An infrared body temperature measuring robot is seen at the quarantine center of the Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering, Central China's Hubei province, on March 12, 2020. [Photo by Su Feng/chinadaily.com.cn]
A farmer walks through a cole flower field in full bloom to go to work in Wen county, Longnan city, Northwest China's Gansu province, on March 11, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]
Student Huang Dihui has an online class via TV at Taiping Town, Wuming District of Nanning City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 12, 2020. Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the new semester has been suspended and students have online classes at home. Given the fact that some poverty-stricken households cannot afford the facilities for online classes, authorities have installed facilities to help the impoverished students learn via online classes. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)
Student Huang Dihui does eye exercises following instructions of an online class on TV at Taiping Town, Wuming District of Nanning City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 12, 2020.
The "family" of Pandor have dinner together on the traditional "Gutu Eve", two days ahead of the Tibetan New Year, at a children's home in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 22, 2020. (Photos: Xinhua/Sun Fei)
Pandor poses for a group photo with the kids at a children's home in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 11, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua/Sun Fei)
Pandor combs the hair of a girl at a children's home in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 11, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua/Sun Fei)
Pandor was born in Shigatse of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, a city near the border with Nepal, Bhutan and India.
She is a proud "mother" of 22 children, though the 37-year-old has never been pregnant or married. Six years ago, Pandor moved to the regional capital, Lhasa, where she found a job at a children's home for newborns right up to senior-college students. The home was looking for women to manage family units.
"We divided 300 children into 18 families and assigned a fulltime 'mother' to them," explained Norbu Drolma, director of the institute.
"The 'mother' is different from a teacher or supervisor. We need give these kids a home, and a mother to go home to," Norbu Drolma said. And so, in 2015, as the head of "Family #10," Pandor became the mother to 22 children.
She openly admits that she felt out of her depth at the beginning. "Some children have already entered colleges. They are so tall. I even don't know how to talk with them." Despite the initial difficulties, Pandor threw herself into her work. As an orphan herself, she wanted "her kids" to have a better childhood and more opportunities than she did. However, balancing their needs posed a different challenge.
One of the boys under her care, Kelsang Lhundrup, felt overlooked and acted out after Pandor missed a parent-teacher meeting at his school, so Pandor had to offer him individual support. She has never missed such meetings since. She also held household-family meetings so that each child knows, "This is a big family, and I may not be able to always come to everyone's need.
But that doesn't mean I don't love you. Bigger brothers and sisters will help you when mom is too busy. They are your family, too." "Every child is sensitive," Pandor said. "I just want to build this belief in them that they are not alone." Tibet has 11 children's homes that offer care for more than 5,400 children. Every child is allocated a monthly allowance of over 1,000 yuan (about 143.8 U.S. dollars), which is managed by the house mother. They are also entitled to 15 years of free education. Today, Lhundrup no longer plays up. Pandor listens with pride when his teachers reap praise on him. He is not the only kid to do well.
The family now includes six college graduates, a police officer, a social worker, and a helicopter pilot. They send money home to help their mom provide for their brothers and sisters every month. For Pandor, her birthday last year is one of her favorite memories.
"The kids asked me to go for a walk and kept me away from the house. When I got back, they had thrown a surprise party for me!" Pandor said.
"It was at that moment that I knew that becoming their mother was the best decision I have ever made."
Aerial photo taken on March 7, 2020 shows the construction site of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Amid strict prevention measures against the novel coronavirus, Chengdu is speeding up the construction of the airport, one of the country's largest civil airport projects, which is slated to be basically completed by the end of 2020. (Photos by Liu Yinghua/Xinhua)
People work at the construction site of the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 10, 2020.(Photo by Liu Yinghua/Xinhua)