For six-year-old Savannah, the world is a tapestry woven with threads of China and Africa. Due to her parents’ work, she has spent her young life traversing these two continents, a unique experience that has fostered a deep connection to African culture.
In Cherry’s Home class at Hangzhou Yungu Kindergarten, Savannah excitedly shared her African adventures with her teachers and classmates, considering herself an African child and cherishing her friendships with other African children in China.
In 2024, to further promote African culture and storytelling, Savannah’s parents founded the Africa International Exchange of Art Foundation (AIEA). Their family is committed to sharing Africa’s beauty and diversity with a broader audience.
That fall, Cherry’s Home class embarked on a project about “reusing items.”
The teachers illustrated this concept by showing how old t-shirts can be repurposed into reusable shopping bags or how outgrown clothes can provide warmth for those in need.
This sparked a heartwarming idea: to donate unused clothes and books to children in Nigeria.
The children eagerly rummaged through their closets and bookshelves, bringing forth gently used clothes and beloved storybooks. They carefully folded each item and decorated the boxes with colourful drawings.
In just two days, they and their teachers had collected hundreds of items, which Savannah’s father then carried to Nigeria to be donated to kids of the same age grade such as hers.
At the start of 2025 on 02/01/2025 to be precise, AIEA staff arrived at Little Saints Orphanage in Nigeria, bearing these gifts of love.
The moment the boxes were opened, a wave of excitement swept through the orphanage. Children excitedly tried on the clothes, their faces lit up with joy. The books were quickly devoured, providing a window into a different world. The hand-drawn cards, with their heartfelt messages, became treasured keepsakes.
A spontaneous language exchange erupted as the children and AIEA staff attempted to communicate. Giggles and laughter filled the air as they stumbled over new words, with (Wǒ ài nǐ) – I love you becoming a shared expression of warmth and connection.
This was not just a simple donation activity, but a beautiful act of crossing borders and transmitting love, and it also witnessed the pure and precious friendship between Chinese and African children.
At the end of the visitation to Little Saints Orphanage Home, the message was clear, Love speaks many languages,
The actions of Little kids from far away China were accepted with love by children in Nigeria without the need for much ado and it shows how the world we live in can be a better place if only people can show love and appreciate their fellow man without prejudice,ill feelings and recriminations that abounds in our daily life.
