Marking MBL’s 19th Anniversary
Dear friends of MBL,
We hope this finds you and your loved ones well and thriving in the post pandemic era, and that reading these words feels as we are together in person!
On behalf of The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL), I would like to invite you to celebrate our 19th anniversary. We have come along way in this time but never forgotten about those who have travelled with us on our journey, and there is no better occasion than an anniversary to thank our selfless volunteers and supporters.
When MBL was established on 18 August 2004, we were clear in what we wanted to achieve:
Provide better access to education for left-behind children in China.
Help children around the world understand China’s vibrant traditional culture.
Support Chinese children adopted into Western families understand their cultural heritage.
But we knew it would be hard. As a small cultural charity organisation working on a global scale, how long would we last?
Today, MBL is as a vibrant as ever, thanks in large part to our ever-expanding team of volunteers. Over the past 19 years, we’ve had the great fortune to work with over 1,000 volunteers from 27 different countries, across three central teams:
MBL London International Cultural Events Team
MBL China Volunteer Centre
MBL Website and Multimedia Team
19 years on, and we still uphold our beliefs, continue to offer assistance, and move forward, like a small stream merging into the sea of love.
19 years on and our conviction and passion for what we do is unwavering. Like the small stream that traverses many mountains to reach the boundless sea, we continue to make our mark.
Here is a summary of some of the key projects MBL has undertaken over the past 19 years:
Hundreds of cultural exchange programmes with adoptive families from 27 countries their adopted Chinese children.
The Books for Kids (B4K) project, which has helped establish 28 school libraries in rural China.
Annual volunteer training and workshops in both China and the UK.
Supported countless Chinese New Year and other festival celebrations in Western schools and organisations, including the Young V&A (formerly the V&A Museum of Childhood) and China Exchange in London.
We have updated the MBL website four times during this period and recently launched an exciting new logo design. We also have a brilliant volunteer team who manage our social media.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, MBL organised and delivered 14 hugely successful online forums, featuring prominent figured from the arts, literature, business and politics. At the same time, we developed collaborations with organisations in Europe, China, and the United States.
Throughout this period – and especially during the pandemic – we provided much-needed assistance and advice to many Chinese students studying abroad.
From August to November 2022, we successfully held the ‘1st UK English-Chinese Bilingual Recitation Competition" with associated partners, concluding with the final and award ceremony at China Exchange in London on 27 November. We are currently busy with preparations for the 2nd edition of the competition, due to be held in London in late 2023.
MBL’s media team supported the delivery of the acclaimed exhibition, ‘China’s Hidden Century’, at the British Museum in 2023.
MBL supported the appearance of renowned Chinese author Xue Mo at the London Book Fair 2023. At the same event, we hosted cultural events bringing Chinese authors together with Western translators, scholars, and social activists. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank Xue Mo and his team for their generous support for the Books For Kids project!
MBL continues to support the Global SinoPhoto Awards, portraying the lives and cultural heritage of Chinese communities worldwide through captivating photography and promoting international cooperation among photographers.
Continuously support the "ACA Sinoist Books " of Chinese translated literature and contemporary novels.
We are immensely proud of the these achievements and everything we have accomplished in the past 19 years. We truly value and appreciate every volunteer, every adoptive family, every supporter and every partner who have supported us along the way. Without you, we wouldn't be where we are today!
Dear friends, the world is always changing in all sorts of ways, many of them alarming, and the future can sometimes feel overwhelming and uncertain. What we can be certain about, however, is that MBL’s mission remains the same. We will continue to work hard to build bridges, between birth culture and adoptive culture, between the rich and poor, and between the West and China.
It is our firm belief that education and communication are the cornerstones of world peace. As such, we are devoted to providing children with a better education. With our talented and dedicated MBL volunteer team, we hope to contribute to a more hopeful future, both domestically and internationally.
So once again, heartfelt thanks for everything you've done for us. We cherish your friendship, and sincerely appreciate your ongoing support.
Best wishes to you all!
MBL Trustees
MBL London International Cultural Events Team
MBL China Volunteer Centre
MBL Website and Multimedia Team
亲爱的母爱桥 MBL 成员和朋友们：
见字如面！
希望您和您的家人和我们一样，和这个世界一样，正在后疫情时代的康复和振作中，总是有爱，总要前行，不是吗？
我在此代表母爱桥邀请您与我们一起庆贺 MBL19 周岁！
却顾所来径，我们总是不时回忆起我们共同所走过的每一步，记得我们遇见的每一需要帮助的人，感谢我们总是无私付出的志愿者们。
当 MBL 在 2004 年 8 月 18 日初建时，我们知道我们想要做什么：
帮助中国的留守儿童获得更多的获得书籍和教育的机会
帮助世界各地的儿童了解中国绚丽多彩的传统文化
帮助在中国以外被收养的中国儿童了解中国人的精神与生存理念
然而那时，我们不知道我们能做多少，且作为一个在国际风云中求生的文化慈善机构，我们是否能如愿持久。
现在，母爱桥已经是一个充满活力和快速增长的志愿者团队，19 年来我们先后拥有了来自 27 个国家的 1000 多名志愿者，组建了 3 个核心团队：
MBL 伦敦国际文化活动团队
MBL 中国志愿者救助中心
MBL 网站与多媒体团队
19 年过去了，我们仍然坚守信念坚持救助，砥砺前行，以涓涓细流，汇入爱的大海。
以下是母爱桥在过去 19 年中所进行项目的摘要，
我们与 27 个国家的收养家庭和中国被收养者合作进行了众多形式的文化交流，
我们的 B4K 儿童图书项目至 2022 年已经协助创建了 28 所乡村小学图书馆，
我们坚持每年在中国和英国两国进行志愿者培训，
我们参与支持了许多西方学校和社会团体的中国新春庆祝活动，其中包括与英国 V&A 艺术博物馆所属的儿童（目前更名 Young V&A)，以及与“中国站”的常年合作。
我们已经四次更新母爱桥的网站，最近又重新推出了新的设计。母爱桥还扩建了一支社交媒体志愿者团队。
我们在新冠疫情期间成功组织了 14 期 MBL 文化论坛，我们的嘉宾来自于国际间艺术、文学、商业、政治等多种领域的领军人物。与此同时我们还与欧洲、中国和美国的许多组织建立了合作伙伴关系。
不管在疫情期间还是之后，我们一直在为许多海外学生提供急需的援助和咨询。
2022 年 8-11 月，我们和合作者们成功地举办了“首届英国英中双语朗诵演讲大赛”，于 11 月 27日在英国伦敦的“中国站 China Exchange”进行了决赛暨颁奖仪式。作为一项年度活动，我们目前正在紧锣密鼓地准备启动今年 11 月 19 日的第二届赛事。
MBL 媒体团队 3 月至 8 月支持大英博物馆“晚清百态”特展。
2023 年，我们为合作伙伴-中国作家雪漠在伦敦书展上提供了热情的帮助，并举办文化沙龙，为中国作家和西方翻译家、学者、社会活动家提供专业的沟通交流。在此也诚挚感谢雪漠团队对 Book For Kids 项目的捐赠和支持！
继续支持【华人镜界】国际摄影大奖赛，通过精彩的摄影作品展现世界华人的生活面貌及文化传承，通过国际展览及交流促进摄影师的国际链接。
持续支持英国茶思 ACA“东书坊 Sinoist Books” 有关出版发行中国翻译文学和当代小说的活动。
在我们为我们所从事的母爱桥事业以及所取得的成就感到的自豪之上，是我们真诚的致谢：感谢感恩 19 年中的每一位志愿者、收养家庭、支持者和合作伙伴。没有您，我们走不到今天 19 岁的庆典。
亲爱的朋友，这个世界总是在变化中，有些甚至是在剧烈的动荡中，对于未来充满了很多的未知和不确定性。但是，可以确定的是，母爱桥的使命会保持不变，MBL 会再接再厉，在出生文化与收养文化之间、在贫富之间，在西方和中国之间，完善和加固母爱桥的三座文化立交桥。
我们坚信教育和交流是世界和平和更美好生活的基石，所以我们的精神是为了孩子们获得更完善的教育，以 MBL 精诚的志愿者团队去参与和支助海内外共同营造的充满希望的未来。
再次衷心感谢大家与母爱桥同愿同行！
我们期待着您的持续支持和建议。
母爱桥董事会
母爱桥中国志愿者中心
母爱桥多媒体团队
母爱桥伦敦国际交流团队
Email：headoffice@mothersbridge.org
Address：19 QUEENS COURT, QUEENSWAY, LONDON, W2 4QN, UK.
2023 年 8 月于伦敦