Charity program shines light on stay-at-home children

Yu Ning, president of AVIVA-COFCO Insurance Co, delivers a speech at the ceremony of the charity program. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A charity program called "Stars and Lights 2020" was launched on Friday to help stay-at-home children.

Due to the pandemic, the protection of stay-at-home children in some areas is facing challenges. The program strives to establish a correct and scientific awareness of health and safety when pandemic prevention and control are normalized.

The theme of the program is "Guardian Life, Act Together". At the launch meeting, Yu Ning, president of AVIVA-COFCO, a Sino-British joint venture insurance company, said that this year the enterprise will continue to work with IFENG.COM, together with "First Response", the first professional first aid NGO in China. By approaching stay-at-home children and their families and carrying out professional health promotion and cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes, children will have correct and scientific health and safety awareness.

Song Wenzhen, Inspector of the Office of National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, said that the guardianship and safety of stay-at-home children still face great challenges, therefore, there is still a long way to go.

Ling Feng, chief expert of neurosurgery at Xuanwu Hospital, who has been "Mother Ling" for orphans in Yunnan province for 20 years, said, "After 20 years, more than 50 orphans helped by our team have graduated from college.

They have become volunteers, doctors, and even joined volunteer doctor team." She also mentioned that support for the health and safety of stay-at-home children is imminent. "Caring for stay-at-home children will be a lifelong career," she added.

Jiang Ying, deputy secretary-general of the China Charities Aid Foundation for Children, said if we can raise children's awareness of self-protection before the occurrence of injuries, we can avoid many tragedies.

Zhou Haimei, a famous Chinese actress who has been working on public welfare for years, donated 100,000 yuan ($15,000) to the follow-up of the "Stars and Lights" program.

"As a public figure, I hope to encourage everyone to not only provide financial support to the stay-at-home children, but also provide more physical and psychological assistance to them," she said.

The "Stars and Lights" program has a history of 10 years from 2010 to 2019, which has traveled through 13 provinces, donated 29 caring huts, delivered supplies to more than 50 village schools, and helped more than 140,000 stay-at-home children.

"2020 is a year of decisive victory for finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the elimination of poverty. The physical and mental safety and health care of stay-at-home children is the top priority in the battles of anti-epidemic and poverty alleviation," said Yu. "The program empowers stay-at-home children with the ability to save themselves. Health and safety awareness will be deeply rooted in every children's heart."