As told by Chang, his grandmother

Liu talks about his drawings with a Save the Children volunteer in a child-friendly space. Save the Children / Colin Crowley

When the earthquake struck our village of Qingping, my four-year-old grandson Liu was in pre-school. Luckily, his teacher was able to safely move all of the children outside. After two days, our family was told to evacuate our village, so we walked seven hours to the tent camp in Mianzhu. 

After the earthquake Liu was so scared and unhappy that he stopped talking and he seemed to shut down. I was very worried about him. When we came to the Mianzhu tent camp, I was told about a tent for children where they could play with toys, draw pictures, and play with other children. I brought Liu there and he found it to be wonderful because there are so many toys to play with and other activities like drawing and puzzles.

Now I bring him here every day, first thing in the morning, and we spend most of the day here. He especially likes drawing pictures. I have told all my neighbors in the tent camp that this place is wonderful and they have started bringing their children here too. It's clean and tidy and the staff is very friendly and kind.

Since my grandson started coming here, he has come back to life and he's started talking again. I've seen him change a lot, and it's all thanks to the Save the Children tent.

Learn more about Save the Children's response in China.