2016年11月30日星期三

Smiling faces


This is written by a RSS collaborator that saw the scene at the rehabilitation centre one day and felt in the bottom of her heart 




This place is either out of water or out of power, there was no water just the day before yesterday and then no power again last night!

It's the weekend, two collaborators began the work of the day after breakfast: drag the hose to water the vegetables; and cook for the elderly as usual.

When the power is out, cooking has to be done using wood fire: one would have to watch the fire/add firewood, select the vegetable, wash the vege, wash the rice, boiled rice etc…….busy enough. Upon finishing the cleaning of the compound, instead of sewing a few sandbags for the kids, decided to go to help the elderly due to laziness.

Walk into the homes for the elderly, the collaborator saw several elderly people in the room doing their own thing, and she greeted them and walked directly towards the end of the house guō tái (stove), what's in sight is Ma Jian-Gan the elder reclining near the stove adding firewood, laughing loud "he he" upon seeing her. “You're here", he says hello to her. “Yeah, I come and see you, you are helping to add fire ah!" "Oh, adding the fire, my personal favor." Walked into the kitchen, the collaborator started cutting the vegetables, her face filled with nice looking smiles…that was a natural, unconscious smile. I asked her :”What are you laughing at? Let me see the beauty of what's your smile, so that makes me laugh too." She just said: “I didn’t laugh, did I?" then laugh again as she spoke.

Smiling faces of the elderly, coupled with the smiling faces of the collaborator, what on earth is more beautiful picture than the smiles from the bottom of the hearts!

Who would've thought they were disjointed strangers before, and separated far and wide? However, at this very moment this is definitely a father and daughter in deep love affection, in the enjoyment of the time, enjoying the gift of family warmth.  This happens because of common humanity, our common father -- God. He gave each and every one his share of the purest, most noble emotions - love.

“Love one another, so that people can recognize you as my disciples.” Jesus ordered: this is the driving force of our life, source of our strength, and the root of our smiles.


2016年11月9日星期三

Angel of the Elderly - Yang Xiaoyun




Commonly known as the angel of the elderly, Yang Xiaoyun is an ordinary Yi tribe old man. The reason for his name is that although he was suffering from leprosy but he never complain. He is happy to lend a helping hand no matter who is in trouble.



At the beginning of the rehabilitation center, traffic is very inconvenient. Daily necessities of rehabilitation center basically rely on manual carrying up the mountain. Since Yang Xiaoyun came to the rehabilitation center, there was an extra bodily figure carrying a big bamboo basket following the nuns traveling to and from the mountain.




Meigu rehabilitation center is located in the mountains of Rama. Even though at late stage a stone pathway has constructed, still the vehicles cannot go up the mountain.  For various reasons the nuns previously serving at this center left. So there is no one serving at the rehabilitation center, and the elderly homes here are very helpless. Under the arrangements of Ricci Social Services , Yang Xiaoyun came to the Meigu rehabilitation center to help the old people cooking. After he came here, in addition to cooking for the elderly he also help them to wash clothes, bath and cleaning. Yang Xiaoyun never complains: not too dirty too tired. He just hope that the old people here can have a comfortable environment to spend the last moments of their life.

2016年10月25日星期二

Corrective Footwear for Leprosy Patients



In order to improve the deformity of the feet of lepers in the Chinese mainland (with nuns), this can also serve as a cure for ulcers in the feet. Casa Ricci Social Services, in cooperation with Fr. Roberto Tonetto of Ya-Xi Marynoll center, designed a special protective footwear in 2007, contacted a company for manufacturing, and distributed to the center of the relevant patients until now. Expenditure so far is about 300,000 yuan, covering 6 provinces, the number of shoes over 6000 pairs, serving about 500 to 600 patients. This shoe is constantly improving, so that patients can fell more confortable.




2016年8月3日星期三

5to. Anniversary of the death of our beloved founder Father Luis Ruiz S. J.





Remembering our dear Father Luis Ruiz, who began his work in Macau when he was 37 years, the work of Fr. Ruiz primarily began in China when he was 80 years old. I believe the Chinese government has been marveled by a man of his age worried and investing so much effort and money on people who were not worth for the society and almost did not exist. People affected by leprosy were not a priority for the society and P. Ruiz transformed them on his priority. By giving them access to electricity, building road, worrying about their food, sending religious to heal their wounds, giving education to the youth, etc. thousands of patients affected by leprosy regained their dignity as persons. The work of Fr. Ruiz allowed these people to overcome their isolation, tearing down the wall that discrimination had built. They were able to approach the society, but also the society dared to get closer to them. In a way, he started a movement that nowadays enable individuals and groups, including people in government, to approach and be able to get closer to people affected by leprosy.

Father Luis Ruiz, shared with us many gifts, but the most important is their mission to serve those in need. With your help Casa Ricci continue with this mission to help and bring hope and joy to the poorest in China in the same way he has taught us to be near them, to serve and to learn from them.

You can also find the documentary we made of Father Luis some years ago in the following links:

Part I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irw7rqtp8HQ
Part II:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8AIDuWIRi0
Part III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPbHBSx6_Oo




2016年6月10日星期五

Friendship between the Deaf and the Blind





The sun is just rising,
A million of golden light shines to everywhere,
Among the green mountains, 
Shines upon the red brick houses, 
It is so beautiful and charming.

Look!

Here, just here,
Living brothers of Jesus,
They are also small flock of Jesus.

Look!

We are living together because love of Jesus,
Love of Jesus brings us new life, 
Love of Jesus teaches us to live.

Look!

Open the window and take a look,
Friendship as love of brothers shows real life.

One rehabilitation patient of 81 year old who is deaf but not blind, another one of 70 years
old is blind but not deaf. The deaf one reads newspapers, indicates places, shows direction and looks for things for the blind one, the blind one composes regional songs of 
thanksgiving for the deaf one, when the kitchen call to eat, the blind one makes gesture to 
the deaf one to advise him and they go together to the restaurant, the deaf one then leads 
the blind one to his seat and service meal to him.

Day after day, year after year, this kind of living brings them friendship, and the love of 
friendship brings them happiness.

                                                                                            14/11/2015

2016年3月11日星期五

Solidarity requires our Heart and Mind

Moving towards our 30 years Anniversary
(This article was written by Mr. Pedro Leong, a CRSS staff member. He reflects about the many changes that happened in Casa Ricci since Fr. Ruiz arrival at Da Jin Island in 1987)

"Wherever our services are needed, there we shall go!" This is a simple and direct concept of service to others. On 8th October, 1987, Fr. Luis Ruiz received an invitation from the Guangdong Provincial Government to go to a place known as Da Jin Island to provide care for people affected by leprosy (PALs) who had been sent to live there. From that moment onward, time has passed so quickly; we are now approaching our thirtieth year of service on the Chinese Mainland.

Presently, our service activities have extended to nine province in China. Incidences of leprosy have reduced; but we are aware of the need to serve patients of other medical afflictions where they also suffer discrimination and marginalization. So CRSS has expanded its services to help AIDS victims, students encountering financial hardships, residents of economically depressed areas, and victims of the sex trade.


In actual fact, the name of Fr. Ruiz (or rather, Father Luk, in the local Cantonese dialect) was well-known in Macau from the 1950s through the 1980s. There used to be a saying, "Some of the poor in Macau may not know the name of its governor, but none of the poor in Macau would not have known Fr. Luk!" This is because Fr. Ruiz went about his work with a practical approach combined with human warmth. His work became the standard of quality to which all of Macau's service and charitable organizations aspire. He earned the trust of many overseas and local people of goodwill, groups, institutions, and government entities. Upon learning that his name was associated with a particular project, they would willingly join in partnership or in support of that activity. And then there were those who had received his help in the past, they, too, would follow his example and participate in various services to the community.

In 1987, having found a successor for Caritas de Macau, the entity which provides charitable services in Macau, Fr. Ruiz then devoted his time and energy to serve the larger needs in Mainland China. At that time, he brought with him a number of religious sisters from India to work on Da Jin Island. These sisters had previously been working with him in Macau.

As the Bible says, "There are no new things under the sun".  The positive results of the service on DaJin Island led to more requests for help from local governments of other areas. In response to the many requests, Fr. Ruiz contacted a number of Mainland Catholic congregations to volunteer their services for the work. At the same time, CRSS also expanded its activities beyond Da Jin, and gradually began to establish working partnerships with other Mainland organizations. 

However, it should to be pointed out that, when CRSS was starting its Mainland China service in 1987, the country was just beginning its drive to reform and to open up to the world. At that time, the government welcomed assistance and resources from abroad. Laws and directives pertaining to foreign entities operating inside China, and regulatory agencies responsible for their supervision, were still in the process of being established. Hence, the application, approval, and on-going administrative processes were simple and straight forward. Under those circumstances, Fr. Ruiz was able to quickly expand his operations. In those days, the major obstacle was the transportation infrastructure; administering the care was not the problem.

With the success of the reforms, China has achieved an enviable economic and political position on the international stage. At the same time however, administrative processes, and laws and regulations, are gradually becoming more codified and complex. One of the unfortunate results is the increasing restrictions being placed on foreign entities operating inside the country. Examples:

(1) 2001 - Regulations relating to organizations involved with children's welfare. (2) - 2006 - Regulations relating to AIDS prevention and treatment. (3) - 2008 - (Yunnan Province) Regulations relating to assistance given for AIDS-affected issues - orphans, family poverty, education opportunities, etc. (4) - 2009 - Temporary regulations relating to foreign NGOs operating inside Yunnan Province. (5) - 2013 - Regulations relating to the registering of community organizations. (6) - 2014 - Regulations relating to religious organizations caring for orphans and abandoned children. And there will soon be new administrative procedures for dealing with foreign NGOs. In essence, these laws, regulations, and procedures all present increasing challenges to the service work that we, and our service partners, do on the Mainland.

Just to take Example #4 - temporary regulations relating to foreign NGOs operating within Yunnan Province - a lot of time and effort were expended to provide the requested details (and those of our partners) required in order just to continue our work in Yunnan, and that has seriously affected our service delivery. As for the anticipated new procedures relating to the supervision of foreign NGOs, we believe the future, requirements and restrictions will be even more severe. 

Fr. Fernando Azpiroz, who began working with Fr. Ruiz, in 2005, and who has since assumed responsibility for CRSS, is facing this situation. He is well aware of how these regulations and procedures are affecting our service in Mainland China, as well as the discouraging effect they have on our partner organizations and on the local governments. In order to maintain the necessary relationship of mutual trust, mutual reliance, and seamless co-operation, it is no longer possible to rely upon personal legacy and historical reputation. A long-term strategy will require all stakeholders to share a common mission, a common ideal - to serve others.

In one our meetings in 2013, we defined the spirit of Casa Ricci in the following way: 

To find life amidt situations of death
To create hope in the middle of hopelessness
To recreate dignity together with those who have been marginalized
To defeat discrimination, by building solidarity.

Fr. Azpiroz took Fr. Ruiz's words, "Wherever our services are needed, there we shall go"! and raised them to meet our present-day situation and current challenges.

At the same time, we need to increase the efficacy of the work being done by our partner organizations at the various rehabilitation centers. In 2004, Casa Ricci established the first training programme for directors of these centers. At the second training programme in 2015, we set up an electronic platform for the different service groups to exchange information and messages. This is to allow the different partner organizations to share information and their work experiences. At the 2016 budgetary meeting, Fr. Azpiroz took a further step and told the staff of both at Casa Ricci and the partner organizations of the need to make our services more local, to have more structure and better defined objectives to our work, to conform to legal requirements, and to become more proficient in what we do. In truth, the situation is changing, and we must adapt to the changes. We have to strengthen our partners' commitment to the ideal of service. This is the only way we can stand firm and face today's challenges.

Pedro Leong   

  

2016年2月5日星期五

Education for rural farmers




Education is one of the most important factors for the continual personal and community development. But this idea seems a strange one for the villagers in the rural area. Most of these villagers never go to school. and it is rare that they can read or write a bit. They only learn from their ancestors how to teach farming for a living for the family and their offsprings. Therefore as parents they become helpless and at a loss most of the times when facing the education of their children during their growth period. 

Several villages discussed how to improve their financial and community life through the joint development of a credit union. They decided to start doing themselves first by persistently study together for 2 hours every month. Hopefully they can change the fortune of themselves and their next generation.

Community development project coordinator.

Teresa Tao



2016年1月12日星期二

Arrival of an old man

On October 22, 2015, an old man came to this rehabilitation center after an absence of five years, the old man is Fr.Luis Gutheinz, SJ., he saw new changes in the rehabilitation center in these 5 years and was very happy to witness the innocent happy smiling faces and lively scene of its primary school students.



The living area of the rehabilitated people used to be small, and now they can live in spacious, illuminative and comfortable rooms with individual quarter. Children have no activity place before, and now they have basketball court, table-tennis table, activity room and playground etc. Therefore, the children can spend their free happy time in sports and games after the classes.



Thinking of how the people here initially do not attach importance to education initially, with very few students; but now can see lots of children, with community and government gradually started to pay attention to these students, especially to take care of their daily life, and will give students an annual payment of school supplies, clothes , shoes and so on. His face was full of irrepressible, emotional smile after seeing all these.



He went to see the places that the rehabilitated people used to live and study, but did not see any traces. All he can see was the new road and bridge. He lamented the repeated saying: "great, really great.” Also he added:" In just five years, there was such big change: the former trail becomes now a spacious road. “ He returned to the rehabilitation center in emotion, and his mouth still kept laments: "really big changes! “ To see such a change and the hopes of these children, the eighty-year-old looking forward to come back again next year, and hope to see even bigger changes.


Lastly, he happily posted picture with the children and rehabilitated people, and distributed gifts to them.