2018年CRI Orphans reunite for 10th anniversary of Sichuan Earthquake

 

This Saturday, May 12th, 2018, marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating¹ earthquake that hit Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Some of the orphans² who lost their parents in the quake have returned to an orphanage³ in Sichuan where they were raised, to be reunited with their adopted families there.

Located in Shuangliu County in Sichuan Province, the Ankang Homes orphanage was built by donors⁴ following the deadly 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County on May 12th, 2008, leaving over 69,000 people dead and nearly 18,000 missing.

Ankang Homes is the county's largest welfare house for orphans from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, looking after children aged⁵ between 4 and 19.

Ankang initially⁶ took in 712 children following the quake, but the number dropped to 672 after some children were reunited with their parents.

The head of the orphanage, Hu Yuanzhong, says the children have to learn basic life skills so they can grow up to become self-reliant adults.

"The children must enter society when they grow up. We love them, but we will never spoil them. They must learn to complete the tasks they should complete, and undertake the responsibilities they must shoulder," says Hu.

Aside from basic education, the children receive trauma⁷ counseling on a regular basis from professional psychologists.

They are also taught how to look after themselves in case they are confronted by a disaster.

"In primary and secondary schools, safety drills will be conducted in the classroom. Focused mainly on situational and teaching modes, children will be equipped with self-defense skills and knowledge to protect themselves," says Zhu Xisheng, the secretary general of the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation (CCTF), one of the supporters of the orphanage. 

86 caregivers are working at the Ankang Homes to provide care for the children 24 hours a day.

"I never gave up on them, and I wanted them to get well soon. They are different from other children because they suffered from the earthquake and lost their parents to it. We must take care of them like their parents would have," says Zhang Tao, one of the caregivers.

In the 10 years that have passed since the disaster, most of the orphans have grown up and left the orphanage to start education or to join the workforce⁸.

On the 10th anniversary of the disaster, many of them returned to visit the families that they came to know from their time living at the orphanage.

Among them is 22-year-old Xiaosen, who lost his parents in the Wenchuan earthquake when he was only 12 years old.

"I learned from Ankang Homes that no matter what difficulties you run into, you must persevere⁹ to overcome them," says Xiaosen.

As of today, there are still 48 children studying and living at Ankang Homes.

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

3 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

9 persevere   

v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。
• It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。