By: Stephanie Chan
When our group travels to China for our International Project in May, one of the major stops will be at the Xi’an Children’s Village. The travelling Scouts are certain to be touched by the children who live there. Residents of the village include all ages from infants to eighteen year olds. Each child has a different story of why life has brought them to the village. Some have had their parents pass away in car accidents, others have experienced violence, forced by their parents to commit crimes, or witnessed their parent committing homicide, while others may have parents who are currently in jail. Whatever the circumstance, the Rovers are prepared to be humbled by the children and have an eye opening experience.
Apart from the many activities, meals, and campfire we have planned with the children’s village, one of our major act of service in Xi’an is to design and paint a mural on the back wall of their assembly hall stage. It is an honour to lend our services to help enhance the sustainability of the village. Currently we have submitted design ideas to China and in the next 38 days, we will have our plans finalized for the 10m by 4m wall–including all the logistics from choosing paints to organizing painters. While we are there, we only have roughly two and a half days to complete this project. It may be a challenge, but we will persist and see it through!
