Land of Sugar Cane

Chongzhou, land of the sugar cane, was a totally different landscape, 

as we drove along red dusty roads, fields high with sugar cane all along the way

                                                          Housing looked different too

                                                                The old beside the new

                                                                     Chongzhou families.........

We were on our way to meet girls from around Chongzhou whose families all farmed sugar cane, but were unable to raise enough to pay all the fees and support needs to enable their girls to stay at school.

 Life in rural Guangxi can be tough, even for hard-working families!

These girls have been supported largely by 2 families in the USA who adopted girls from this area. 

Thanks to the generosity and support from them and their wider families, 

the lives of these girls have been changed forever.

                    Some of the younger Chongzhou children, checking out the strange visitors :-)

Lovin the map of the world on the school wall - China-centred!

Interesting that we all see the world from OUR point of view?

                   We arrived just at bell-time with parents waiting & children rushing to the school-gates

                                                    Words of Wisdom on the School walls.........

                                                     Chongzhou children, excited, happy........

                                                 LOVE these beautiful faces...........

When we made it finally to the classrooms where we would met the girls supported by the US families, 

there were 6 girls nervously waiting.........

                             ......they were SO excited to receive mail and photos from their sponsors

                                       

                         Our staff made sure all the payments were made to the girls and recorded!

While many of the children in this area are poor, not all are!

Those who need extra support often feel like the "poor kids on the block", 

and like children the world over, fear what others may think of them? 

However when our girls receive visitors from the West, 

they are the envy of their class-mates who never receive such visits :-)

While we sometimes feel uncomfortable at the attention given to the "western visitor", 

we are delighted that the girls are made to feel special in the eyes of their peers:-)

                                               Kids on the outside, looking in............

                                     Our girls sending messages & thanks to their Sponsors!

                            The girls delighted to receive support, love and gifts from their sponsors
( must apologise for mine-who clearly had other things on their mind in every group photo that I found here :-)

Once again, all too soon..time to leave..the children gathering excitedly around Matthew

( and laughing at the crazy Westerner taking all the photos!)

                                                      View from outside the school gates

                                                         Goodbye from Chongzhou School!
                                                                             Til next time xxx

             Since that visit last October, we have been told of 7 new girls desperately needing help here

We have new sponsors for five of the girls already!!!!!!!!

But urgently need new sponsors for the last two!

Could you help change a child's life?

£10 a month

The Blessing will be Yours :-)