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A Glimpse of City Life, and Perhaps the Future
A Red Cross project teaching the importance of sanitation and hygiene is also opening children’s eyes to new horizons
By Francis Markus, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 —
An American Red Cross project helps children from remote villages in China experience city life and expand their horizons.
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When people from the arid valleys of Northwestern China’s Ningxia province talk about venturing outside their remote, dusty region, they often use the phrase zou chu da shan—literally, “to walk out of the great mountains.” So when an American Red Cross project took a group of children from the province on a week-long summer camp to Beijing, the impact on their lives was dramatic.
“These are extremely remote villages,” says Ramsey A. Rayyis, China country representative of the American Red Cross, based in Beijing. “Most of the children have never been outside their immediate village.”
The impetus for the trip was a competition sponsored by the American Red Cross and Procter and Gamble Safeguard. Some of the 21 students were winning entrants in a photo competition, others in a quiz about hygiene knowledge—a central theme of the competition.
The partnership between Proctor and Gamble Safeguard and the American Red Cross is designed to improve the health of rural Chinese by increasing access to clean water, improving sanitation systems and promoting hygiene education in local communities and schools. The trip to Beijing was an exciting and encouraging reward for students and families who are learning to adopt improved hygiene behaviors and health practices.
A Life-Changing Experience
Even before reaching the capital, fifth-grader Huang Yaqin was overwhelmed by the experience.
“This was the first time I had seen such a long train, which would take me and my dreams to Beijing,” she wrote in her diary. “I was thinking of my old grandmother and grandfather with grey hair who were staying at home. They have lived in the mountain village their whole lives, never traveling far away.”
The trip to Beijing exposed the children to life in the city and served as a practical lesson in what a clean environment looks like and the role citizens play in keeping it that way, says Liu Yanping, project coordinator. The experience also transformed their outlook.
“In the past, when these children met other people, they weren’t very good at chatting with strangers,” he explains. “Now, their communication skills and participation levels have improved dramatically.”
Many of those who participated came away with a sense of excitement and new goals. Project organizers are planning to have some of the students visit all 16 schools in the project area to share their experiences and spread the enthusiasm.
“Some of them want to come to Beijing for their future studies and make a difference in the lives of other children,” says Rayyis.
As part of the world's largest humanitarian network, the American Red Cross alleviates the suffering of victims of war, disaster and other international crises, and works with other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to improve chronic, life-threatening conditions in developing nations. We reconnect families separated by emergencies and educate the American public about international humanitarian law. This assistance is made possible through the generosity of the American public.
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