Cairen Nima, Party chief of the school, is in class. [Photo by Li Jiangning]
 

 

 

April 15,2020 -- The Wenle Boarding School in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai province reopened on March 25th, 2020. It has another name, China-Congo Friendship School.

 

The students in the school are either orphans or children from poor single-parent families in the nearby counties and villages. Cairen Nima, Party chief of the school, said that faculty members are not only teachers but also surrogate parents of these children.

 

Founded in 2004, it is one of the three schools for orphans in Yushu. It was severely damaged in the massive earthquake in 2010.

 

After the earthquake, the Republic of Congo made a donation to help the school’s reconstruction. The school has witnesses the friendship between Congo and China. The reconstructed school was delivered on Jun.15th, 2012, covering an area of 42,625 square meters, four times as big as the previous one, with a 3,440 sqm student dormitory. The school is well equipped and has a teaching building, an information building, a library and a student dormitory. Since the school opened, the number of students has risen from 120 to 486 with the number of teachers growing from 16 to 56.

 

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Yushu earthquake, the school has organized gratitude-themed activities. Students wrote thank-you notes and drew Africa-related paintings to express thanks.