Grade 1 students of Shen Wai International School (SWIS) – budding artists, or future philanthropists?

(by Tracy Chen – Administration Manager, Captivating Shenzhen)

On  Friday ​ June 19th, Grade one students at Shen Wai International School (SWIS)​, the first international school in Shenzhen to be invested in by the Shenzhen Municipal Government​,​ held a silent Auction.  They auctioned off INCREDIBLE paintings produced by the Grade 1 students with help from their inspirational Art teachers – Dora Liddy and Julie Nelson. The teachers and kids did an amazing job on the paintings. I couldn’t believe these paintings ​were done by​ grade one students. Together, they raised RMB32,700 for Nepal Earthquake Relief. An astounding result. Previously, Grade two students from SWIS had raised RMB13,460 towards Captivating’s Earthquake relief efforts – a program that will continue for some time to come. 100% of these funds will be forwarded to support our partner front-line efforts in Nepal.

“It was my greatest honor to accept the donation on behalf of Captivating International, and I was asked to answer many great and intelligent questions posed by the Grade 1 students. Questions such as: how do the desperate children and families in Nepal get the money? How many people have we helped? ​How do ​you​ know they don’t have money? How did the earthquake happen? I was amazed to hear these logical and technical​ questions from grade one students. It’s so good to see the younger generation so involved to help poor children and their families who are less fortunate than them, to make the world a better place​.​

Thanks Belinda Holland – early Years and Primary Principal; Ally Wu – School Director; and Patrick O Donnell – grade two leader, for supporting this initiative. Thanks also to all the parents and students for their generosity. To Dora and Julie – SWIS Art Teachers – thanks for all the hard work and investment in our future leaders. It’s awesome work you all do.

As of now Captivating has received more than RMB 183k (US$29.5k) for Nepal Emergency Earthquake Relief efforts. Although the Nepal Earthquake is no longer the focus ​in the news,​ ​the needs are still desperate. Families who were already struggling with poverty find themselves now in even worse conditions. We support two Nepal based grass-roots organizations in Nepal focused on the the massive problem of Human Trafficking. This work has even become more desperate as smugglers take further advantage of young girls and families who are in absolute desperation. Thanks everyone for being behind this project to help the desperate earthquake victims in Nepal, and protecting girls from being kidnapped and smuggled out of Nepal. This is desperate work, and every donation can make a difference. Be sure to read our Nepal Blog stories for regular updates on what we are doing over there.captivating.org/blog/category/nepal-girl/

If you are interested in donating to our work in Nepal, please feel free to contact me tracy@captivating.org, tel: +86 755 26674830.