Silent no More

Christian Action has continuously expanded the scope of our services to cater for the growing needs of our children in Qinghai. One example is the Bridge Programme which we launched in 2014. In this programme, we gave teenagers who have various disabilities, and have not been adopted, special education classes and training to help them transit smoothly to the Social Welfare Institute.

It has really been a blessing to witness the fruits of our hard work. One of our children who has benefited is Fei Fei, a young man with autism who was barely two years old when he came to Xining Children's Home.

Before his 18th birthday Fei Fei joined our Bridge Programme. That facilitated his transition to his new environment at the Social Welfare Institute. Part of the programme was working at the sheltered workshop. He is responsible for categorising and packaging different items. At first, these tasks were challenging. He would lose focus and leave his workplace without permission. That led to constant complaints from the workshop manager. On one occasion, Fei Fei panicked when there was a guest tour. He was unfamiliar with the situation and had to be comforted by the caregivers.

As a child Fei Fei was quite isolated

Thanks to the persistence and patience of our social workers, Fei Fei eventually learnt the importance of managing his emotions and his attitude to work. He also understood how to comprehend people's words and expressions during an occupational training series. Fei Fei has improved so much that he even helped his co-workers to accomplish their tasks together! Now, he's well adapted to his life at the Social Welfare Institute.

It was truly inspirational to see Fei Fei's journey of hurdling over his limitations. It has demonstrated the fact that our programme does bring hope and change to children in Qinghai. I pray for the young people like Fei Fei who we serve in the Bridge Programme. May they continue to find happiness and fulfilment as they transit to their new lives at the Social Welfare Institute!