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Feature
A gift of love
Wang Peng thought he was going to die.
The Sichuan earthquake swept away countless homes. Malaysian Kiwanians stepped in to help the children in their darkest hours. |
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According to the Chinese government, an estimated 7,000 schoolrooms collapsed in the May 2008 earthquake in the Sichuan province. Kiwanis members from Malaysia traveled to China to meet the children who had seen the worst devastation, and to donated US$50,000 to open 500 bank accounts for the children. Kiwanians also gave the children notebooks, stationery, and other gifts. |
Mission: compassion
Not only was the Sichuan Children Love and Care Project a mission of compassion for children, but it also turned into a ripe opportunity to recruit Kiwanis members and sow the seeds for Kiwanis in China.
- Of the 13 people who traveled to China from Malaysia, 10 were Kiwanis members. By the end of the trip, all 13 were Kiwanians.
- In China, when the Kiwanis team's bus driver was asked about his passengers, he repleid: "We are Kiwanians. Would you like to join us? We help children."
As of October 2008, more than US$78,000 was raised for the Sichuan Children Love and Care Project. |
Though the earth had stopped shaking, the plume of thick, yellow smoke frightened the 7-year-old child. He thought of his house--of his family--and he ran toward home as fast as his little legs could carry him, the enormous yellow cloud chasing him all the way.
But when he arrived, there was nothing left. Just a pile of rubble. Ruined remnants of the home his family had only recently built. His mother, heartbroken, could not quiet her crying.
That is what Wang remembers about the day, this past May, when an 8.0 Richter earthquake rocked his life in the Sichuan province of China. He thought he was going to die.
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