Marking MBL’s 20th 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 20th anniversary. We have come a long 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 20 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
Almost 20 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.
20 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 20 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.
· 2022-2023 MBL, with Fusion Education (FES) and KYX International (KYX), organised the 1st and 2nd UK English Chinese Bilingual Recitation Competition, for students from across the UK, aged six to eighteen, competing in five different age groups. The events were supported by over 40 MBL volunteers.
· 2024 MBL joined a UK education project by British Council and the Consulate of Chongqing in China, and set up an online quarterly event Dialogue about Adoption, helping Chinese adoptees to communicate between birth and adoptive culture.
Also:
· 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 and The Frankfurt 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.
· MBL is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024!
We are immensely proud of these achievements and everything we have accomplished in the past 20 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!
Xinran/ MBL Trustees
MBL London International Cultural Events Team
MBL China Volunteer Centre
MBL Website and Multimedia Team
母爱桥20岁庆生致谢
亲爱的母爱桥MBL成员和朋友们：
龙年吉祥，敬祝安康！
我在此代表母爱桥邀请您与我们一起庆贺MBL20周岁！
在迎接母爱桥20周年之际，我们感慨近20年来的滴水成溪路径成茵，感恩一路同愿同行的的志愿者们。
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，20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
20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20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2023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。
-2020疫情前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，扩建了一支有五国志愿者组成的社交团队。
-2020-2022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。志愿者薛欣然完成了500疫情随笔。疫情期间，我们为许多海外学生提供了救助和心理疏导。
-2022-2023 母爱桥加盟英国富趣思学(FES)与凯谊信(KYX)，成功举办了第一/二届全英双语朗诵比赛。第三届于2024年春节后开始报名初赛，经过复赛后，于11月进行现场决赛。
-2024年母爱桥二十周年献礼：开设一年四期的‘在线收养文化对话’，旨在为世界各地被领养的中国儿女牵线搭桥，互助寻根访祖信息，更进一步了解中国文化的博大精深。
与此同时，母爱桥为众多中英文化交流项目牵线搭桥提供了支持：
-2021-2024母爱桥加盟英国文化部和驻华重庆领事馆的教育与艺术系列活动。
-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和法兰克福书展上提供了支持于帮助，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！
-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。
-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20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20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指导。
母爱桥董事会/薛欣然
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.
2024年元月于伦敦