Anne Zhang

    zhangy49@gmail.com

    BEFORE a Finnish couple brought African drums to the third China Charity Fair held in Shenzhen, they didn’t expect to spread happiness this far.

    Zekrollah Aflatuni and Raija Aflatuni with a charitable project called “Happy Drum, Happy Children” had a small booth in Hall 1 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center where they taught people how to play African drums while promoting their project that aims to bring happiness to children of migrant workers through drumming.

    The couple’s presence as well as the drumbeats attracted a crowd of fairgoers who lined up to have a try on the drums.

    “Use the four other fingers rather than your thumb to beat the drum and don’t hit too much,” Zekrollah said. “You should have a rhythm in your head when you play it.”

    The couple has been living in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, for more than 16 years, and they’ve devoted themselves to charitable causes, said Si Changcheng, the project manager and a long-time friend of the couple.

    Zekrollah, a former employee for Nokia, taught free classes at some universities in Suzhou for several years. The couple began running a Happy Home Club 13 years ago where they invited young people to play drums once a week and discuss in English various issues, such as the purpose of life, marriage and child-parent relationships.

    Raija said they have a small donation box at the club and they encourage every participant to make donations that will be used to help sick children.

    “One of the primary purposes of our club is to teach young people to share,” Raija said. “When you help people, they get happy and you are even happier.”

    After learning that children of migrant workers suffer psychological problems, the couple decided to help them by teaching them to play the drums.

    “Music is the food for our soul,” Zekrollah said. “We want to bring spiritual happiness to these children.”

    Zekrollah designed a special drum for children. The drum is made from fiberglass so it’s light and strong, he said, adding that he created a special device that makes it easier for children to tune the drum.

    Zekrollah’s drums were well received by children and some locals. Residents and companies rushed to buy drums from him.

    “A drum is 250 yuan (US$40). We donate 100 yuan from each drum sold to help children with poor sight get glasses,” Raija said.

    Love Zone, a charitable organization in Suzhou, invited the couple to set up the “Happy Drum, Happy Children” project five years ago to spread the happiness to more children.

    The program trains volunteer teachers who will teach migrant students how to play the drums at local schools. The program now helps more than 200 children learn drumming every week, Si said, adding that they plan to promote the program to help children with autism.

    Zekrollah said the charity fair provided an opportunity for charitable organizations to promote themselves and build connections for future collaborations. Some organizations, including the Shenzhen Autism Society, have already approached them seeking cooperation.

    “I will stay in China for the rest of my life and continuing doing charity work,” Zekrollah said.