Ceremony on China National Day of Helping Disabled

( on May 20, 2001 at ShiJiaZhuang city )

By Dr. Nanciellen Davis

 

In May I went to China for five weeks with China-Hiking, a Toronto-based company that offers hiking tours in two locations in China, in the Yellow Mountains (some portions of which appear in the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and on the Great Wall. In addition to offering hiking tours, China-Hiking has provided several hundred children (and some adults) with hearing aids over the last several years. The hearing aids come from donations and from some proceeds of the hiking tours.

China celebrated the annual Day of the Disabled on May 20, 2001. As part of the national celebration, the city of ShiJiaZhuang, Hebei Province, was the site of a special ceremony in which hearing impaired children were given hearing aids provided by China-Hiking. As a Canadian currently on tours organized by China-Hiking, I was privileged to participate in that ceremony. Many government representatives, workers with the hearing impaired, the children and their parents, as well as media people were in attendance.

Dr. N. Davis with her interpreter at Headtable

At the ceremony, comments were made by Chinese government representatives, Mr. Tony Pau, President of China-Hiking, and by myself (photo, portion of the headtable). Everyone stressed the importance of improving the lives of hearing impaired children in China, who number in the hundreds of thousands. The ceremony not only highlighted the extent of the problem particularly in rural China, but also celebrated the achievement of those who work to improve the lot of the children, the children themselves, and their parents. Mr. Pau and those who directly or indirectly contribute through China-Hiking to improve the lives of the hearing impaired were warmly thanked.

Dr . N. Davis with her Hearing Impaired Children after Donation Ceremony

I was very proud to participate in the ceremony and to help distribute hearing aids to the children (see photos). It was heartwarming to meet the children whose lives were to be so changed with the gift of hearing aids and to meet their appreciative parents. I was also impressed by the enthusiasm of the teachers and others who work with the hearing impaired (photo) and by the commitment of the Chinese government representatives to programs for the disabled. Meeting these people and participating in the ceremony were the highpoints in my five weeks in China.

	Clockwise from upper left hand corner: 1. China National Day of "Helping the Disabled Ceremony " . 2. Dr N. Davis with her own interpreter making a speech. 3. and 4. Donation of Hearing Aid Devices by Dr Davis into the hands of each Hearing Impaired child.

( some hearing aids are donated by Canadian International Hearing Services ) 

   

 

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