Li Ping holds a baby at the orphanage. [Photo/Liu Hongjie]

On the eve of International Children's Day, the Chinese Embassy in Kenya donated more than $4,000 worth of schoolbags, footballs, pencil boxes, toys, books and other daily necessities to the Kenya Children's Home (KCH) in Nairobi.

Addressing more than 60 children at the donation ceremony, Li Ping, wife of Liu Xianfa, China's ambassador to Kenya, said, "Caring for children is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. Chinese society has always focused on caring for children by providing them with a favorable environment for healthy growth."

"Caring for children is also an important cause that the Kenyan government and people are constantly pushing forward," she said.

The Kenyan government has developed a Nation Action Plan, which involves helping needy families improve maternal well being, mobilizing the community to assist by enacting preferential policies for education, medical care and nutrition.

The orphanage is the flagship project of KCH and is home to up to 200 orphaned, destitute and abandoned babies and children ranging in age from infancy to above 18, some of who are now studying in universities and returning to stay on weekends.

One resident, Theresa Manie Koroma, 11, is from Sierra Leone in West Africa. She suffered from a serious illness and had difficulty walking. She had been treated in the UK for one year, after which she was transferred to Kenya for further treatment and taken to the KCH six months ago. She said she hopes to be able to walk with the aid of crutches someday.

At the ceremony, every boy was given a schoolbag and a soccer ball; girls got a schoolbag and a panda doll. Theresa got the boys' gift and was extremely happy about it.

"I love soccer," she said. "It is of special significance for me because I wish to practice walking and be able to walk. Then, I can play soccer!"

After the ceremony, Li Ping and colleagues from the Chinese Embassy were given a tour of the KCH.

KCH has a team of 200 Kenyan staff including teachers, house mothers, management and social workers, who are committed to providing the best care, protection and education to the children they help.