Dorjee Dolma is a lovely young woman who is part of our Mama’s Wish Program. She is a college student at Qinghai Nationalities University where she is studying Tibetan and planning to become a teacher. Her reports show her to be a dedicated student, and one with an especially kind heart as the story below shows.

Mama’s Wish assists with the education of children, teenagers, and a few young college students in the Tibetan region of Qinghai province. Many of the students that we support are orphans or have lost one parent, but all are poverty-stricken and would not have the chance of an education without Love Without Boundaries. These students, mostly girls, come from families that are nomadic herders, gather wild medicinal plants or practice subsistence farming. Often there are many family members relying on a total income of less than $100 a year! Obviously there is no extra money for school fees, and so most of these young girls marry very early – sometimes as young as twelve.

Dorjee Dolma has been part of our program since it began in 2005, when we heard about an incredible group of young women who were determined to create a brighter future for themselves. She began attending middle school where she impressed her teachers with her voracious love of books.

She then moved on to JianZha High School where she continued to do well. In all of her pictures she is smiling.

In the Mama’s Wish program, students write letters to their sponsors. Sometimes there are comments from teachers, too! Until this year this was done twice yearly – but starting November we will be sending quarterly reports to each sponsor. Unlike other LWB programs, sponsors can write and send pictures to their student!

During the terrible Yushu earthquake this past spring, Dorjee and a few of her friends volunteered around the clock in hospitals, translating for the Tibetan people and the Chinese doctors who came in to care for the thousands who had been injured. She said in one letter to her sponsor, “We have seen pitiful and helpless poor people who filled our eyes with tears in the hospital. I so think nature is cruel and heartless.” She had friends who lost family members, and she says that she felt “desperate” to comfort them. She made sure to eat with them everyday so that they didn’t feel lonely.

In a recent report, Dorjee said of her studies, “I am also fully using the material in the library, holding the time in reading books related to all kinds of knowledge in order to enhance my knowledge, to widen the angle of my thinking of the problems so that I can cultivate good thinking habits.”   She loves to study and chose to take electives in Nutrition and Ancient Chinese History.

To continue her college education, Dorjee needs $1500. To sponsor Dorjee, click here. If you would like to sponsor another Mama’s Wish student, click here.

LWB’s Mama’s Wish Program has made a commitment to provide an education for 87 students – primary, high school, vocational and university. We cannot do this without you!

Joy.  Glee.  Fun!  It seems like every time we see photos like this one from our Believe In Me school in Jinjiang, someone is laughing, playing and having a ball.  What a pleasure it must be for the Education volunteers to be a part of this!  We’d like you to meet two of these Education volunteers as part of our continuing series, “A Day in the Life”.  While these two volunteers work with very different types of educational programs, they both have the opportunity to help individuals learn and reach for potential they never even knew they had.

Marilee Gilmore, Believe In Me –Jinjiang Coordinator: I found LWB on the Internet when searching for a foster child to sponsor in 2005. I had been so blessed by the adoption of my daughter from South Korea in 1984 and wanted to give back a little to another international child. I had researched different foundations and was amazed that this all-volunteer organization could do so much with the money contributed. A year later I joined the Education Team as a volunteer and have been with them ever since. I have been fortunate to be the Coordinator of Believe In Me-Jinjiang since we established the school in 2007.

Being retired, I have the opportunity to work at odd times during the day and evening. I love the freedom of working from my computer and as I wish.  There is so much pleasure in being a LWB volunteer. Knowing that we are making a difference in the lives of these children every single day keeps me motivated to continue the work. I really enjoy seeing how much the children blossom in Education and how well we work as a team to improve their lives. My kids in school need the great start that the Nutrition program gives them, and many have Medical needs that need addressing. It is so great that we can all work together for them. I enjoy playing a small part in the work that we do.

Alyssa Ericksen, Associate Director of Mama’s Wish: I learned about LWB on a Yahoo group and immediately went and sponsored a little girl with the same special need as my son. I then did some research on LWB and was surprised and impressed when I read the annual report and discovered how low the administration costs are compared to the amount of work being done! The model of running a charity with volunteers intrigued me, and I decided that I would like to be one of them in some small capacity. I completed the application and was “hired” to be a coordinator for the Mama’s Wish program. We promptly chose a young student in the program to sponsor, and I look forward to my reports on her. LWB has continued to surpass my expectations, and I am amazed every day by the dedication of the volunteers and the scope of the work that we do in China.

I had just agreed to become the associate director when an earthquake hit the province where our program is based.   I worried constantly about the kids until we were able to confirm that they were all safe.   A typical day for me might involve answering emails, sending out reports to new sponsors, reviewing the month’s financial reports or emailing with my coordinators about their assignments.  As a new director, I am definitely still “learning the ropes!”

Wangchu Tsering attends Xuri Poor Aid High School, thanks to sponsors of Mama’s Wish, and will graduate in 2011 from high school with vocational training in medicine.

I am privileged to be part of a program that allows girls, boys and young women and men to complete an education in a region of China where opportunities for them are scarce. We are truly changing many lives as we support these dedicated students.  Another aspect that I value in volunteering for LWB is getting to see the work of the other programs at a deeper level.   I avidly read the emails about little babies arriving at the healing homes, about field trips taken in our Believe in Me schools and about successful and life saving heart surgeries.   I look forward every day to all of the good news posted about the children in our program.   I am truly grateful to be a small part of this wonderful organization.

Please join with us as we work together to bring comfort to the victims here. Fortunately, we have people right there delivering needed supplies. To donate, please visit our website at www.lovewithoutboundaries.com. Click on “donate now” in the upper right corner. Select “Orphanage Assistance” from the scroll-down menu and write “Earthquake” in the notes section. Thank you for opening your hearts to the children at Batang and the people of Yushu.

With your help, Love Without Boundaries is sending disaster relief items such as tents and tarps rope, blankets and bedding, masks and gloves, flashlights, disinfectant, shoes and socks, heavy coats, and of course food, water, and medical supplies to those impacted by the earthquake. Please join with us as we work together to bring comfort to victims of the earthquake. Our orphanage assistance team will be coordinating the disaster relief efforts. To donate, please visit click the “Donate Now” button on the LWB website, lovewithoutboundaries.com. Select “Orphanage Assistance” from the scroll-down menu and write “Earthquake” in the notes section.

Thank you for opening your hearts to the people of Yushu. Together we can bring hope to those who are bearing a hardship today.

“I love the child I sponsor through Love Without Boundaries so much I want to know how I can send her or him a birthday present!”

One question that volunteers of Love Without Boundaries are asked frequently is how to send a birthday present to a sponsored child. Sponsors of children become quite attached to the child they receive quarterly reports of in a year. Sponsors pray for these children, hope for adoptive families for these children and above all desire that their sponsored child feel especially loved.

The answer to the above question of sending a gift is yes and no. First, LWB has been asked by officials in China to not give out the specific birthdays of children that we work with to the general public, as sometimes this information is used to pre-identify a child for adoption. Also, it’s wise to understand that birthdays are viewed differently in China than they are in the west. The Chinese celebrate birthdays considered special such as the first birthday, sixtieth and birthdays every ten years after the sixtieth that a person lives. Except for the first birthday, the effort of putting on a birthday celebration typically falls upon adult children bestowing honor and respect on their parents with special foods such as long life noodles and eggs.   Asking orphanage or LWB staff members who are already busy with taking care of the needs of many children to celebrate one child’s birthday isn’t a custom that they are familiar with. It’s one of those differences of the west that probably makes them scratch their heads and wonder why.

Furthermore, when a child enters an orphanage, everything about the child’s life, out of necessity and limited resources, becomes group oriented. Children wear orphanage clothing—not their own set of clothes from their own closet. Children eat meals served by the orphanage in group settings. Toys are for all of the children of the orphanage. To send one present for one child in an orphanage doesn’t fit the style of life an orphanage provides. Imagine sending a very special gift to just one child in any day care that you’ve ever experienced (and children in day care in the west are accustomed to going home where things are theirs and belong to only them in space that is theirs). A special toy sent to one child in a group in an orphanage would at the very least cause tension and frustration for the recipient of the gift as well as the adult care givers. Imagine also being a child who never receives an individual special present while others do. It would be easy for that child to think he or she isn’t as important or well liked. We want all of the children in our programs to feel equally valued and loved.

LWB does encourage celebrations and extra gifts for sponsored children in the form of a group gift for either a child’s class at school, foster family or group within the orphanage that a child lives with. Gifts can be inexpensive. A donation of $25 would purchase a number of items to benefit a child in any LWB program such as:

• · A healthy snack of fruit, nuts and a drink for the child and their school or orphanage mates
• · Antibiotics for children in medical care or for one of LWB’s healing homes
• · Developmental toys for a foster home or a group of children in an orphanage
• · Formula for all infants of the orphanage
• · Paper and pencils for an entire class of Mama’s Wish students

Larger donations are gladly accepted for children as well. LWB has a wish list of group gifts that can be purchased for a sponsored child’s orphanage, foster home or classroom. Gift cards can be purchased in honor of a child’s birthday and the donation sent to any program so that the funds can be directed at the most pressing need. Furthermore, Chinese New Year and Children’s Day on June 1st are commonly accepted gift giving occasions for children in China. Donations toward group gifts on those special days would bring joy to many children.

Students at Believe In Me — Jingzhou enjoy a donation of developmental toys

Love Without Boundaries was founded and lives upon the belief that every child counts on their birthday and every day of the year. With you, we celebrate a child’s maturing and growing in healthy ways. We also work hard to remember to celebrate in a way that respects the culture they live in as well as the specific home environment in which they are being raised.

Linda Mitchell is a wife and mom to four, blog contributor for Love Without Boundaries and volunteer at her kid’s school, student of School Library Media, K-1st Sunday School Teacher…..and creative writer when she can get a word in edgewise.

Homecoming unites the past and the present — Author Unknown

Mama’s Wish graduates Nan, Suonan and Tsering Tso recently took some time to visit students in their old school in the Tibetan community of Tongren. Think how exciting it must have been for Kanogyal, a third grader, to spend time with these graduates who personify her hopes for her own future. Like Kanogyal, Suonan and Tsering are orphans and must understand the challenges the younger girl faces as she pursues her dreams.

Nan recently graduated from college and has passed entrance exams for a graduate program in Tibetan data processing. Suonan is also a recent graduate and has accepted a position at a large company in Chengzheng. Tsering is studying Tibetan Literature at Qinghai Nation University in Xining and expects to graduate in 2013. Her ultimate goal is to work as a Chinese-Tibetan translator.

As a current college student, Tsering is still seeking additional sponsors to help her afford her school expenses. For just $25 a month, you could help Tsering’s dream become a reality. Please visit our Mama’s Wish page to learn more about her and our other wonderfully deserving Mama’s Wish students!

Last fall when we we knew there would be twelve students sponsored by LWB’s Mama’s Wish program graduating from college, we hoped that we could find funding to send a family member of each student to graduation to help them celebrate.

Students in the Mama’s Wish program are impoverished or orphaned individuals from rural Tibet, and in this part of China, orphans generally do know some family members. Thanks to the Mama’s Wish supporters, we were able to help each student have a family member attend graduation ceremonies with them.

Meet one of our proud graduates, Wande Cuo. She graduated from Qinhai Medical College with her mother in attendance at graduation. Her mother is so proud of her, and they both enjoyed sharing this exciting time in Wande Cuo’s life. Wande Cuo has taken a volunteer doctor’s position in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province to help her gain experience.

For the most part, the families of these Mama’s Wish students have never gone anywhere outside of their own villages. It was a leap of faith on their part to send their children to us years ago and then again to leave their homes to celebrate their children’s academic achievements. However, the families of these students value education and dream that this will help them to live a better life. Like their families, we also are bursting with pride over the accomplishments of our Mama’s Wish students.

Jody Goering is Mama’s Wish Associate Director for Love Without Boundaries Foundation. She lives in Illinois, USA with husband Addison and five children. Jody and Addison have one homegrown son and three daughters and a son adopted from China.

2010 will bring yet more college graduates sponsored by Mama’s Wish Program.

Please meet a special young woman sponsored by the Mama’s Wish program, Zhou Jie. Zhou Jie will graduate with a degree in Physics from Qinghai Normal University, and she hopes to someday become a high school physics teacher. Zhou Jie’s teachers praise her for being self-disciplined, active and excellent in her academic performance. We can’t wait to see what great things await Zhou in her last year of college and further into the future!

Jody Goering is Mama’s Wish Associate Director for Love Without Boundaries Foundation. She lives in Illinois, USA with husband Addison and five children. Jody and Addison have one homegrown son and three daughters and a son adopted from China.

Eleven students sponsored through Love Without Boundaries are graduating from college this year.

One of these eleven proud graduates is Wan Ma who just received her degree in Animal Husbandry from the University of Chengdu. However, Wan Ma is only getting started; in the future, she hopes to continue her education, earn a Master’s Degree and return to her village and make a difference. Love Without Boundaries’ Mama’s Wish Program helps 100 of the most promising rural students in the Tibetan plateau. For many girls in this region, arranged marriages at ages 14 or 15 take the place of education.

Without the wonderful support of our sponsors, students like Wan Ma could not realize their dreams. Thank you supporters, and congratulations to Wan Ma! We wish you joy and happiness in life.

Jody Goering is Mama’s Wish Associate Director for Love Without Boundaries Foundation. She lives in Illinois, USA with husband Addison and five children. Jody and Addison have one homegrown son and three daughters and a son adopted from China.

When Norzin lost both of his parents, his world was crushed. As a double orphan, Norzin has been supported by Love Without Boundaries and Mama’s Wish sponsors since 2005.

The Mama’s Wish program provides education support to impoverished rural students from the Tibetan Plateau. Norzin showed great potential and was selected for sponsorship. He put all his efforts into studying in order to forget his past, and in return what he found was a newborn sense of self.

We are happy to announce that Norzin will graduate from Qinghai Medical University in Xining this summer with a degree in Medicine and an average of 85 in all subjects. After graduation, he plans to return to his village and open a pharmacy with some of his classmates. We are very proud of Norzin and pleased that Mama’s Wish and LWB could play a part in his success. To learn more about the Mama’s Wish Program, please go to http://lovewithoutboundaries.com/education_mamas_wish.cfm.

Jody Goering is Mama’s Wish Associate Director for Love Without Boundaries Foundation. She lives in Illinois, USA with husband Addison and five children. Jody and Addison have one homegrown son and three daughters and a son adopted from China.