Xiamen, China – A charity event held to raise awareness of autism in China took place at the Tianzhu Mountain National Park last Saturday.
The event, which was a collaborative effort by the China Women’s Development Foundation and Xiamen 1N1, featured a range of activities including baking, cooking, peanut harvesting and an egg hunt. The “Fun Day” proved to be largely successful as it resulted in a total of over 100 000 yuan being donated to area families in need of support.
With approximately 2000 children being diagnosed in Xiamen alone, both the organizations responsible for holding the event felt that it was a necessary step towards ensuring that members of the community are aware of the disorder and can thus provide help to those who need it. Wu Jiantong has a young son with autism and was one of the many parents who attended the event.
Jiantong revealed that he and his wife initially had concerns regarding their son’s future as a result of his diagnosis due in part to the lack of awareness that exists with respect to autism throughout the country. However he believes that in recent years the public’s understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has improved and the devoted father now takes comfort in the support he receives from charitable organizations and other families affected by autism.
The original article on the What’s On Xiamen website can be read here