A 46.33-kilometer hiking journey, 11 hours of self-challenge—it was worth it. Yesterday (January 26), seeing the smiles of the children at the Shunde Children's Welfare Home, Zheng Wei and his companions felt that this fundraising hike across Danxia Mountain was worthwhile because, through everyone’s efforts, they were able to help the children at the welfare home.
Yesterday afternoon, several representatives from the Shunde District Public Utilities Management Bureau, including Zheng Wei, delivered a batch of brand-new winter clothes to the Shunde Children's Welfare Home. Although these are just simple clothes, there is a story behind them—a story about hiking across Danxia Mountain, a story about perseverance. On November 30, 2013, Zheng Wei, Luo Chao, and more than ten colleagues from their unit participated in the sixth Danxia Mountain Hiking Crossing event. They also took the opportunity to raise 20,000 yuan in donations for the Shunde Children's Welfare Home.
Because most of the participants had no prior hiking experience and were “newbies,” everyone endured quite a bit of hardship during this hiking trip. “We walked a total of 46.33 kilometers, and apart from using the restroom or eating, we were walking the entire time,” Zheng Wei recalled, still vividly remembering the experience. Although the process was tough, many companions chose to persevere. And it was precisely because of this that yesterday’s visit to the children's welfare home was made possible.
Reporters from Shunde City Network learned that Zheng Wei and others raised 20,000 yuan for the welfare home through the hiking activity. In response to the needs of the welfare home, they allocated part of the funds to buy new clothes for the children. To better understand what the children needed, Zheng Wei and his team also specifically communicated in advance with the welfare home management to learn about their actual requirements.
Hearing that the children were especially in need of winter clothes, Zheng Wei and his companions went to Guangzhou to purchase a batch of brand-new cold-proof clothing. Yesterday, Zheng Wei, his colleagues, and some participants of the hiking trip delivered the purchased clothes to the Shunde Children's Welfare Home. In addition, they also took the opportunity to learn about the current operations of the welfare home and visited the children there.
“This is my first time visiting a welfare home, and it was very moving,” was Luo Chao’s first impression after the visit. Luo Chao’s feelings were stirred not only by the children but also by the staff at the home. Due to the currently small number of caregivers at the welfare home, one caregiver has to look after at least 20 children, and even during the New Year holiday, the caregivers have to be on duty. “My previous understanding of welfare homes came mostly from TV. Experiencing it firsthand this time left a deeper impression,” Luo Chao said. Whether it was the hiking trip or the visit to the welfare home, he gained a lot more insights.