Meng Meng's Dream
Meng Meng, 11, lives in a mountainous village in Yang County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, an isolated and picturesque place with a humid climate. It is a habitat for the rare crested ibis bird, but most of the people live in poverty. Many adults move to other cities to work for better pay, leaving behind the elderly and children. Meng Meng is one of these left-behind children.
Her parents went to Guangzhou to work a long time ago, leaving her grandmother, younger brother and her at home. Meng Meng began to slowly learn to do housework when she was two years old.
"Meng Meng grew well behaved and she is very sensible child," her grandmother says.
Meng Meng has experienced much hardship for someone so young. Her grandmother was not able watch Meng Meng all the time because she had to work on the farm. When she was only 2-years old, Meng Meng went uphill to gather weeds and accidentally fell down from a two-metre-high cliff. She was rescued but was in a coma for eight days. Then at age six, Meng Meng was in a car accident when going out to buy vinegar. After this accident she was in bed for 10 days.
Meng Meng rarely went out and played with other children, nor was she at ease to share her feelings with family.
Today looks very different for Meng Meng.
She wears a high ponytail. She smiles a lot. She walks with bounce. It’s hard to imagine that she was once secluded and sensitive.
In 2009, Meng Meng became a sponsored child of World Vision. She had the opportunity to participate in World Vision's activities in the school and community, and her life has gradually changed since then.
In a World Vision's child safety advocacy activity, Meng Meng participated and got along well with classmates. With the warm reception of others, she began to open her heart, making friends with others, and sought help from teacher when she encountered difficulties. Moreover, she also likes to help others.
"Helping others makes me feel like an important person," Meng Meng says with a smiling face. She bravely shares her car accident experience in front of the county leaders, teachers and students during a child safety theme activity organized by World Vision. All of these experiences are inconceivable to the girl that she was before.
"Meng Meng is a lively and cheerful girl. Her classmates love her so much,” class teacher Suo says.
Beginning this year, Meng Meng started to live on campus.
"My grandma won't have to worry about me if I live on campus, she just needs to take care of my brother,” Meng Meng says.
She spends time with her brother when she returns home during weekend.
“I want to be a chef in the future, because grandma said that I cook well,” Meng Meng says with a smile, while she was slicing vegetables.
