By Debbie Cohen | Director of Donor Communications
Nianci was born in a rural village in China, but left her rural home with her parents who went to find work in the city.
Now, aged 2, she has returned to the countryside to live with her grandmother, while her parents remain in the city working in factories.
It took a while for little Nianci to adjust to being back in the village without her parents. When she first joined OneSky’s Family Skills Program, she was still so shy she’d hide behind her grandmother’s legs. When it was time for dancing and exercise at the Children’s Center, she’d always stand at the back.
Nianci’s story is common. In China, almost 300 million migrant workers have left ancestral homes in search of work and many have left children behind to be cared for by grandparents and siblings.
Lots of hugs
Thankfully, OneSky Family Mentor Beibei has noticed a positive change in Nianci. During home visits, they make animals from plasticine together and play games to encourage interaction.
There were lots of hugs too from both Beibei and Granny, who have been learning from the mentor about the developmental importance of nurturing love.
Now Nianci is starting to settle in among the happy kids at the children’s center and her confidence continues to grow.
On Tree Planting Day, which was a big deal for her village community, Beibei helped Nianci and her grandmother plant their tree. Beibei explained to Nianci about the love and care we all need to grow. How she and her grandmother could look after the tree together until it was strong enough to survive the changes in seasons.
Days like Tree Planting Day help bring communities together and that’s part of the job for OneSky Family Mentors. It still takes a village to raise a child and grandparents caring for left-behind children need lots of support too.
Thank you for your support of our work in rural villages! To read more updates about our programs on behalf of vulnerable children, be sure to go to our story website page.
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