CRI听力:Orphans reunite for 10th anniversary of Sichuan Earthquake

This Saturday, May 12th, 2018, marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Some of the orphans who lost their parents in the quake have returned to an orphanage in Sichuan where they were raised, to be reunited with their adopted families there.

Located in Shuangliu County in Sichuan Province, the Ankang Homes orphanage was built by donors following the deadly 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County on May 12th, 2008, leaving over 69,000 people dead and nearly 18,000 missing.

Ankang Homes is the county's largest welfare house for orphans from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, looking after children aged between 4 and 19.

Ankang initially took in 712 children following the quake, but the number dropped to 672 after some children were reunited with their parents.

The head of the orphanage, Hu Yuanzhong, says the children have to learn basic life skills so they can grow up to become self-reliant adults.

"The children must enter society when they grow up. We love them, but we will never spoil them. They must learn to complete the tasks they should complete, and undertake the responsibilities they must shoulder," says Hu.

Aside from basic education, the children receive trauma counseling on a regular basis from professional psychologists.

They are also taught how to look after themselves in case they are confronted by a disaster.

"In primary and secondary schools, safety drills will be conducted in the classroom. Focused mainly on situational and teaching modes, children will be equipped with self-defense skills and knowledge to protect themselves," says Zhu Xisheng, the secretary general of the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation (CCTF), one of the supporters of the orphanage. 

86 caregivers are working at the Ankang Homes to provide care for the children 24 hours a day.

"I never gave up on them, and I wanted them to get well soon. They are different from other children because they suffered from the earthquake and lost their parents to it. We must take care of them like their parents would have," says Zhang Tao, one of the caregivers.

In the 10 years that have passed since the disaster, most of the orphans have grown up and left the orphanage to start education or to join the workforce.

On the 10th anniversary of the disaster, many of them returned to visit the families that they came to know from their time living at the orphanage.

Among them is 22-year-old Xiaosen, who lost his parents in the Wenchuan earthquake when he was only 12 years old.

"I learned from Ankang Homes that no matter what difficulties you run into, you must persevere to overcome them," says Xiaosen.

As of today, there are still 48 children studying and living at Ankang Homes.