Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding hands out stationery bags to children during a donation ceremony in Harare June 13, 2023. The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe held a donation ceremony on Tuesday in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, to bring cheer to orphans and other vulnerable children in the country.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

A Chinese doctor gives free medical examination to a child during a donation ceremony in Harare, Zimbabwe, June 13, 2023. The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe held a donation ceremony on Tuesday in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, to bring cheer to orphans and other vulnerable children in the country.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Chinese doctors give free medical examinations to children during a donation ceremony in Harare, Zimbabwe, June 13, 2023. The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe held a donation ceremony on Tuesday in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, to bring cheer to orphans and other vulnerable children in the country.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe held a donation ceremony on Tuesday in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, to bring cheer to orphans and other vulnerable children in the country.

The children from Hupenyu Hutsva Children's Home in the Highfield suburb of Harare received packages including blankets, groceries and stationery. The donation was part of a health care campaign for African children, titled "Warm Children's Hearts: a China-Africa Joint Action," which was jointly initiated by Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the Organization of African First Ladies for Development.

The Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe also conducted free medical examinations for about 100 children after the ceremony.

In a speech read on her behalf by Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works Marian Chombo, Zimbabwe's First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa expressed gratitude to Peng for the donation.

"The daily necessities and stationery will go a long way in empowering the orphans in their educational endeavors and their wellbeing," Auxillia Mnangagwa said. "This precious gift came as a pivotal pillar to support my efforts to make sure that each and every less privileged segment of our society got aid and suitable assistance for better and sustainable living standards."

Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding said China will continue to support the cause of children in Zimbabwe in order to improve the well-being of vulnerable groups in the country.

"China firmly believes that the right to subsistence and to development are the basic human rights of primary importance, which definitely calls for better development conditions for women and children," he said. "I believe that with love and care, our children here will grow up healthily and become talents to build a better Zimbabwe."

"I hope that our children here can keep the China-Zimbabwe friendship in their minds and become the inheritors and promoters of the friendship," Zhou said.