A Generation in Waiting

BEIJING, China – In the small county of Huitong in China's central Hunan province, a 10-year-old girl captured the silent ache of a generation with a simple verse: “Dad is like a bird — he flies out to find food, but seldom returns to the nest.” Her words are part of a collection of over 80 poems published in a book titled The Field Poetry Class, a project started eight years ago by local teacher Li Bailin at the Su Yu School of Hope.

The poets are China's "left-behind children," part of a vast demographic of young people growing up in rural villages while their parents work in distant cities. According to a 2018 UNICEF report, an estimated 69 million children in China are left behind, equivalent to thirty percent of all children in rural areas. These children are typically cared for by grandparents or other relatives, and in some cases, live by themselves. The mass rural-to-urban migration that has fueled China's economic boom for decades has created this silent crisis, leaving children vulnerable to significant psychological and social challenges.

The Kenyan Parallel: A Familiar Story

The phenomenon of children left in the care of relatives as parents seek economic opportunities is a deeply familiar one in Kenya. Driven by the search for employment in urban centers like Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu, many parents leave their rural homes, creating a similar, though less formally documented, generation of left-behind children. According to a 2020 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an estimated 277,000 young people migrated from rural to urban areas annually between 2015 and 2020, a trend that fragments families. While comprehensive national statistics on the exact number of children left behind are not readily available, research highlights the profound impact. A 2024 study focusing on coastal Kenya by researchers from the University of Nairobi confirmed that parental absence due to labor migration significantly increases the likelihood of poor emotional well-being among children, leading to feelings of abandonment, anxiety, and behavioral problems.

In recent years, climate change has become another powerful driver of this trend in Kenya. A 2024 report by Save the Children on Garissa County found that climate shocks were the primary reason for migration for 98.4% of displaced families, with the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reporting at least 187,000 children were internally displaced due to climate events by the end of 2022. These children face disrupted education, inadequate social services, and psychological stress.

A Channel for Expression

In Hunan, teacher Li Bailin recognized that her students' academic performance was secondary to their emotional turmoil. The turning point came after a class assignment where a young girl wrote a letter to her father pleading with him to stop beating her mother. Struck by the hidden pain of her students, Li turned to poetry as an outlet. “While public concern for their welfare has been widespread, little has been done to provide these children with an inner channel for emotional expression or relief,” Li stated in a report by China Daily on November 18, 2025.

The poetry project has allowed the children to articulate their complex feelings with startling clarity. They write about loneliness, hope, and the natural world that is their constant companion. One child described rain as “the tears of a cloud that slipped while climbing the rainbow’s slide.” The initiative provides a crucial emotional and psychological support mechanism, an approach that studies show is vital for children experiencing parental absence. In response to the crisis, the Chinese government in January 2024 launched a “Three-Year Action Plan” aimed at improving care services, psychological health support, and safety for rural left-behind children.

Creative Solutions in Kenya

In Kenya, non-governmental organizations are also turning to creative expression to support vulnerable children. The Naivasha-based Art for Children Foundation (A4C), for example, uses art, mentorship, and life skills training to help children affected by violence, poverty, and other social challenges. Their mission is to provide an environment where children can discover and nurture their artistic abilities, helping them build resilience and become advocates for change. Similarly, the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) has established over 500 “Rights of the Child” clubs across all counties, which use creative arts, debates, and songs to build confidence and self-esteem among children.

While the scale of China's internal migration is unique, the story of Huitong's young poets resonates universally. It underscores a shared global challenge: how to protect the emotional well-being of children when economic and environmental pressures pull families apart. The creative and community-based solutions being pioneered in both China and Kenya offer a powerful reminder that providing a voice for the vulnerable is the first step toward healing.