Children housed at the Campus of Hope, Tuanaimato will have an opportunity to learn the Chinese language thanks to the Confucius Institute.
The campus which caters to victims of violence is under the care of the non-governmental organisation, Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG).
An opening ceremony to mark the establishment of the Chinese class was held earlier this week.
Attendees included the Ambassador of China to Samoa, Chao Xiaoliang, SVSG President, Lina Chang, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute of National University of Samoa, Chen Wanhui.
Ambassador Chao said that in order to bring equal access to culture and development, with the resources of the Confucius Institute, “we set up Chinese class in SVSG to help the children learn Chinese, acquire new knowledge and skills, and enrich their lives.”
“Caring for the disadvantaged groups is the responsibility of all members of society, and it is also an important symbol of social civilization and progress,” he added.
Furthermore, he said both China and Samoa attach great importance to the development of social welfare, and the Chinese government is willing to do some practical work for the Samoan disadvantaged groups within its capacity.
The Chinese Ambassador also revealed that they brought some school supplies such as schoolbags, notebooks, and pens for the children.
“The embassy will also assist two TVs to the Group to improve the learning environment for the children, and the experts of the Chinese medical team to provide free medical examinations this weekend for the children.
“Learning Chinese has opened the window for Samoan students to communicate with 1.4 billion Chinese people and brought the opportunity to experience the Chinese culture.
“With the continuous deepening of cultural and People-to-People exchanges, I do believe that the friendship between China and Samoa will be further sublimated and China-Samoa community with a shared future will be more unbreakable. I hope you can continue to learn Chinese hard and become envoys for promoting the friendship between China and Samoa.”
Photo credit: SVSG Caption: Chinese language course established at Campus of Hope