STORY: Chinese embassy donates goods to Chinese-aided orphanage in Zimbabwe
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 14, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 15, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:14
LOCATION: Harare
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the donation ceremony
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ZHOU DING, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe
3. various of donated goods
4. various of the orphanage
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZHOU DING, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe

STORYLINE:

The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe on Tuesday donated a batch of food, stationery and other basic necessities to the Chinese-aided Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home, an orphanage.
   
Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding handed over the goods to the orphanage at its premises in the Hatcliffe suburb, which lies 25 km outside Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.
   
The Chinese embassy and the Chinese community in Zimbabwe started to make donations to the children's home in 2016 and since then, they have been offering support to the orphanage.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ZHOU DING, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe
"In the past seven years, the Chinese embassy and the Chinese community have provided continuous assistance to the children's home by renovating facilities, upgrading water and electricity supply systems, donating daily necessities, livestock and poultry to meet the needs and promote self-sufficiency of this loving home."
   
Zhou said their support to the vulnerable children at the orphanage and many others in the country was testimony to the long-standing friendship between China and Zimbabwe, which started during the days of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle in the 1960s and continued to flourish in the post-independence era, with China supporting Zimbabwe's economic growth and social progress.

The Chinese government has funded numerous projects to help Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwean people, with the most recent projects including the new Parliament building, the new Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and the new 600-megawatt Hwange power station.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZHOU DING, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe
"Our profound relations also embody our effort to care for the disadvantaged groups and promote the well-being of the Zimbabwean people. What we have been doing here for the children's home is the epitome of these consistent efforts. Here I want to assure you that the Chinese embassy and the Chinese community will continue our endeavor to help you and help these disadvantaged groups in Zimbabwe."
   
With the donation coming just a few days before the celebration of World Children's Day on Nov. 20, the Chinese ambassador underscored the need for continued efforts in caring for disadvantaged children.
   
Starting with just 12 children at its inception in 2016, the care center has seen its number of children grow to about 40, with decent infrastructure set up through the joint efforts of the embassy and the Chinese businesses.
   
Some of the children from the home have since graduated from universities of higher education and many have started to give back to society.
   
Sharon Chivambo, the administrator of the Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home, told Xinhua that they were grateful to the Chinese support, but required more support to build more classroom blocks and further upgrade the water system.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Harare.
(XHTV)