If people in wealthy communities could live alongside people from poor regions, it would transform the world’s fight against poverty, hunger, and disease. It would be impossible for people to look away, impossible for them not to help.
This year during summer vacation time, I made my trip to Turpan which is located in the east of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of Northwest China, to see real life directly, listen to the people living through it, and more or less do my little help to those in need.
Turpan, with its unique arid desert climate characteristics in a warm temperate zone, it’s a dry, hot, and windy area. During my visit, the maximum temperatures are higher than 40.0°C every single day. So it’s a challenge to live under extremely hot sunlight, and also made us think about how the natural climate would highly affect people’s life here.
Following days, I started to talk with families, farmers, cadres, community health outreach workers, and learned about the progress they are making in meeting healthcare and other fields that help to improve people’s well-being.
There were so many things that happened or I saw that have influenced me deeply and they will continue so. When we, for example, the local representatives along with my friend Mahpuza and I, walked towards the gate of farmers, they all freely welcomed us and invited us to sit down, and quickly served us a cup of hot tea. It’s hard not to get moved by their humility and enormous generosity.
During my visit, I had the chance to meet amazing people who are down-to-earth working on the frontline, helping the community thrive and sharing their support and love for people in need. Alipjan is one of them.
As a community worker, he is constantly helping individuals, families, groups and communities develop their capacity and access to resources, including health insurance, food, housing, quality care and health information.
He also makes home visits to chronically ill patients, pregnant women and nursing mothers, individuals at high risk of health problems and the elderly. Especially, during the COVID-19 lockdown, he works on the frontline sharing great support for people.
Before we actually take on this trip, Mahpuza and I planned to do some actual things on site, help people with our best capacity, no matter the size but the path we will lay and the seed of hope we might spread. And yes we did, thanks to so much support and love we received. And here goes my fondest regards and appreciation for Alipjan and more others who are working tirelessly on the field.
