by Tafara Mugwara
HARARE, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- It was all smiles and fun at an early Christmas party held on Friday by the Chinese community in Zimbabwe for children with disabilities.
Children of different age groups, some in wheelchairs and others on the floor, left the crowd in awe with their dancing moves.
Organized by the China Hunan Business Association in Zimbabwe (CHBAZ), an organization representing Chinese businesses from southern China's Hunan Province, the party was aimed at bringing cheer to the children.
The Chinese community also took the opportunity to donate groceries to the children's families.
Also in attendance were members of the 19th Chinese Medical Team in Zimbabwe, also from Hunan Province.
Song Zhuolin, chairman of the CHBAZ, said the event is part of the Chinese business community's way of giving back to society.
"We want to give back to our society because we are doing business here, so we need to also take care of the social responsibility," he said.
Emilia Furawu, a mother of a child with a disability, said such an event is good for the children since it provides a socialization platform.
"I am very happy because of today's event," she said. "Our children spend most of their time sleeping. They don't have a lot of time to be happy like other children."
Patricia Muranganwa, another mother of a child with a disability, said the event brought relief to the children.
"It makes their bodies active. Those who can dance can dance to the music. Those who can dance on their wheelchairs can do so. Those who can sing can sing on their wheelchairs," she said.
Theresa Makwara, director of the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association, expressed gratitude to the Chinese community for the kind gesture.
Zimbabwe and Hunan province share a long history of cooperation.
Since 1985, the province has dispatched 19 medical teams to Zimbabwe to work with local healthcare workers.
