Care for the health of the elderly and protect the growth of children (post-two sessions exploration and implementation, pay attention to grassroots governance and people's livelihood protection (6))
Core reading
Tingping Township is a small mountain township in Minhou County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, where there are many left-behind elderly people and children. In order to serve the "one old and one young" well, Tingping Township has done a lot of work: building a canteen for the elderly to solve the problem of feeding the elderly; Establish primary schools and kindergartens to ensure the healthy growth of children; Improve hardware facilities, provide various services, meet the needs of the elderly and children... A series of measures to help the elderly and the young to be nurtured.
It's not easy to go to Tingping Township. Departing from Fuzhou city at 8 a.m., it was bumpy for nearly two hours after entering the mountain, and it was nearly noon.
This small mountain township is located in the northernmost part of Minhou County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, with a household registration population of more than 3,4000. Xu Hui, a member of the township party committee propaganda committee who accompanied him, said that due to its remote location, most of the labor force in Tingping Township works outside. The township has more than <>,<> permanent residents, almost all of whom are elderly people and children. Serving "one old and one young" has become the key work of Tingping Township.
Unlike urban communities, which have a good economic foundation and a high degree of convenience in life, mountainous areas are relatively short of people, money and resources, but the work of strengthening the service of "one old and one child" cannot be relaxed. Recently, this reporter went into Tingping Township to visit the field.
The elderly canteen has fragrant meals
When she arrived at the home of Zhou Zhangwei, an elderly man in Tingping Village, she was sitting at the door basking in the sun. Children and grandchildren are away all year round, his wife died early, and Zhou Zhangyu lives alone. Seeing the people coming, the old man smiled happily.
The house is less than 10 square meters, with a bed, two tables and a chair, constituting the entire living area of the elderly. On the table at the end of the bed, there is a kettle, a pair of chopsticks, an induction cooker and an iron pot. In the past, Zhou Zhangyu used to cook rice in this simple "small kitchen" and eat it for several days. A pot often holds three meals a day for the elderly for several days.
There are many elderly people living alone in Tingping Township, and the problem of eating is the most troublesome. When he first arrived in Tingping Township as party secretary, Chen Ming visited the old man's home and learned about the actual situation. Since then, Tingping Countryside has made up its mind to further meet the dining needs of the elderly.
In recent years, in the communities of major cities in Fuzhou, elderly canteens have been basically covered. Tingping Township also wants to build a canteen for the elderly, so that the elderly can eat well at their doorstep. However, compared with cities, mountainous townships have limited finances, and venues, personnel, and meals all cost money. How can the elderly canteen continue to operate? The party committee of Tingping Township explored the model of mutual aid elderly canteen, with the township government providing land, village sages donating funds, and service personnel being cadres and relatively young elderly people.
In November 2021, the first parent canteen in Tingping Township opened in Tingping Village. The elderly pay 11 yuan a day, and all three meals can be eaten in the canteen. Approaching the meal, Zhou Zhangyu walked for a few minutes, walked to the street, and followed the fragrance to the cafeteria.
In the cafeteria, the four round tables were full. In addition to eating, this is also their spiritual home. Zhou Zhangyu doesn't like to talk much, but as soon as he canteens, it is like arriving at his own home. Small space, parents are short, laughter.
At 11:<> p.m., the electric car delivering food stopped at the entrance of the cafeteria on time. No need to start a stove, every day, the cooking aunt makes meals in the township government cafeteria, packs them and covers them with plastic wrap, and it only takes a few minutes to deliver them. The plastic wrap was lifted, and the canteen was suddenly filled with aroma. The old people picked up their plates and consciously lined up.
Braised pork, dried fried fish, Chinese cabbage, tofu soup... Two meats, two vegetarians and one soup, Zhou Zhangyu's rice plate was full. In the cafeteria, there were also two young figures in red vests. Every day at mealtime, township cadres take turns to come here to help - guide meals, help with meals, and maintain order.
Eating well and having company, Zhou Zhangxian feels more and more that "you can have a happy old age at your doorstep".
In May 2022, the elderly canteen in Shikeng Village also opened for business, which is the second parent canteen in Tingping Township. "In the future, the mutual aid elderly canteen will be fully rolled out in the main administrative villages of the township." Chen Ming said.
Not only that, in order to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the elderly, the New Era Civilization Practice Station and Comprehensive Cultural Service Center have been fully rolled out in 25 villages in the township. "We adhere to the guidance of party building, give play to the role of township cadres and younger elderly, explore a mutual aid and respect for the elderly canteen model suitable for Tingping Township, and on this basis, the Tingping Township New Era Civilization Practice Institute, Tingping Township Comprehensive Cultural Station, 'Tingping Xinhua Library', etc. are included in the supporting services of the elderly canteen to further meet the needs of the elderly." Xu Hui introduced.
Persist in running schools and improve quality
Walk down the hillside along the elderly canteen and turn a corner to Tingping Township Central Primary School. At 1:<> p.m., students carrying school bags and red scarves jumped into the campus.
The campus is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the area is small, but it is fully equipped - teaching buildings, dormitories, canteens, activity rooms, running tracks, basketball courts.
Lin Liangyuan, the principal of the school, said that in Tingping Township, most families with conditions send their children to the city to study. The school currently has more than 6 students in six grades, "but as long as there is one student, we will stick to the school and do our best." ”
Half an hour before the afternoon class, there are still several students sitting in the reading room on the first floor of the library. Lin Xinyu, a sixth-grade student, was among them, holding a book in her hand and looking focused.
Lin Xinyu's family lives in Houxi Village, Tingping Township, 1 hour's drive from the school. It is inconvenient to go back and forth every day, and Lin Xinyu lives on campus when she is very young. Lin Liangyuan calculated an account for us: nine years of compulsory education tuition and textbooks are all free. With financial support at all levels, boarders also have a daily meal subsidy of 7 yuan and daily necessities.
The library is Lin Xinyu's favorite place, as long as she finishes her homework, she soaks in it and reads. With more than 1,<> books in the collection, Lin Xinyu couldn't finish reading until graduation. What makes her even happier is that she has books she wants to read, and she can tell her teachers that the school will buy them regularly. Lin Xinyu told reporters that she likes the feeling of reading books quietly alone, and in books, she can understand the world. "Learning gives me hope, and I look forward to the day when I go out through learning." Lin Xinyu said.
It is separated from the primary school by a playground and opposite the Tingping Township Central Kindergarten. Coming to the kindergarten activity room, a parent-child activity is being held. The children's mothers were invited from all over the place, and under the guidance of the teacher, the children beat their mothers' backs and gave them small gifts made by themselves... Kindergarten teacher Ye Jiamin introduced that the kindergarten uses gamified teaching and other forms to let children feel love and give love from an early age and help them grow up healthily. Lin Liangyuan said that although there are not many students in the kindergarten, the teachers are not bad at all, and all 7 teachers have graduated from the kindergarten major.
Tingping Township Central Kindergarten and Central Primary School are open to school-age children aged 3-12 in the township. "We provide dormitories, as long as the school-age children in the township, from kindergarten to primary school graduation, can study in the township center kindergarten and the township central primary school." Lin Liangyuan introduced that for students whose household registration is not in the local area, the school also recruits them, so that all children can realize their wish to go to school. At the same time, we continue to enrich the teaching staff and strive to let children in mountainous areas enjoy better education and teaching resources.
Optimize services to meet demand
At 3:<> p.m., the activity room on the <>rd floor of the library of Tingping Township Central Primary School was very lively. In the activity room, students raised their heads and brushed their hands. On the podium, a group of young social workers from the Minhou Little Partners Youth Social Work Service Center are giving the children a mental health course of "facing up to stress and learning to reduce stress".
"While meeting the basic needs of 'one old and one young', we also need to pay attention to their mental health." Xu Hui said.
Many years ago, Lin Kongliang, a full-time member of the adjudication committee of the Minhou County People's Court, traveled to various mountainous villages in the local area to explain legal knowledge to children. But Lin Kongliang gradually discovered that the cultivation of children's legal awareness did not happen in a day. With the support of the Youth League Committee of Minhou County and the Tingping Township Government, Lin Kongliang launched the "Spring Bud Plan" in Tingping Township, and set up a workstation in Tingping Township, relying on "Party Building + Justice + Government + School + Social Worker" to normalize legal consultation, psychological counseling and other assistance services for left-behind children.
On the day the reporter arrived at the school, he was in the middle of the month's psychological counseling and legal lectures. Looking at the judge on the stage, Lin Xinyu's eyes widened: "I usually only see it on TV, but I didn't expect the judge to be by our side." ”
"Children in the mountains need love and companionship." Social worker Chang Wenqing can't forget the eyes of the children in class. In this context, Minhou Xiaobao also launched one-on-one precise help and micro-wish activities. In the collection of micro wishes, paintbrushes, basketballs... The children's wishes were fulfilled one by one.
Near the evening, on the central street of Tingping Township, people came and went. On one street, there are public service facilities such as canteens, health centers, and barbershops, and it is also the main activity place for the elderly and children. Xu Hui introduced that relying on existing resources, Tingping Township regularly carries out free clinics, free haircuts, invitations to the countryside and other activities for the elderly, and also holds square dance competitions.
A house with a sign of the New Age Civilization Practice is also located on this street. It is manned and the doors are open during the day. Walking into the practice center, the book reading room on the left hand side was crowded with children. The reporter saw that in addition to all kinds of books, there are also 6 computers here. Xu Hui introduced that not every household in the village has a computer, and during holidays and after school, it becomes very lively. A computer that connects children with the world outside the mountain. Each of the 25 villages in Tingping Township has such a station. When returning home on weekends, the reading room of the practice station is where Lin Xinyu frequented most often.
It was getting late, and before Zhou Zhangyu went to the elderly cafeteria for dinner, he used to sit here. In this small world, the old people play chess and chat, and they have fun.
"We are working hard to provide for the old and the young, but there is still a long way to go." Chen Ming said, "To promote the tilt of service resources to townships and mountainous areas, and to protect the 'one old and one young', the whole society needs greater efforts and more joint efforts." ”
Reporter Wang Wenxin