LWB Community » Orphanage Assistance

Care Packages to China

chinalwb — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:44:51 +0000

Over the holidays, we had a call from an orphanage who had been sent a care package from a kind and well-meaning adoptive parent. Unfortunately the package had been stuck in customs, and since there were multiple items inside the parcel, the customs agent was insisting on charging the orphanage a $60 fee to pick it up. The orphanage staff had to go into the city several times to fill out paperwork before the package could be released, which took quite a bit of their time as well. Once we had worked out the details of this last package, the orphanage director suggested that while they appreciate the good intentions, perhaps we could let adoptive parents know that packages often cost them precious money and time to pick up, depending on each city’s customs rules.

We know everyone sends packages with such good and kind intentions, but we felt it was important to point out some of the issues that can arise when a package is mailed to an orphanage in China. One orphanage was once hit with a $125 customs fee for a large box that a parent had sent. Most large packages cost $100 or more to send – and that same amount, for example, could buy 10 new coats for an orphanage instead. So in 2012, we wanted to mention again that any individual or group (i.e., adoption group) who would like to give back to a specific orphanage could go through our orphanage assistance program. For a minimum donation, our China staff will determine the orphanage’s most pressing needs and then use the donated money to shop for and deliver these items…directly to the orphanage, without having to figure in large shipping or customs fees. That way we can all be confident that the funds given by caring and concerned families will directly help the children who need it most!

If you do send a package overseas to an orphanage, please make sure and mark “gift” clearly on the box and customs form. Make sure the customs forms are filled out completely with the exact quantity of each item, material and brand of item, etc. Incomplete forms can cost the orphanage both time and money.

Also it is important to note that used items are not supposed to be shipped to orphanages. This policy was a result of some groups sending soiled and ragged clothing and outdated medicines to China. We once facilitated a large shipment of clothing to China that another group had collected and were later hit with large fines when it was discovered, unbeknownst to us, that the container was packed with used clothes which were hidden by just a few new items on top. Because of that incident, we no longer assist people in shipping items to China and instead purchase all clothing and supplies in country.

Giving back to your child’s orphanage is wonderful, and we love to work with families to provide much-needed items to the children who still wait in China! Please feel free to contact our orphanage assistance team at orphanageassistance@lwbmail.com to learn more about how we can help.

Counting Down Our Top Ten Photos of 2011: He Did It!

chinalwb — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:18:12 +0000

When we first saw this photo, we laughed out loud as little Guang looks like he is firmly placing the blame on someone else. As part of our orphanage assistance program, families can send baby formula to their child’s orphanage as a gift, and this photo was taken shortly after a shipment had arrived in Xinyang. We are so happy that Guang was adopted this year, and we have heard the great news that his family is completely in love!

Winnie Wishes You Peace!

chinalwb — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:21:52 +0000

Winnie is full of good cheer! Always smiling in the photos we see of her, eight-year-old Winnie lives in the Foshan Shunde Orphanage, where LWB has done orphanage assistance projects. We featured her in a blog piece (“Winnie’s New Coat for a New Year”) right before Chinese New Year last year and were hopeful that she would be with a family of her own before the next new year. Although it doesn’t look likely for this year, we are going to take a hint from Winnie and remain happy and optimistic that her family will find her soon!

Winnie attends a special school and loves to teach her friends from the orphanage the songs and dances she learns there. We hear that school has been wonderful for Winnie and has helped her to become more open, outgoing, and happier than ever before. In her weekends off from school, her nanny says she enjoys assisting her with housework and helping with the babies. She truly loves to be helpful!

Just think of the smiles and love that Winnie could bring to any family. We return Winnie’s wish for peace as she waits for them!

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

Maoming Kids: LWB’s Featured Children of the Week

chinalwb — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:13:43 +0000

Our “featured child” this week is not just one child but scores of them! The Maoming SWI has approximately 300 children, and one of the needs of the orphanage is for cloth diapers. In this photo, taken earlier this year at Maoming, we see some very cute babies with their caregivers. As you can imagine, the orphanage goes through lots of diapers with so many children in their care.

Your donation in any amount for our diaper drive will help keep these little bottoms covered and will be greatly appreciated!

Three Boys, Three Personalities

chinalwb — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:03:01 +0000

In the interest of adoption, LWB Community will be profiling some waiting children whose orphanages have asked for help in finding families for them. However, we do want to be clear that these children are not in LWB programs.

Nancy Williams, an LWB volunteer, recently shared photos with us of three boys with three very different personalities whom she met this past summer. Some assistance projects were done at their orphanage, and we would like to spread the word that these three boys are waiting for families. Here is what Nancy wrote about meeting the boys, whom we have to come to call “The Gaozhou Boys”:

This summer on a homeland tour, we were able to visit Gaozhou SWI. While there, we met three boys who are on the shared list and got a chance to interact with them a little. Bryson, at 4 1/2, was the quietest of the three. He didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with the loud room of visitors, yet seemed to be a favorite of the SWI Director. He was featured on our blog last March in “Bryson’s Debut“.

Ryder, seen in the photos below, was quite the opposite. He is seven years old and actively joined in with the balloon fun with the three visiting nine-year-old girls originally from Gaozhou.

Little Grayson, age two, was the one with the sweetest smile. He had recently gained enough strength in his legs to walk independently and seemed to be delighting in stepping this way and that as he shared his smiles with each of the visitors.

If you or someone your know is interested in learning more about any of the three “Gaozhou Boys,” please contact us at adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com.

Zane Takes a Break

chinalwb — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:40:18 +0000

The last time we met up with Zane, we imagined that he was hard at work writing a memo to his future family. It seems that they are not responding as quickly as he had hoped, and he is still waiting for them! So while he waits, he’s decided to take a break from work and play for awhile…like the ten-year-old boy that he is.

Zane was once a a boy with unhealthy blue lips and fingers who caught the eyes of one of our medical team in photos taken at his orphanage in Zhejiang. Sponsors from around the world stepped in to fund his heart surgery (see “Zane’s Miracle”), and now he is no longer blue…and has energy to spare!

Now that he’s healthy and feeling good, Zane is curious about everything around him and explores the origin of any new sound. He is especially interested in anything new to him and invents opportunities to use these new things. For example, when he became interested in an umbrella he created many opportunities to use it, even wanting to take out the trash while using the umbrella! Zane is quite tactile and likes to touch this and that as a way to explore his world. Sometimes he sets the table, sometimes he arranges the toys. He also enjoys exploring the classroom when the teacher is not there

Zane has struggled with math in the past, but he is improving in this subject. However, his teachers say that he needs to spend more time working on his Chinese! Maybe they can ask him to practice by composing some new memos to his future family. We hope Zane won’t have much longer to wait!

Shawn Michael: LWB’s Featured Child of the Week

chinalwb — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:28:37 +0000

Shawn Michael has been at the Lu’An, Anhui, orphanage for nearly half a year. He has cerebral palsy, doesn’t eat very well, and gets sick easily, but he is a good boy. A few weeks ago it was found that Shawn Michael cried seriously when his right leg was touched. LWB’s Orphanage Assistance program sponsors a nurse in this orphanage to provide medical care to the children there. The nurse thought that Shawn Michael might have a leg fracture or cyst within his leg. He was taken to the hospital for an X-ray of his leg, and it was determined that he has inherited Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), or brittle bone disease, and he did have a fracture. With tender care he is doing better now, but Shawn faces an uncertain future since his bones are easily broken. Now he rests in bed. When he is happy, he will call “mama.” Sometimes he will speak “ah, ah…” as if he would like to talk to you.

The orphanage is very worried about his future. LWB is hoping he will be able to be adopted so that he could receive treatment for OI that is not available in China before he grows too much and has to endure too many fractures. We are also checking to see if we can help him nutritionally. We would welcome your donation for Shawn Michael’s medical care and nutritional needs, and we will be sure to update you on how this sweet young boy is doing.

Dreaming of Higher Education

chinalwb — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:18:27 +0000

Every year in China, the national college entrance exam (Gao Kao) is administered, and sitting for this national exam remains the best (and often only) way for a rural child to escape a life of poverty. The nine-hour test is offered just once a year and is the sole determinant for admission to Chinese university. Almost ten million students sit for the exam each year, trying to receive a coveted spot at one of the 1900 colleges in China. The competition is fierce, and families push their children to study for hours each and every day throughout their high school years.

Anxious parents keep vigil outside of an exam site

For an orphaned child to sit for this exam is an accomplishment in itself. For an orphaned child to pass the exam with high enough marks to enter university is extraordinary. Students with families who sit for this exam often have special tutors and attend after school courses, and of course have moms and dads pushing them to keep studying and keep learning. Orphaned children face so many obstacles – and must push themselves.

We recently learned of two young ladies who grew up in the Liuzhi orphanage in Guizhou province. This is a very rural area of Guizhou, and when we visited the orphanage in March we were met by wonderfully kind staff doing their best with meager resources. We are so thrilled that two of the kids in their care have succeeded in passing the national college exam, and hope we can find people who would want to partner with us to help make their dreams of a university education a reality.

Qing (shown above) is 19 years old and has been accepted to the Sichuan Foreign Languages College in Chongqing.

Rong is also 19 and did so well on her exam that she was accepted to college in Beijing – what a journey for a girl who grew up in rural Guizhou.

Both girls will need approximately $1500 for tuition and room and board this year. The orphanage does not have the resources to send these two girls to college, and so they have asked for our assistance. We have team members on the ground in both locations who will be checking on the girls and making sure that they assimilate well to university life. Sponsors will receive quarterly updates on their progress – and can know they are truly helping to change the lives of two incredibly determined young women. To make a donation towards their tuition, please visit our Education sponsorship page. Thank you so much!

Grants for Annabelle and Rochelle

chinalwb — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:47:57 +0000

Rochelle hugs a friend

Thanksgiving is just one day out of the year when we think about the many things we have to be thankful for. Throughout the holiday season, there are many families who give thanks for their children. Parents often find it entertaining, and often heartwarming, to hear what their children are thankful for as well!

Maybe one day Annabelle’s and Rochelle’s families will be giving thanks for the financial assistance to make their adoptions possible.

Annabelle

Adoption grants are being offered for each of these very special girls, both of whom were featured on our blog this past year (“Our Bright and Brave Annabelle” and “Rochelle the Budding Artist”). Both Annabelle and Rochelle are now featured on the WACAP (World Association for Children and Parents) secure waiting child website. These grants are only available for families who adopt through WACAP and qualify for the grant. If a family has not yet signed with an agency and finances are preventing them from moving forward to adopt these children, these grants could be a real blessing and help bring these waiting girls home to a family of their own.

(Because both Annabelle and Rochelle are on the shared list, families working with other agencies could still pursue the adoption of either girl – without the grants — as well!)

Families can read about WACAP’s financial assistance here. These children each have a $4,200 grant, the maximum for the China program. WACAP has information on both of these gorgeous girls posted on their secure website, and interested families can contact them directly for the password by going to their website.

We at LWB will certainly be giving thanks for these girls’ future families!

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

Kaden: No Photos, Please!

chinalwb — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:43:02 +0000

Kaden is a very shy boy who lives in the Deyang orphanage in Sichuan Province who has just celebrated his third birthday. He really doesn’t like having his picture taken…can you tell? He entertains himself very well and is somewhat reticent around strangers….even strangers who come bearing food! From this gallery of photos that our China nutrition program director has taken of Kaden over the past year, you can really see how camera-shy he is. We did manage to capture one photo of him smiling as he plays in the water!

Despite his bashfulness, Kaden’s curiosity is alive and well, and he is quite interested in any visitors to his orphanage…even if he doesn’t want to pose for a picture. His special need is that he appears to be deaf, which may have quite a lot to do with his quiet demeanor. Kaden is going to be evaluated this month to see if surgery could possibly help him regain some degree of his hearing, and at this time he is wearing a hearing aid.

Finding a family who is willing to help Kaden communicate better despite his hearing impairment will undoubtedly make a real difference in this little guy’s life. Kaden is currently on the waiting child list, and we look forward to someday soon receiving smiling photos of him with his new family!