Short Term Volunteers Page
JZ University Students
This is a photo of some of the students from JZ University who have been coming on Saturday afternoons to help. They have been alternating between EW2 and EW6. The students take the children to the park or to the roof garden to play. Recently we had 18 students come to help so Donna split them between the two houses and all the children had some great play time. They are really a very nice group of young people. I am so happy that we have been able to make this connection through an expat teacher friend of mine. I hope they continue coming! Donna (COAT in China Director)
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Cindy and Beth whose skills significantly benefited the children
Beth did fairly extensive training on children's physical development and milestones and integrating play into therapy. Cindy's focus areas were goal setting, why and how we teach disabled children life skills and how to break tasks down into simple components so we can teach them. In addition they did developmental and mobility assessments of about 30 children to give us specific recommendations to help each child progress.
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Marion and Gladsy thoroughly enjoyed their time in Jiaozuo last Autumn and would like to share their experience with you.
The accommodation was fantastic, like an upmarket hotel. Our unit was on the same level as Eagles' Wings' (EW) three & four. We enjoyed being so close to the children, and be able to interact with them. The highlight of our stay was when we took six children out to have a treat and spent the afternoon in the Park. The happiness on their faces said it all. They really enjoy being outside and we often took some of the children into the grounds where they have a great vegetable garden and we would dig sweet potatoes or pick some greens. They are so proud of the garden. Or we would just take a walk around the grounds. Some of the children are in wheelchairs so we would push them in their chairs.
We enjoyed helping Chew Gim with the fruit and vegetable shopping. It was so interesting for us to see so many different vegetables and the bargaining between Chew Gim and the stall-holders. Shopping in the supermarket was a challenge as nothing is marked in English so we had to shop by 'pictures', which was quite successful really. We also shopped in the Department Store and the markets.
Marion and I had use of the sewing machine and spent quite a lot of time mending and hand sewing, and there was plenty of that to do but we enjoyed it and it was great to see a child wearing something we had mended or replaced lost buttons on. We also spent some time with the children in their activity room, singing songs that every child seems to know but they are sung in Chinese of course. They are the same nursery rhymes that our children sing.
At lunch and dinner we helped with the feeding of children in EW4 and the children got to know us and their little faces would brighten up when we walked into their dining room. It was so rewarding to spend some time giving them mother touching.
The wonderful feeling we would get when on our return from shopping etc. the children would run to us with outstretched arms, hug us with obvious delight as to see us was so rewarding. We feel we brought some happiness to the children while we were there and would both like to return one day.
Marion & Gladys
