Somersaults, building with blocks, riding bikes, playing in the sand, and learning how to make new friends: precisely what childhood should be filled with. But what is missing from this picture? A permanent family.
Some orphaned children like Fynn are fortunate to be placed with a foster family. They get to experience life in a family environment, which is a great second to having a permanent family. Read more.
This September, Love Without Boundaries will be opening a brand new Believe in Me School in Shaoguan, a mountainous area in Guangdong province. In preparation for this exciting new venture, all three new teachers and one aide attended the LWB teacher training in Huainan a few weeks ago. This month, they will go to a Montessori training academy for two weeks of training. Once they return and get their classrooms organized, the school will open with 29 children in three classes! Below is a sneak peek of the Shaoguan kids. We have a suspicion that the new teachers are going to have a lively time with this group! Read more.
LWB’s Orphanage Assistance program has a remarkable story to share with you this month. A special lady named Ashley, who is waiting to go to China to adopt her daughter from an orphanage in the Guangdong province, wanted to do something to help out her daughter’s orphanage. She set out to fundraise enough to buy an incubator for the orphanage to benefit children born prematurely. She got some of her artist friends to design prints to be emailed to donors and then posted these prints and information about the fundraiser on her blog. Read more.
Last month 49 children received cleft lip or palate surgeries during LWB’s Cleft Medical Exchange in Kaifeng. One of those precious children was a very special little girl named Emily. Eighteen months ago Emily was born, missing both legs and one arm. When Amy Eldridge, LWB’s executive director, and Sheri Russon, LWB’s administration director, visited China in March, they met sweet Emily at her orphanage in Guangdong Province. They knew that this little one would need a little extra help finding her forever family and set the wheels in motion for her to be able to receive surgery during the cleft trip. Read more.
We first learned about little Gracie when she was enrolled in one of our nutrition programs in Guangdong Province. As soon as we were sent her photo, we began to get opinions on how to best help her. We learned from several physicians who looked at her pictures that she was most likely born with a condition known as Treacher Collins Syndrome.
Children with this condition have issues with their facial structure, but they usually have normal intelligence. We first posted Gracie’s photo to our Facebook page several months ago, and the response was just incredible. Read more.
These little ones, lined up to have their photo taken, are part of our nutrition program in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province. The program started in 2011 when an adoptive parent brought to our attention the need these children have for nutritious formula.
Our program is small as it is new, but we serve about ten babies and toddlers. We send a shipment of formula quarterly and receive new photos of the children in return. With rising formula costs, it is becoming harder and harder to keep our babies’ bottles full! You can make a difference in the life of a child through a suggested monthly sponsorship of at least $20 per month or a one-time donation in any amount. Read more.
Number three in our Top Ten Photos of 2011 is preciouis Yi. Baby Yi is part of our nutrition program in the Guangdong Province. She is a very sweet baby with a mild personality who loves to smile when her nannies tickle her. Yi was born with thalassemia, and she needs to go to the hospital for blood transfusions once a month.
We love this beautiful photo of her peeking out of her crib. Her nanny says she loves to be held most of all… and we think very few people could resist picking up such a beautiful little girl. We hope that a family will choose baby Yi in 2012 so that she can continue receiving the medical care she will need long-term.
One of the greatest joys for any LWB volunteer is hearing from adoptive families whose children were once in one of our programs. During this holiday season, we’d like to spread this joy to our supporters by profiling several children who were once featured on our blog and as a result found their forever families! Recently we heard from a wonderful adoption success story with a family who adopted a little boy who was part of our nutrition program in Guangdong.
We named our little guy Hyrum. We came across him through an advocacy group that Suzanne Damstedt, one of the LWB directors, participates in. She had alerted the group that a new child was posted on LWBcommunity.org. Out of curiosity, I hopped over to the blog to check him out. As soon as I read the title of the post, “Sweet Prince Brenden,” I was hooked.
Read more.
Nate is a happy little boy from Shunde in Guangdong Province. Often described as curious and helpful, Nate’s nannies have revealed that there is a playful side to this well-mannered child. He and a friend recently devised a sneaky plot to get into a high cabinet containing snacks. Together the two children cooperated to get into the cabinet, which included Nate climbing onto the other boy’s back to make him tall enough to reach into the cabinet and get the snacks out! We know Nate is good at sharing; so we can imagine the two shared their pinched treats. Nate’s ability to get along well with other children is apparent, and he certainly seems to understand the concept of teamwork!
Read more.
Even if you don’t speak Chinese and can’t understand exactly what Annabelle is saying, we think you’ll enjoy seeing her in motion and watching the very sweet and poised way she speaks into the camera in this new video. It’s difficult to believe that not long ago, this lovely nine-year-old didn’t have a wheelchair to get herself around and was unable to attend school (see “Our Bright and Brave Annabelle”). It’s plain to see that being independent and mobile has helped Annabelle to gain confidence.
Annabelle is said to be very bright and much happier now that she is going to school and learning. Our China staff tell us that she is also well-respected and loved by the other children.
Read more.
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