Bergen is one year old and has some very complicated heart defects. He was brought to the Anhui Healing Home in February in hopes that relief from the cold, harsh Anhui winter would help him to gain strength and increase his appetite. Unfortunately surgery is not an option for Bergen in China. Our goal is to keep him as healthy as possible as he waits for a family of his very own, who can give him the best medical options available. Read more.
Most parents adopting internationally have at least a year or more to prepare themselves for the arrival of a child into their lives. They go through home studies and read parenting books. Hopefully by the time they step off the plane in a foreign country, they have had lots of opportunities to process their feelings about building a family through adoption.
For the child, however, there is often little preparation for what will happen to them when they walk through the doors of the Civil Affairs office, and so adoptive parents must anticipate every possible scenario. Read more.
Diego and Hada are two of the six children in our Tongren foster care program who are in need of sponsors to provide nutritious cereal for them. Diego, seen below checking out a box of cereal, wakes up bright and early and asks his foster mother to wake up! His foster father works away from their home but calls frequently to check on them. Diego loves to hear the sound of his foster father’s voice on the phone when he calls. Diego has a good appetite and also likes to eat rice, noodles, and meat. The cereal program is a wonderful way to supplement his diet, ensuring that he receives the best nutrition we can give him.
Read more.
Recently I read a blog where the parents of a child adopted from one of our programs made some derogatory comments about the child’s appearance and behavior in their first days together. As I read through the blog, it made me quite sad. I don’t think they wrote such critical things purposely, but it was clear that they weren’t taking the time to see life through the child’s eyes instead of their own.
It made me think that perhaps I should write up a few articles over the next month about setting realistic expectations during adoption. I hope these can be practical blogs that address some very common daily issues such as standards of cleanliness. Read more.
During a visit to some of our foster care programs last October, our foster care program director and associate director met a sweet boy at an orphanage just three days after he was abandoned. He was nearly nine years old and appeared to be carrying the weight of his crushed world on his tiny shoulders. It was difficult to imagine the pain and loss he was feeling. He had a wooden walking stick to help with an obvious weakness he had in his right leg. When questioned by the orphanage staff, the boy would answer each question in a soft, broken voice. A decision was made to move him into foster care as soon as possible in an attempt to start healing his broken heart and spirit.
Love Without Boundaries was invited to visit Duyun, Guizhou in March. This beautiful area in southeast Guizhou is home to the Buyi ethnic minority group, whose villages are almost always located near rivers and whose homes are traditionally made of stone. This region of China is famous for the Libo wilderness area and is filled with rivers, waterfalls, and forest covered mountains.
Read more.
The next part of our recent trip to China was to Guizhou Province, which is home to several minority groups, including the Dong, Miao, and Yi. As we reported last year, the Dong people live primarily in eastern Guizhou and are renowned for their beautiful songs about both nature and love. Their songs are very important to their courtship rituals, which always involve music. In early relationships the young men and women sing traditional songs, but as the relationship deepens, they will begin singing spontaneously to each other. We were blessed to be able to listen to several traditional Dong songs on our first evening in Guizhou.
The next morning we visited the new Qiandongnan orphanage facility, which opened earlier this year. This is truly a massive facility, with space to someday hold over 1,000 children. Read more.
Little Ricki came to our attention in June 2011. She had been born prematurely and needed extra care and as a result, was moved to our Anhui Healing Home. Initially Ricki was described as very quiet, and our healing home staff reported that she had difficulty keeping her food down and was quite weak.
After a few months of careful feeding, Ricki had gained much needed strength and weight and was now described as an energetic little girl who loved to smile. By early September, Ricki was a lively, chubby little girl, and plans were made to place her in foster care. Read more.
These rosy cheeks tell a story of cheer, happiness, and warmth!
Seamus, previously featured on our blog in “Seamus’ Smile,” is keeping toasty through this Hunan winter all bundled in his two sweaters, a thick coat, a pair of sweater pants, a pair of over trousers, socks, and cotton shoes. As warm as he must be, he seems happy as ever! Read more.
It may be cold in Fuyang, but David is staying warm! David also warms up those around him with his bright smile and happy disposition. Over the last few months, he has made incredible progress in school. His teachers say that he has made great strides with his language skills and is ready to tackle reading and writing. Read more.
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