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President’s Village benefit under ‘Warm Children’s Hearts’ initiative   |31 May 2023

President’s Village benefit under ‘Warm Children’s Hearts’ initiative   

A souvenir photograph after the handover ceremony

Chinese embassy donates to children and hosts medical consultation

 

The President’s Village yesterday received a large donation of items including food, toys, and furniture from the Chinese embassy.

The donation by the Chinese charge d’affaire, Mu Jianfeng, to the First Lady, Linda Ramkalawan, at the village in Port Glaud yesterday afternoon, was done in the presence of the Minister for Youth, Sports and Family, Marie-Celine Zialor, and the chief executive of the National Council for Children, Yasmin Umarji.

It is part of the China-Africa joint initiative, ‘Warm Children’s Heart’, spearheaded by the Chinese First Lady, Peng Liyuan and the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, of which Mrs Ramkalawan is also a member.

When addressing the guests, Mrs Ramkalawan said Seychelles was grateful for the long partnership with China and acknowledge the many contributions to the children of Seychelles over the years, especially through the NCC.

“It is said that the best way to make children good is to make them happy, so I hope the children will be happy with all those beautiful gifts, that you have presented to us today and we cannot thank you enough for warming the hearts of our children,” said Mrs Ramkalawan.

For his part, Chinese charge d’affaire, Mu Jianfeng, stated that since children are the future, their health and happiness should be the concerns of all societies across the world.

He said it was in line with this that the Chinese First Lady launched the ‘Warm Children’s Hearts’ initiative with the African First Ladies and the aim was to prioritise the agenda of children’s welfare and pull resources from all stakeholders to create a better environment for children’s growth.

“This is the warmth and caring from Mme Peng Liyuan and China. The village is a beautiful home where children are living in a big family. We hope the donation will make everyone stay more comfortable and cozier. There must be a lot of fun stories here, and all the Chinese diplomats and doctors are willing to listen to your stories and share our own,” he said.

Mu Jianfeng also thanked the Seychelles’ First Lady for her support towards this initiative stating that “your love and affection towards children, and your commitment and devotion to the cause of children will always be cherished in Seychelles and other parts of the world”.

For her part, the senior child support officer at the President’s Village, Mirenda Hollanda, thanked the First Lady and the Chinese embassy for the items, especially the furniture, which she said will be used to furnish an empty toddler’s room and turn it into a crèche, where the kids will be able to play and interact.

“We had requested a few and what they have donated has surpassed our expectation; like we said, god has multiplied. We are so grateful and so happy for that.  And tomorrow we are going to set up our room so that the children can start using it,” said Mrs Hollanda.

In line with this initiative, a Chinese medical team was also present at the President’s Village yesterday to carry out medical consultations on the children and staff.

Mrs Hollanda also welcomed this initiative, stating it was a privilege to have medical specialists at their door, consulting their children.

“We know how difficult it is to set up a medical appointment to see specialists and we are grateful they have brought the service to us where our kids can do various tests to check their hearts, cholesterol, diabetes among others,” said Mrs Hollanda.

For her part, the First Lady congratulated China for marking its 60th anniversary since sending the first medical team abroad.

“We cannot ignore the work, the contribution that you do for our health system, for our people,” she said.

The donation and medical consultation have benefited thirty residents, ten girls and twenty boys aged between 4 and 17 years old.

 

Patsy Canaya

Photos contributed

 

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