LWB Community

Nutrition: LWB’s Featured Need of the Week

LWB provided nutritious formula to two orphanages when it first began over eight years ago. Since that time our nutrition program has expanded to serve children residing in numerous orphanages throughout China. Quality formula is essential for babies to grow and thrive, particularly when they have medical needs. We use only quality formula, which, unfortunately, comes at a premium price.

In December we received the unexpected news that Nestogen, our formula of choice, will no longer be available in China. We plan to switch to Lactogen, a formula that is produced by the same company and has a similar formulation. This formula will meet our babies’ needs but comes with a price tag that is almost twice that of Nestogen’s. We now have the difficult task of telling the orphanages that, without additional funds, we must send half the amount of formula. Please help us keep our babies’ bottles full! Read more.

Counting Down Our Top Ten Photos of 2011: Peeking Out

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.

Elizabeth: LWB’s Featured Child of the Week

We would like to introduce you to Elizabeth, the youngest baby in our Deyang nutrition program. Yes, this cutie is a little girl even though she is wearing blue. Just two months old, Elizabeth weighs 12 pounds and is about 20 inches long. We say about 20 inches as she didn’t want to stretch out her legs for a more accurate measurement!

Elizabeth’s bright eyes and chubby cheeks are due in part to the high quality formula that she receives through our Deyang nutrition program. Every three months we ship formula to the orphanage, and one of our staff in China visits the orphanage to assess the children’s health and developmental progress.

Current donations to this program no longer bring in enough funds to cover the amount of formula we have been sending each quarter. In addition to babies like Elizabeth, toddlers with special needs at the Deyang orphanage also benefit from our formula.
Read more.

Counting Our Blessings On the Twelve Days of Christmas: Full Tummies

On the second day of Christmas, we send the sincerest appreciation to everyone who has supported our nutrition programs this year. Many babies who come into our hands need specialized formula to survive. It is hard to believe from this photo, but little Barbara was found shortly after her birth, weighing just 1.2 kilograms. Thankfully, her orphanage called us immediately, and we were able to get her to the hospital for emergency treatment. We then arranged for her to start receiving specialized PreNan formula, made especially for premature infants. As you can clearly see, Barbara is now thriving. She is in the 50th percentile for children her age, and she is crawling everywhere. Barbara’s life was saved because someone cared enough to support her special nutritional needs. To a baby, happiness really is a full tummy. And for all of us at LWB, happiness is knowing we can help provide that gift when orphanages are in need.
Read more.

Focus on Formula for 2011

Without spending a dime, you can help give children in China the gift of a full tummy this year! Suzanne Damstedt, an LWB volunteer who directs our Nutrition and Orphanage Assistance program, is trying to win $10,000 for baby formula in a contest sponsored by Ford Focus. Our budget for formula in 2011 will be $100,000 – and so winning $10,000 (one-tenth of our budget) would obviously be a huge blessing!

Voting is quick and easy and can be done each and every day until December 31 by anyone on Facebook. If you’ve already voted for Suzanne’s video, please click here to vote that you “Love it”, and share with all of your friends and family on Facebook. We would love their votes, too!

If you haven’t yet voted for LWB and Suzanne in the Ford Focus contest, here are three easy steps to follow:

1. Go to the Ford Focus page on Facebook and “Like” it by clicking the large “LIKE” button at the top of the page. You will need to agree to allow Ford Focus to access your Facebook page.

2. Click on the “Global Drive” tab at the top of the Ford Focus Facebook page; then scroll down and click on “Rate Videos”.

3. Look for Suzanne’s video, which has a blue background and says, “There are lots of things in life that you can start…” Currently, her video is on the second page. Under the video is a button where you click “Love it!” Please click here to vote and share on Facebook so others will can join in the voting as well.
Read more.

Artie Faces the Scale

Like many of us during the holiday season, three-year-old Artie has to face the scales every once in awhile!   As a participant in our Gaoming nutrition program, Artie gets weighed periodically to make sure he’s growing as he should be.  It looks like Artie is growing very well but could certainly indulge in a few more cookies!
Read more.

Darling Danny from Dingxi

My name is Danny. I am just two years old, am happy, and am loving life…despite the serious face I’m trying to put on for the camera!

I also enjoy an occasional treat from a visitor from LWB’s Nutrition Program.   Snacks really make me happy, and I also love to visit the orphanage director’s office to see if he has left any on the table.
Read more.

Penny’s Cookie

Little Penny is waiting so patiently.  At two years old, she’s not too talkative yet, is a little bit afraid of strangers and doesn’t talk much when someone she doesn’t know if around.  However, she will let you know what she wants with her eyes!  If someone in the room has snacks, she does not ask but stares at the food non-stop until she gets her share. We love the story that these three photos of Penny tell!

Waiting patiently with her hands out…

Read more.

A Day In the Life of Three Orphanage Assistance Volunteers!

In our continuing series, “A Day In the Life,” we are featuring three volunteers who were inspired to work with our Orphanage Assistance (OA) program. We hope you enjoy learning more about these dedicated volunteers and what they do for LWB!

MaryHelen Donnelly, Orphanage Assistance Coordinator: I am a single mother who works full time, so after I put my daughter to bed I usually log onto the computer to check my email and then 2-3 times a week do some of my LWB volunteer work. I wear two hats in the Orphanage Assistance program. In my role as the OA Child Coordinator, I archive all the pictures, stories and sponsor updates that are produced by the OA team. Parents who have adopted from China can request any information that LWB has on their child from their days living in the orphanage. When I receive one of these requests, I look through the archives and send the parents what information I have on their child and/or the SWI in which their child resided.
Read more.

Time for My Weigh-In!

Micah has grown so big that he barely fits onto the scale for his monthly weigh-in! When you consider that he had purulent meningoencephalitis when he arrived at the Deyang orphanage in Sichuan province, it’s especially wonderful to see him looking so rosy and robust. Thanks to the good care and nutrition Micah has received there, this ten-month old is obviously flourishing. According to his nannies, he really enjoys his formula and, unlike some of the other babies, waits for it patiently with a big smile on his face. In fact, they say that Micah is a chubby, content and funny boy who loves to smile — just not when he’s involved with the serious business of being weighed!
Read more.