Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nanjing (Agenzia Fides) - "For a pair of chopsticks" is the theme of the charity campaign launched in 2021 by the "Nanjing Ark Charity Foundation", the charitable foundation of the Catholic community of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, one of the many Catholic charities spread across mainland China. On May 6 alone, they raised 80,000 yen (equivalent to 11,500 euros). Since the beginning of the campaign, they have already offered 313,200 yen (44,750 euros) for 78 disabled guests from the different reception centers. All donations will be used to improve the quality of food for the guests of the Centers, where people with mental disabilities, autism or Down syndrome are found. According to the Foundation, "among the disabled, there are many middle-aged people, with cholesterol problems, hypertension... so they must be offered a healthy diet. Because everyone has the right to a better life". The choice of the theme is inspired by the deep cultural and traditional meaning of chopsticks, which are not a simple bamboo chopstick for eating, but an object with 3,000 years of history, embodying the traditional Chinese philosophy of complementarity and perfection. In 2015, during the 10th anniversary celebration of the Ark-Nanjing Special Education Center at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Nanjing Archdiocese, the “Nanjing Ark Charity Foundation” was officially born, which has been operating for years with the approval of the Nanjing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. The foundation has faithfully put into practice the mission of helping the disadvantaged in society: the elderly and orphans, the poor, the physically and mentally disabled, victims of natural disasters, poor children to whom it offers the opportunity to study, and especially girls and children of immigrant working parents, who are the most disadvantaged. It also manages the canteen, the laundry, showers and vocational training, to give them the opportunity to reintegrate into society... (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 18/5/2022)
