By Amy Wei | Project Planning Specialist
Xiao-Yu's mom is busy with work, so during holidays, it's just Xiao-Yu and his grandmother at home. Without the school-provided lunch during the summer holiday, Xiao-Yu islack of care in life, and his meals are being very irregular.
The school teacher learned about Xiao-Yu's situation, and she helped to apply the Child Welfare League Foundation for a summer vacation nutritional pack. Inside the nutritional pack, there were items inside like long-life milk, rice, noodles, and meal kits. For breakfast, Xiao-Yu could enjoy milk with fiber-rich oatmeal. With those ingredients , and under his grandmother's guidance, Xiao-Yu quickly learned how to prepare simple meals. The two of them chatted in the kitchen, with Xiao-Yu sharing the school stories to his grandmother. They both cherished these moments together.
Beside spending time with his grandmother, Xiao-Yu's only activities at home were playing mobile games and watching videos. His mom is worried that using mobile phone for the entire two months of summer vacation would lead to shortsightedness, so she asked the school if there were any summer camps available. Luckily, the school had secured funding from the Child Welfare League Foundation to hold a Chinese Calligraphy Camp. Xiao-Yu was so excited to return to school, as he could play and spend time with his classmates.
Xiao-Yu is lively and active, which often unable to sit still in class. However, during the camp, the tutor gradually guided the students in practicing Chinese calligraphy along with breathing and meditation exercises. The teacher noticed that Xiao-Yu actually had good focus to concentrate and complete the assigned calligraphy tasks, writing each stroke neatly and beautifully.
Many families like Xiao-Yu's, parents are busy working even during long school vacation and unable to spend time with their children. Because they live in a remote area, there are often few other activities available in the country. The holiday camp activities organized by the school effectively fill this gap, allowing children to learn different skills while letting parents feel relieved and knowing their kids are being well cared.
This summer vacation let Xiao-Yu discovered a different side of himself, realizing that he could actually enjoy the "quiet." His mother happily noted that with Xiao-Yu's Chinese Calligraphy work, they wouldn't need to buy spring couplets for Chinese New Year anymore! Most importantly, Xiao-Yu is no longer just absorbed in mobile games; he has cultivated in a new interest.
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Through “Taiwan Children Nutrition Subsidy Program”, the Child Welfare League Foundation has accumulated supported 1,889 schools over the past 14 years, held 2,687 holiday camp activities which over 64,146 children had participated, and nearly 54,070 nutritional packs have been distributed to help children stay well-nourished, bridging the nutritional gap for disadvantaged children and youth.
In the 2024 Long-Term Holiday Nutritions Supporting Program, the Child Welfare League Foundation will collaborate with 104 rural schools, and sponsor 185 summer educational camps. This initiative will ensure that 3,381 disadvantaged children have a fulfilling summer, 2,315 summer supplies boxes will be provided to help them stay well-fed and enjoy for their summer break.
The Child Welfare League Foundation hopes to encourage rural schools to cooperates and to organize more camps and club activities during long holidays. This would provide disadvantaged children and youth with more learning and recreational opportunities during holidays, reducing the learning gap between rural and urban children. We hope the public to pay more attention to the learning needs of disadvantaged children during winter and summer vacations. The Child Welfare League Foundation will continue to give resources and actively provide a safe, and high-quality camp activities, benefiting more disadvantaged children and preventing them from falling into the "summer lost" during long breaks.
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