Stories from "Barefoot Social Workers"
Barefoot Social Workers
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“When I was one year old, my mom left me.”
8-year-old girl Panpan, who lives in a rural village in Wenxi County, Shanxi Province, China. Soon after her mother left, her father moved to the city to work. She is being brought up by her grandpa.
“I do help grandpa.”
While grandpa is working in the field, Panpan is always around him to help. Grandpa has a lot of things to worry about. He doesn’t have much education so he doesn’t know how to teach her, and sometimes the money they earn is not enough for all the expenses. They usually only have 200 Yuan RMB ($33 USD) per month.
“I helped to apply for subsistence allowance. More than 100 Yuan RMB per month will make life easier for them. People in the village usually don’t know these policies and allowances.”
Mei Hongfang (left) is the “Barefoot social worker” of this village. She visits Panpan almost every week. She helps with some house work, and chats with her.
“She really helps a lot. Panpan likes to talk with her.”
Barefoot social worker Mei Hongfang comes to see Panpan very often.
“He lives with his grandparents and often stays alone. He used to never go out and rarely played with other children.”
Xiao Yun is another child Mei Hongfang visits very often in Wenxi County, Shanxi Province, China. After his father died, Xiao Yun’s mother was very upset and then left the home. This left him very sad and lonely. With Mei Hongfang’s help, Xiao Yun starts to talk with people and she also helped to get him registered for orphan subsidies of 7200 Yuan RMB per year.
Laze, an 11-year-old girl, lives with her grandmother in a poor village in Jin Yang County, Sichuan province, China. Laze’s parents were both diagnosed HIV infected and not able to work. Life is not easy for this family since grandmother grows older every day, yet has to care for the family.
Rezuo, a barefoot social worker in the village, helps Laze braid her hair. Laze’s grandmother has trouble walking, so Rezuo comes to visit them very often to help with household tasks and provide support.
Rezuo helped the family apply for the minimum living subsistence allowance, and also make sure Laze can access rural health care, as well as a grant for children in need life. Laze’s life has been greatly improved and she could go to school with full attention.
Laze’s life is lonely. But she now enjoys playing with Rezuo in “Family for Children”. Rezuo has cared for 99 special children in need and 4 orphans in the village. During her three years as a barefoot social worker, Rezuo has helped 11 dropouts go back to school, 7 new-borns get registered; she has persuaded 2 children with severe illness to get treatment in hospital, and 5 pregnant women to do regular check. She has taught 70 girls aged 14-16 with necessary physical health knowledge.
“I know the only way to help is to change the family’s economic conditions.”
A Fu lives in Xia County, Shanxi Province, China. His parents died 10 years ago. He and his grandparents lived very poor life. Barefoot social worker Zhang Shengyin helped A Fu to apply for orphan subsidies of 7200 Yuan RMB per year and got funding for the reconstruction of their dangerous house.
“Life is much better. Thanks to the Child Welfare Programme!”
With the programme’s help, the family raises sheep and plants crops they can sell for an income. A Fu and his grandparents started with 10 sheep and now they have more than 30.
“Thanks to the vocational training, I have a decent job now, and I can support my grandfather and myself.”
A barefoot social worker (L) explains the rights of the child to a young mother in a county of Yining, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.
