Dream rooms for left-behind children | 她为留守孩子建“公主房”

　　Zhang Liuying has been a social worker for children since October, 2020. Even though her educational background did not meet the requirements of the Aixi Social Work Service Center in Liangzihu District, its former director Yang Meili decided to hire her because of Zhang's experience as a mother and her willingness to take care of children. Yang said: "I could tell at a glance that she truly loves children."

　　2020年10月，张六英成为一名儿童社工，当年负责招聘她的爱熙前梁子湖区主管杨美丽介绍，张六英学历并不符合条件，但张六英作为母亲的身份和照顾孩子的意愿打动了她。杨美丽说：“一眼就能看出来，她是真的爱孩子。”

　　On the International Children's Day last year, five left-behind girls from two villages in Liangzihu District moved into "dream rooms" that had been specially renovated by Zhang. The walls were freshly painted with formaldehyde-free latex paint, and a king-size bed was fitted with an elaborately selected flat sheet and duvet cover in each bedroom. Bright lamps were on the desks and the ceiling lights were star-shaped.

　　去年“六一”前夕，梁子湖区两个村的5名留守女童搬进了张六英为她们专门改造的“希望小屋”。墙新刷了无甲醛乳胶漆；1.5米宽的床上换上了精心挑选的床单被套；书桌上放着明亮的台灯，天花板的吸顶灯图案是星星。

　　Left-behind girl sitting on her new bed Photo by Hu Dongdong

　　Xiang Xiang, one of the five girls, used to sleep with her grandmother. It was the first time that she had her own room. Lying on her cozy bed, she said, "I even laughed in my dreams."

　　香香是5个“公主房”的小主人之一，她原来一直跟奶奶睡。第一次拥有在梦里才有的房间，躺在宽大的床上，香香说：“我在梦里都在笑。”

　　After the first group of dream rooms were built, the center received RMB 50,000 in social charity funds, and late last year Zhang renovated five more rooms for another five girls.

　　第一批“公主房”推出来后，引来了5万元的社会爱心资金，去年下半年，张六英又为5个留守女童改造了5间她们自己的房间。

　　"Low self-esteem ultimately limits a person's development." Zhang has learned from her own experience that a mother's love can help a young child overcome a sense of inferiority. "Most left-behind children have low self-esteem just like me when I was a child." As a social worker, Zhang hopes that with her help, these children will not live the same inadequate childhood as she did. "Bring a little light into their childhood and their future will probably be different."

　　“自卑最终会限制一个人的发展。”张六英从自己的经历中悟出这个道理，母亲的关爱可以帮助幼小的孩子克服自卑。“留守儿童大多有自卑心理，就像我小时候一样。”作为社工，张六英希望通过自己的努力让这些孩子不再走自己走过的路。“给他们的童年送去些许光，也许他们的未来真的会不一样。”

　　(Edited by Ye Shiyu)