AustCham Shanghai CSR Partner Update-Mifan Mama
AustCham Shanghai's CSR partner Mifan Mama was founded in early 2009 by a group of expatriates visiting a privately run orphanage in rural Anhui. Seeing the need there they returned to Shanghai with a determination to improve the quality of life for these children. First focused on food, the scope of assistance grew and other projects were launched, such as Shining Star - a residential foster care facility for blind and partially sighted orphans based in Qingpu District.
Since opening Shining Star it has been increasingly obvious that many children suffering from visual difficulties also have other problems, many of which are mobility related. Of these a great deal can be alleviated with simple physical therapies to ensure the children are able to move around safely and benefit from the training.
AustCham Shanghai has been able to support Mifan Mama to purchase much needed equipment for these therapies (climbing ramps, bouncy balls, crawling tunnels, balance training toys, teaching aids etc...) and facilitate children's daily treatments.
Meet Lei Lei, Xin Xin and Chunge, three beneficiaries of the program.
7-year old Lei Lei's daily therapy includes using slides, throwing balls, balancing, jumping on the bed, walking, dressing himself, differentiating shapes, riding bikes. Thanks to regular pedriatic therapy he can now walk by himself and is not so fearful of new things.
Chunge is an 8-year old blind child, whose daily therapy has aimed to increase his listening and touching senses. He
responds to instructions on how to grab the bars, jump, run, climbing the ramp
and stairs and can now walk, sit and is not afraid of using frames and ropes
to climb the wall.
Xinxin is a blind 2-year old girl. Daily therapy has helped her to
learn how to climb stairs, stand on tip toes and give her confidence walking on
different material surfaces.
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