Yuan's mom is the first "storytelling mom" in the community. Every Saturday morning, she held the "Mom's Storytelling" at the children's activity center and told children in the community interesting and beautiful stories. Yuan was one of her mother's big fans. She's grateful for the "Mom's Storytelling", as it made her "busy mom" into a "gentle and accompanying mom". 

World Vision supports local partners to carry out activities conducive to children's development at children's activity centers in urban villages. Every Saturday morning, Yuan's mom tells stories to children at the children's activity center.

Yuan was five, and was living in an urban village in Nanning, which gathered migrant workers from all over the country. Yuan's mom and dad were busy with livelihood, so Yuan's elder brother lived with his grandparents since childhood. It's not until Yuan was born did her mom and dad brought her brother to live with them. After the family finally reunited, Yuan's mom was bothered by new troubles. The fifth-grade brother refused to get close to the parents due to years of separation, and Yuan clung to her mom because of the lack of security and independence. These made Yuan's mom begin to realize the need to adjust the parent-child relationship and family atmosphere. After learning that the children's activity center in the community was providing relevant services, Yuan's mom went to the center for the help of social workers. With the recommendation of social workers, she attended the parenting courses offered by World Vision.

At the end of the courses, social workers recruited volunteers for the "Mom's Storytelling" and "Dad's Storytelling" in the community, aiming to encourage more parents to participate in the services for children in the community by supporting parents' holding of such storytelling activities, so as to enhance step by step their awareness and capability to care for and protect children. At the recruitment meeting, Yuan's mom was the first to respond. She hoped that she could learn more skills of communication and interaction with children in the process of volunteering, and better understand their inner world, so as to improve her relationship with her son with her own efforts and give her daughter the power to develop.

Social workers provided Yuan's mom with training and demonstration to read picture books, and guided her to hold the storytelling activity. In the beginning, there were two or three children to the Storytelling, and later, there were seven to eight at least. Yuan's mom got a group of loyal little fans. Every bit of progress gave her great encouragement. "I used to tell stories to Yuan, but I felt nothing when I told them. After trained by social workers, I felt totally different. Children loved to hear stories told with feelings. It really improved me." Yuan's mom said.

In addition to serving as a "storytelling mom" in the children's activity center in the community, Yuan's mom often used the knowledge she learned to tell stories to Yuan and her brother at home, trying to get closer to them. "There have been great changes in the family, especially (the children's) respect for parents. My husband supported me very much. For example, when I read with the children in the morning, he would dry the clothes, and when I told stories to Yuan, he would do the shopping and cooking. His undertaking of these as a father was the greatest support for me." "Before, I was self-abased, I even hated myself, but now (after being a "storytelling mom") I became more and more positive. It's really so."

At the same time, the mom also encouraged Yuan and her brother to join her "Storytelling" at the children's activity center, as well as other activities of the center. This year, the family attended together the family camp supported by World Vision. The parent's classes, midsummer evening concert and natural experience in the camp impressed them in a wonderful way.

Yuan's playing games with her mom and dad at the family camp.

"Before, Yuan could not go anywhere without me. After joining the activities of the center, she was able to participate in the activities by herself, and became more confident and optimistic. I saw a lot of progress and development in her", Yuan's mom said, "the brother has also changed a lot. Before, he would not let me and his dad go to the parents' meeting. If we said we were going, he would tell us that he would quit school. But some time ago, when his school organized a family activity, he offered to let me join it. He had never cared for his sister before, but now he would send her and pick her up when she attended interest classes at the center."

The "Mom's Storytelling" is becoming more and more famous in the community, and "now many parents bring their children here every week to listen to the stories." said Yuan's mom. The "storytelling moms" team has grown from one parent (Yuan's mom) to six. We look forward to such community volunteer service continue to take root in the community to let parents in the community put up a shade of love for children in the community.