仿佛只是眨了眨眼，岁末已至。对福州西湖国际学校的学子而言，12月不仅是圣诞月，也是FLIS的传统慈善季。每逢此时，我们会举办各种活动鼓励学子积极参与到帮助他人的行动中来。慈善活动令我们了解到各种各样的人及其生活方式，尊重、理解世间的疾苦与狼狈，对他人与世界保有更多善意，用自己力所能及的方式奉献点滴。
As if by just blinking, the end of the year has come. For the students of Fuzhou Lakeside International School, December is not only the month of Christmas, but also the traditional charity season at FLIS. At this time of year, we are accustomed to holding various events to encourage our students to actively participate in helping others. Charity activities can help our students understand all kinds of people and their lifestyles, respect and understand the suffering and situations in the world, spread more goodwill to others and the world, and contribute bit by bit in any way we can.
通过慈善，我们可以令他人、令世界拥有更美好的未来。
Through charity, we can make a better future for others and for the world.
今年，在一番寻觅后，我们留意到“儿童希望福州小家”这个慈善项目。小家在福建协和医院儿童血液科医生及主任牵头下于2016年2月份建成，致力于为远离家乡赴陌生大城市就医的贫困患儿（以白血病患儿为主）及家长提供暂时过渡的居所，解决他们在榕求医期间衣食住行等生活问题。目前，福州共有8个小家，均位于距离医院仅几步之遥的小区。
This year, after a lot of searching, we came across the Children's Hope Project [Fuzhou Hope Home]. Led by the doctors and director of the Department of Pediatric Hematology at Fujian Union Medical College Hospital, Fuzhou Hope Home was set up in February 2016 to provide temporary transitional housing for poor children (mainly children with leukemia) and their parents who travel far from home to seek medical treatment in unfamiliar big cities, and to solve their living problems such as food, clothing, housing and transportation during their stay in Fuzhou. At present, there are 8 small homes in Fuzhou, all of which are located in neighborhoods just a few steps away from the hospital.
在慈善活动中，往往，大多参与者会对捐助对象产生强烈的“同情心（sympathy）”，这实属人之常情；但是，FLIS更希望能唤起学子的“同理心（empathy）”，去试图了解、努力想象他人的生活，去设身处地、将心比心……那么，在帮助别人的同时，或许我们也得以拓展生而为人的边界，看到更加广阔的世界：比如，此前多少人曾经想过对背井离乡求医的家庭而言，寻觅一处住所是如此关键而又艰难的事情？他们要面对的不仅是复杂而艰巨的疗程、泰山压顶一般的高额医疗费，还有一个陌生、令人无所适从的城市；医院床位有限，化疗前后孩子日常饮食起居难以面面俱到，往往一家人还遭受歧视，难以租到房子……那种无助与凄凉，对年纪尚轻的学子而言，大概无异于天方夜谭。
In charity activities, often, most participants will have a strong feeling of "sympathy" for the recipient, which is human nature; however, FLIS hopes to arouse the "empathy" of students, to try to understand and imagine other people's lives, to think of themselves in other people's places… Then, while helping others, perhaps we can also expand the boundaries of being born as human and see a wider world: For example, how many of us have ever thought that finding a place to live is such a critical and difficult task for families who have left their homes to seek medical care? They have to face not only the complicated and arduous chemotherapy, the high cost of medical treatment, but also a strange and disorienting city. Hospital beds are limited, and it is difficult to find a place for them to live before and after chemotherapy, and often the family suffers from discrimination and has difficulty in renting an apartment …That kind of helplessness and desolation is probably unimaginable for the young students.
但慈善带给我们的，只有品味人生的苦吗？非也！探访小家过程中，令FLIS备受感动的是，社工纷纷表示这些年来亦从孩子身上学到许多。化疗的痛苦当然难捱，但只要精神好一些，孩子便会以特有的活力感染每个人：有些小朋友觉得自己只是得了一场“大感冒”；有些孩子年纪虽小却伶俐懂事，面对苦难异常坚韧；有些孩子期盼陪伴，一听说志愿者哥哥姐姐来访，午觉也不睡，眼巴巴等待着……这些听上去稀疏平常的事若换做亲眼目睹，冲击力便非同凡响。此外，他们也见证了父母对孩子的不离不弃，爱与坚持可以令我们走多远、创造怎样的奇迹？一个个活生生的例子近在眼前。且社工们发现，许多小家的常年捐助者，正是曾经的受惠者——这些家长在自己孩子痊愈后，力所能及地奉献点滴，将善意传递下去。凡此种种，都是苦中淬炼出来的一点甜，因此更显弥足珍贵。
But does charity bring us only a taste of the bitterness of life? No! What touched FLIS during the visit to Fuzhou Hope Home was that the social workers said they had learned a lot from the children over the years. The pain of chemotherapy is certainly hard to endure, but as long as the spirit is better, the children will inspire everyone with their unique energy. Some children think they just have a "big cold"; some children are young but smart and understandable, and are extremely resilient in the face of hardship; some children are looking forward to companionship, once they hear that the volunteers visit, they do not even take a nap and wait with bated breath… These things, which sound so uncommon, have an extraordinary impact if they are witnessed. In addition, the social workers also witnessed the parents' unfailing love for their children. How far can love and perseverance take us and what kind of miracles can be created? Many living examples are close at hand. And the social workers found that many of the perennial donors to the small homes were the same people who had been the beneficiaries - parents who, after their children had recovered, gave what they could to pass on their goodwill. All of these are examples of the sweetness that comes from suffering, which makes it all the more precious.
难以忘怀的一幕，是社工女孩指着一面记录了小家感人瞬间的照片墙说：
An unforgettable scene was when a social worker pointed to a wall of photos documenting the touching moments of Fuzhou Hope Home and said:
“那些照片里的孩子都痊愈，回家上学去了。”
"The children in those pictures were all healed, went home, and went back to campus."
回家上学，多么平常的一句话。但若你能换位思考，体会患儿家庭哪怕1%的不易，你便会知道这也是多么令人激动、多么动听的一句话。
“All healed, went home, and went back to campus”, what a common phrase. But if you can think differently and even experience the 1% difficulties of those families, you will know how exciting and moving it is.
冬去春来，四季轮替，成立五年来，福州小家对几百个家庭伸出了援助之手，让在病痛中挣扎的孩子们得到家的庇护，让承受着巨大精神压力的父母们有一个放松的空间，给众多经济困难的患儿家庭带来更多的希望和力量。
In the past five years since its establishment, Fuzhou Hope Home has extended a helping hand to hundreds of families, giving shelter to children struggling with illnesses, giving parents under great mental stress a space to relax, and bringing more hope and strength to families of children with financial difficulties.
作为一所以育人为己任的学校，FLIS在思考，我们该如何帮助这些孩子，为福州小家提供支持？我们又该如何通过慈善让他人有所获、学子有所得？现在，一个聚沙成塔、改变未来的机会摆在眼前。以“未来狂想曲”为名，FLIS将在2021圣诞季打造一个未来舞台。我们打算搭建一个有故事有温度的慈善集市，邀请每一位西湖人在圣诞之夜共同给未来造梦，为他人更好的未来献一份力！慈善集市盈利所得将全部用于捐助儿童希望项目【福州小家】。
As a school whose mission it is to nurture people, FLIS is thinking, how can we help these children and provide support for Fuzhou Hope Home? And how can we encourage our students make something out of the charity while benefiting others? Now, there is an opportunity to make a difference to the future. Under the name of "Rhapsody of the Future", FLIS will build a ‘future stage’ and a charity fair with stories and warmth on Christmas 2021. Everyone from FLIS will be invited to dream for the future on Christmas, and contribute to the better future of others! All the profits from the charity fair will be used to donate to the Children's Hope Project [Fuzhou Hope Home].
