In a children’s centre, which Save the Children set up in a Kunming urban community, Jasmine was warmly welcomed by a cluster of migrant children. She asked their names and learned what they usually do in the centre.

The centre is located in a poor community that holds a large migrant population, mainly from rural areas and other small cities. As their families confront the pressures of basic survival, children from the migrant families always lack care and help from their parents.

The centre Save the Children established provides a safe place for the migrant children to play, make friends and study. The teachers and parents are very happy to have such a place for their children to play after school. The children see this centre as a second home. With the support from adults, the children arrange activities such as painting, table tennis competitions and training workshops on children protection in the centre. As Jasmine said, “though they came from migrant families, I could see they are very happy from their smiling faces”.

Jasmine continued her visit by visiting the Nakeli primary school in Ning’er County, where Save the Children provides teaching training and introduces ‘learner-centred’ education teaching methods. These include games and group work to make class more relevant and interesting for the children. Most of the children at this school are Hani ethnic minority children and they board here from nearby villages.

To learn of the children’s progress, Jasmine entered into the class, listened to the teacher’s teaching, asked children about their study, and engaged in conversation with the children. Jasmine also visited the school dormitories, asking for more details of the children’s lives in the school. In the Nakeli School Jasmine got to meet with a 13-year boy Bai Shenghong who, with Save the Children’s support, returned back to school after one-year of dropping out due to of poverty. Jasmine asked about his study and his family situation very patiently and encouraged him to make more progress and have more confidence.

Though China is experiencing rapid economic growth, there are still more children like these Jasmine met. They need help for the improvements of their lives. To better protect them, as Jasmine said, Save the Children should continue to obtain support from the government, corporate sectors and other partners. Jasmine asserted that she believes, with such good and wide cooperation, Save the Children could continue to make dramatic changes for millions of other Chinese children,