It's not difficult to find foreigners who have been in China for more than a decade. But it is not often you find a couple such as Uwe Brutzer and Dorothree Brutzer, who have been in China for 15 years despite being just able to make ends meet. They are known as International Lei Fengs for their benevolences and many people are joining them to help the disabled.
Uwe Brutzer and Dorothree Brutzer
46-year-old German Uwe Brutzer, member of the German Universal Relief Association, is noted for helping numerous Chinese deaf-mute children. Uwe Brutzer and his wife Dorothee Brutzer came to Changsha in 2002. Before that, they had lived in Taiwan for 3 years where they learned Chinese Mandarin and chose Wu Zhengrong and Du Xuehui as their Chinese name respectively.
At first, they only helped deaf-mute children do a rehabilitation training in the Hunan Disabled Federation Rehabilitation Center. With the expansion of their charitable projects, they went to different rehabilitation training centers to learn more about the deaf-mute children there and looked for those who need help. Their efforts paid off. Numerous children they helped are now able to speak after receiving their training, and a few are even able to communicate fully.
The couple is playing games with deaf-mute children.
Uwe likes staying with children.
However, due to communication issues, they found many of the children were unable to secure employment as they grew up. So in late 2011, Dorothree took charge of Uwe’s work as a member of the German Universal Relief Association and Uwe operated a German bakery. With the help of the Association, Uwe employed a German baker Elke, who has more than 20-year work experience. She has been participating in helping train Chinese deaf-mute people in the shop from 2011 to 2014. Deaf-mutes were taught some skills on cooking western-style cakes to help them earn their own living.
Uwe and His Bach’s Bakery
Uwe named the shop after J.S. Bach's Chinese name Ba He (巴赫) and hoped to make the best snacks, just like Bach made the best music. However, running the shop is no easy task, given the cost of rental fees and salaries for its 10 employees. The shop was originally located on Taipingjie street, but the rental fee of 10,000 yuan ($1,500) per month forced the couple to relocate to a small lane named Xiangchunxiang (湘春巷).
Uwe is teaching a girl to cook western-style cakes.
Uwe said lower rental fees relieved him of financial strains and allowed him to concentrate more on making quality bread. "I only follow one principal: use the best ingredients to make bread with relentless effort," he said.
The little bakery is well-known now in nearby areas for its 46-year-old foreign owner and deaf-mute employees here. The shop has many regular customers despite being located in such a small lane with limited foot traffic. However, it's still difficult to make ends meet.
Dorothree is training children.
"My wife also operates an education project. While cooperating with a Hong Kong-based foundation, she is also trying to raise funds in Germany, "he said. The funds are used for rehabilitation training for deaf-mute children aged 2 to 6, and to support students from poverty-stricken families in special schools in Hunan (in Changsha, Zhuzhou, Chenzhou and Jishou).
For their kind deeds, the couple has sacrificed a lot. For example, Uwe was unable to be with his parents before they passed away. But certain moments help confirm that their sacrifices are worth-while, such as when a deaf-mute girl they had helped was enrolled at university, which is not easy in China.
Uwe said their perseverance is born out of love of God. "God loves everybody and we think everyone deserves equal opportunities. We want to be people who create opportunities," he said.
Parts of the English materials are published on
1. German couple's decade of charity training for special kids（December 13, 2012，People's Daily Online）
2. German couple help deaf-mute children （December 13, 2012，China Daily）
Thanks to Uwe Brutzer and Dorothree Brutzer for photos and guidance！
