's room where she was having some difficulty, her four children crying for lunch.  I don't know why her room's children are fed later than those cared for by Xiuyu.  She is hurriedly stirring rice meal with milk powder and other sugar and water.  While she was filling all eight bottles with thin gruel, I took turns holding each of the children, one of whom clutched tightly at my shirt as I tried to put her down to pick up another child.  Within one minute Mom Li managed to have every child drinking from the bottles, which are held or supported with blankets or clothes.  Only one child out of the eight is able to hold the bottle by herself; the infant sleeping in Mama Li's bedroom.

The group cared for by the mama who is unable to speak is now very quiet after their meal.  I was led by Wang Fen to the group that I did not get chance to visit.  This group has 8 children, each of whom are younger than the other three groups.  All have been fed and lying quietly, covered with with thick quilts, in two big beds with wooden bars to prevent children from falling out off the bed.

Wang Fen asked me to guess the mama's age.  She is 34 years old. She has four children of her own, then oldest of which is 19 years old. Wang Fang teased her, "You've been doing every thing against the law. Married early... gave birth early... and had more than one child."  The mama teased back to Wang Fen, "Go find a husband and have a baby of your own".

"Come back and see us.", Mama Li said to me as I was whispering good bye to her.  The mama who could not speak grinned good bye to me and watched as we left.  All the babies were sleeping now.  Wang Fen walked me to the gate.  Passing by the reception room, I saw four children sitting in chairs, Xiuyu's husband, leaning against the wall on the big bed, is watching them.  Two are sleeping soundly.  One has her head on the chair.  Another with her head on her shoulder, leaning against the chair back.  The other two were jumping in their chairs, even though their legs were not yet strong enough to walk.

- Continued On Page 6-

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