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Tuesday, August 23, 2016


Computers at the Du'an Special Education School 
Computers Help Students Learn 
lex Wang with the teacher of the blind at Du_an Special Education School
Alex Wang 王臻 with the teacher of the blind at Du'an Special Education School

Computers Cause Excitement

One of the most exciting times in China was our visit to the Du'an Special Education School. Last year we gave the school 18 computers,and we wanted to see how they were using them. We found that it took them a year to get internet access and set up a computer section in one of the classrooms. The kids were just beginning to learn to type with Chinese characters. Three computers were in the blind classroom. We brought Alex Wang, a blind computer expert, to show what blind people can do with computers and to encourage the blind teacher to use the computers in her lessons.  

Netspring logoWe have plans to get them 40 more refurbished laptop computers through  Netspringworld.com in Beijing. Our goal is to provide a way for the handicapped students to have life skills that might get them a jobs someday.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.


Blessing Hands is recruiting sponsors for ten 
students at the special education school. 
Pick one out at this link

___ Huang Lingyu
Huang Lingyu 黄羚语 needs a sponsor.
We are starting  a sponsorship program for 10 students at the school that need help paying for their food and board. You can help these student by giving $308 (2000 yuan) a year to sponsor them. You will get their picture and a thank you note from the student. 

___  Tang Yangui needs a sponsor.
 Tang Yangui 唐艳规 needs a sponsor.
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 Sponsor a student for a year. $308

undefined 
Co-sponsor a student for a year. $155


Deaf students
 
Deaf Students in the computer lab
Deaf Students in the computer lab
Sign language is taught.
Sign language is taught.

Alex Wang王臻 Partners with Blessing Hands


Alex Wang __
Alex Wang王臻
Alex Wang 王臻  has a NGO that helps blind people learn to use computers and become computer programmers. He has a master degree in engineering from a German university. He became blind five years ago from a disease. 

The kids took to the computers eagerly. The teachers were saying they would have to make them work on their homework first. My response was do their homework on the computers.

Alex Wang greets blind students
Alex Wang王臻 greets blind students
Alex traveled on public transportation to visit the blind students and encourage them to be self sufficient and learn to travel independently. The school has canes for the blind students. But the students are afraid to use them. Alex stressed the importance of traveling with a cane and being able to take care of themselves.

We bought them earphones also to help the students learn all in the same room without distractions. 

Wonderful Volunteers always go with us to Du'an. 
Eddy Wu (胡家成) and Alex (王臻) are shown in this video.
 Eddy comes from Hong Kong with candy for the students. 


Many volunteers went to the special education school.

Chen Yuli ___ _ one of graduated students_ volunteered


陈余丽
Chen Yuli,  
one of our alumni students of Blessing Hands, enjoyed giving out candy to the students. The students liked it too. Eddy Wu always brings candy from Hong Kong for the students. Chen Yuli 陈余丽 decided to sponsor a child there. 

Volunteers
Volunteers
Suzi Deng 邓桂东 and Tina Xingyi Tan 谭杏仪 helped with translation. Eddy Wu 胡家成 took pictures.  Kevin Li 荣标 and his wife Tina drove a car and offered to help the school with computer expertise. Wen Jianhua文建华 also drove his car. 



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  • Thanks and blessings,

    Betty Cutts
    Director of Blessing Hands
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    Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.

    Monday, August 08, 2016

    Wednesday, August 03, 2016

    What did you do this summer?

    What Did You Do This Summer?
    Flower Greeting from Anlong High School
    Flowers Greeted us at Anlong High School 

    Franzini Family Volunteered for our
    Summer Camp in China
    What did you do this summer!

    Maria Franzini helping a camper prepare for the talent show.
    Maria Franzini helping a camper prepare for the talent show
    The Franzini family has a very interesting answer to that question. Carolyn Franzini, her daughter Maria Franzini, and Maria's son Theo all volunteered at our Friendship Summer English Camp in Anlong County of Guizhou Province. The camp was organized by Anlong No. 1 Middle School in co-operation with Blessing Hand. Carolyn taught English and US culture classes while Maria was the camp music and dance teacher.

    Theo Swank, who is ten, was a great friendship ambassador because of his outgoing personality and red hair. The Chinese students had not seen many Westerners, especially cute ones with red hair. They all treated him like a movie star wanting to take a picture with him and get autographs. Theo took it all in stride and graciously participated in all the camp activities from the talent show to sports.

    Franzini Family with a Chinese Friend
    Franzini Family with a Chinese Friend
    Anlong is a minority Buyi area in central China. Just getting there required two planes and a bus. Guizhou Province is one of the poorest areas of China according to Chinese statistics. The Franzini three generation family found eager students and appreciative educational and government officials. The students especially enjoyed Texas line dancing and folk dancing.

    Maria Franzini is a music teacher at Lexington's Providence Montessori School, and Theo attends the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Lexington. Grandmother Carolyn Franzini is a retired educator and serves on the Morehead City Council. Since Morehead is a Sister City to Yangshuo, China, Carolyn has taken part in many Sister Cities exchanges including carrying art back for a planned art exhibit of Yangshuo professional paintings at the Rowan County Arts Center in January, 2017. 

    Carolyn, who has traveled to China ten times, stated, "I love international travel, because I feel it is a great educational experience to learn about other cultures. As a result, you look at your own culture with new eyes. The Anlong students were very eager to get to know each of us. They were very curious to learn about the US culture. I know they learned that we don't all live like we are portrayed in the movies."

    Maria, Carolyn and Theo
    Maria reported, "It was an amazing cultural exchange. It was inspiring to work with such dedicated students. They applied themselves whole heatedly to learning new music and dances.  It was also very interesting to learn how China's schools are different from those in the USA. "

    Theo wants to go back again. He said, "Everyone was so kind to me at the camp. The locals in China liked to take pictures of me because of my red hair. I was a little unsure about the different toilets, but I adjusted just fine. "

    Six teachers from the USA served in the camp along with eight volunteer translators. The students' usual English classes were taught by the Blessing Hands volunteers for three mornings, and the Anlong teachers enjoyed afternoon teaching methods classes with the volunteers. On the last two days of the camp, only the Anlong High School students supported by educational grants from Blessing Hands and Community Roots got to participate in a special US type camp with fun activities.  
    Carolyn also got to see her Blessing Hands Scholarship student_ Wang Pinliang in Guiyang.
    Carolyn also got to see her Blessing Hands scholarship student, Wang Pinliang (王品亮).

    College Scholarships Needed

    Carolyn Franzini shares support of one of our college scholarship students, Wang Pinliang 王品亮, who is studying statistics at GuizhouUniversity of Nationalities. Pinliang is from the Buyi people.  


    Alisa (Zhengjin 正金) needs a new sponsor for her second year of college. The video below is her thank you video to her sponsor, who now can't help her due to financial problems.  We are looking for someone to help her through the next three years of her studies in finances. Her scholarship is $650 a year. 

    Wang Zhengjin has lost her college sponsor.

    Alisa Wang Zhengjin needs a new sponsor.
    undefined  Give a $650 college scholarship.
    undefined Give a $350 half scholarship.

    Wu Xiaotong ___
    Wu Xiaotong 吴晓彤
    Wu Xiaotong

    Good News! Two of our students in Gansu Province have qualified through entrance exams to go to Baiyin Experimental High School. The bad news is that Wu Xiaotong does not have a sponsor. These are her words.

    "My family only has 3 persons. My father is usually not at home. He must make money for my family. It's so tired to work. My grandmother is very old, and she is not healthy. She is sick and weak, but she has to look after me. Life is harmful. Because I am young, I can't reduce it. I want to change my family's life. I want to go to a senior high school that is a boarding school that is the best school here. I have made up my mind to study well to pay back your kindness."

    Wu Xiaotong_s grandmother is 82.
    Wu Xiaotong's grandmother sits by their home.
    The tuition expenses, books, and food will be much more expensive in high school. Wu Xiaotong will need $416 to afford high school for a year. Her father has no education, so any job he gets does not pay much. They have no land to farm. She has a 82 year-old grandmother who is not well. Xiaotong is 15 and a good student. Please sponsor her.

    Thanks for your continued support of our Blessing Hands students.

    Blessings,
    Betty Cutts
    Director of Blessing Hands
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