By Liao Haizhen; Edited by Leanna Cappiello
"The drama scene is so much fun! I can also learn safety knowledge from it," says nine-year-old Hui Ying, "I've taught my younger brother what I just learned."
The third-grader lives in a small village. Her parents are migrant workers in another part of the country, leaving her and her younger brother to live with their grandparents.
Hui Ying's grandparents are often too busy with household chores to be actively involved in her and her brother's life, so the children tend to look after themselves.
"Taking care of my younger brother is hard," she says, "but it's good to have his company."
Due to a lack of natural resources locally, most young adults work in the city to support their families, leaving children and the elderly in the village. Without parental supervision, the children often play in the mountains, woods or around water pools and are at risk of being hurt. Hui Ying and her brother were no exception.
With the support of World Vision, a children's activity centre was established in the village to create a new space to play. The centre has launched a variety of activities for children's growth and is a short walk from Hui Ying's home.
Hui Ying is so happy to have a fun place to play. There are a lot of books and exciting activities in the centre, where she meets her friends.
Last summer, she participated in child safety education classes, organized by the centre. One of the staff who trained the children on road safety, fire prevention and anti-trafficking, says: "There are few safe places for children to play in the village, so it's important to equip children with safety knowledge."
And thanks to the sessions, Hui Ying finally realized how dangerous it was for her to play out in the roads. She expressed concern for her younger brother and her desire to teach him how to be safe.
At the centre, the children were encouraged to form groups, with each team choosing a safety theme for a drama scene. Hui Ying's team picked anti-trafficking. Their performance not only won an applause from their audience, but enhanced their safety awareness, as shown by their high scores in a safety quiz.
Now, Hui Ying no longer plays on the road with her younger brother. Every weekend, they join the reading or class activities at the centre. She has taught her grandparents and friends about safety, showing them what they have learned.
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