ENTRY DESCRIPTION
In the South West Sichuan region of China, 40 young Tibetan kids, all orphans of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, are getting an opportunity to rewrite their lives. These children are all from Aba, an “autonomous” Tibetan prefecture in northern Sichuan province. Now, these 40 orphans live in Chengdu, Sichuan because of the efforts of their committed benefactor Mister Enbo. He has brought these kids to Chengdu from poverty stricken villages far away, where the conditions of life are very difficult. In many of these places, normal daily necessities, when possible to obtain at all, are considered luxuries. In Chengdu, at the Ginbo Training Center, these 40 orphans are granted a completely new perspective on life.
Every day, Monday to Friday, morning and afternoon, these 40 kids learn and train in Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, under the supervision of former professional fighters from diverse combat disciplinesns. These 40 young Tibetan all live together under the supervision of a group of people, also from Aba, who take care of all their necessities from freshly cooked meals, to clothes, to health assistance. Additionally, the children take classes to learn the Chinese language as well as Tibetan language so that they remain connected with their native heritage. Every Sunday, they are taken to the city center where they go to see movies or to the swimming pool and enjoy local food in restaurants.
Ultimately, these 40 orphaned fighters seem to truly love their new lives. They train hard and work with great determination to build for themselves a positive future and transcend their troubled pasts. Not all of them will become professional MMA fighters. But each is learning critical skills that will open a world of opportunities and pave a hopeful path into the rest of their young lives.
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