Five years with P!

P is a ten year old boy who has been in our care for the past 5 years.  He was born with a cleft lip and palate and abandoned at the front door of a beer factory at one day of age.  P was in kindergarten when his orphanage asked if he might be able to join one of our foster families.

When P first arrived, his speech was a little bit unclear but now he speaks clearly and confidently.  He’s matured into a very smart and capable ten-year-old.  His foster parents say that he is helpful to his siblings and does his chores cheerfully without having to be reminded twice.  

P is doing very well in school and he loves to read.  

Of course, like any typical boy he has lots of energy to burn off… one of his favorite things is to go outside and run!

P has recently had the opportunity to begin an extracurricular program studying traditional Chinese medicine.   This innovative program was developed by a group who teach traditional Chinese medicine and are hoping to bring this knowledge to the next generation. P was selected among a small group of students at his orphanage to participate in the program.  

His teachers are impressed at how well he is able to grasp the concepts and recite the traditional texts. 

We are so grateful to all who support our work.  You make it possible for us to provide nurturing, family-based care to children like P.

Made For Love - Understanding Identity in Adoption

Currently we are taking on a new project, that is, writing a practical manual for Chinese families who are considering adoption. Until now, we have worked primarily with children inside orphanages and from disadvantaged family situations. We have also worked with adoptive families in China and abroad, whose experiences, struggles, and reflections have helped shape our understanding. This manual is our first attempt to organize the knowledge we have accumulated so far into a tool kit for domestic families who are preparing to adopt today.

As we started writing, one topic quickly stood out as both essential and difficult: identity. In the English-speaking adoption community, identity is a central concept. It refers to a person’s internal sense of who they are, where they come from, and where and how they belong. Adoption professionals speak openly about “adoptive identity development”, “narrative integration”, etc. However, in everyday Chinese family culture, identity is usually understood more externally: family name, ancestry line, social role and status, or household registration. 

Often, the question of identity is inseparable from another deeply rooted practice, where adoptive parents do not tell their child about the adoption. This is meant to protect, especially for those who are adopted young (Many parents who adopt older children also try to avoid this topic). In their view, knowledge of earlier abandonment or institutional care might burden the child, cause insecurity, or bring about social stigma and even bullying. Silence means a clean slate, a shield, as if to say, “if you never have to know, you can grow up carefree.” 

At the same time, children grow up, and they cannot help but notice and wonder. Questions emerge when they compare faces, family stories, and medical histories, for example. It is human nature to seek coherence in their life stories, and what begins as protection may gradually become an obstacle to trust and self-understanding. 

In our manual, we treat secrecy not as a mistake to correct, but a caring strategy that needs to evolve as the child grows. We present quotes and examples from real adoptees who shared their experience of secrecy and openness. We show that disclosure is not something that we do “in the heat of the moment”, but a continuous conversation that grows with the child. Therefore, an important question to ask is: “How can we share our child’s story in ways that feel safe and age-appropriate at each phase of their development?” 

Once parents begin to see silence and secrecy as flexible, talking about identity start to make sense. Identity is introduced as the child’s developing answer to “Who am I, and where do I belong?” We emphasize that adoption does not erase a child’s earlier story, even when that story is painful or unknown. Instead, adoptive parents become companions in helping the child hold their whole story safely. 

Our hope is simple: to help Chinese adoptive families understand that identity is not a problem to prevent, but a process to protect and support. Honesty, openness, and respect for the child’s questions are not foreign ideas—they are acts of care that help children grow into secure, whole adults. 

Introducing Little T!

 We'd like to introduce one of our newest arrivals, a baby girl named T who was abandoned as a newborn in October.  She appeared to be perfectly healthy, but diagnostic tests revealed a heart murmur and a congenital hepatitis infection.  Her orphanage asked if we could transfer her to our programs and provide the special care she would need.

The doctors do not feel that her heart defect needs immediate surgery and have decided to monitor that for the time being.  Little T travelled to Beijing so that she can consult with the specialists about her hepatitis infection.  Despite these medical issues, she is a very typical little baby, who loves to sleep! 😴  

T's caregivers say that she is a very easygoing little girl who loves to be held and rarely cries.  They also say that she is very alert and smiles easily.  And of course she is enthusiastic about her bottle!

The older children are very much in love with her and they never miss a chance to hold and cuddle her (with supervision, of course!).

We don’t yet know what the future holds for little T.  We are optimistic that her medical issues can be resolved and that her orphanage will be able to seek an adoptive family for her.  In the meantime, we are privileged to be her family, and to provide the love and medical treatment she needs to grow and thrive.  Thank you for your support; you make it possible for us to provide nurturing care and healing to little ones like T!

Spotlight on little Y!

 We've seen over and over how our programs are helping vulnerable children in China's welfare institutions to heal, grow and thrive.  Another example is four-year-old Y, who was born prematurely and diagnosed with a hypoxic brain injury.  

She was several months old when she arrived at our home, and the main issue we faced at that time was her severe allergies to regular formula.  We tried many different brands and types of formula, but she suffered from eczema and skin irritations for many months.

As she grew, we noticed some orthopedic issues affecting her legs and pelvis, which were initially treated with therapy.  

Further diagnostic testing confirmed that these issues were more extensive than we realized and that she would need surgery.  Little Y had that surgery this fall and is recovering well.

Y is a shy, quiet girl who is now in our Family Model of Care project and is attending classes at our early learning center.  

Her teachers and foster parents describe her as a smart and sensitive little girl who loves exploring the world and participating activities with the other children. 

We are so very grateful for all who support us in our work.  You are helping to make a difference for little Y, and so many others!

A beautiful little princess!

Little YX was abandoned as a baby 7 years ago.  She was born with a cleft lip and palate, so her orphanage asked us if we could accept her for care and arrange her surgery.  Little YX’s first cleft surgery was done by a team working with Love Without Boundaries, and then we arranged for her to travel to Beijing when it was time for her second surgery.  

We thought that might be the end of her medical issues, but she has also been diagnosed with a seizure disorder.  Fortunately, her seizures seem to have lessened and are not greatly affecting her daily life.  Like many cleft affected children, her speech is unclear at times, but she works hard so that others around her can understand what she is saying.

YX is now a cheerful, outgoing 7-year-old. She is a quick learner at math and loves solving word problems that are meant for her older siblings.  She’s definitely a girly girl, and has loved wearing pretty dresses since the time she learned to walk.  

One time she received a beautiful new dress. She put it on, lifted her dress, curtseyed slightly, and said, "Thank you, my Lady!" just as she had seen on TV shows.  Her foster mom burst into laughter, but she didn't. She held it there for a while, and then she broke out in a big smile.

Over and over, we’ve seen how our work is not only helping vulnerable children like YX to receive life changing medical treatment, but also providing stable, family-based care as they grow.  All of this is possible because of your prayers and support!

Little Y

Little Y was abandoned as a tiny baby 6 years ago.  She was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and a congenital heart defect.  Her orphanage asked us if we could accept her for care and arrange her surgery.

Y’s surgery was arranged in Beijing shortly after she arrived, though it took her many months to recover and become stronger.  Once she did, we began to see her sparkling personality emerge!  

Y is a very gentle, friendly girl who loves to sing and dance.  She watches the nannies in her home very carefully, and is always ready to help them in their tasks in caring for the younger children.  

Little Y has a very cheerful, outgoing personality, and has never met a stranger!  It’s moving to watch her care and tenderness toward the other children.  

We are so very grateful to all of you who support us!  Because of you, little Y has someone advocating for her needs and loving her for the very special, unique person that she is. 

Made for Love - The Story of a Little Pig

Children living in institutional care settings are often filled with complex feelings about home. An orphanage is a very unusual kind of "home", and some institutionalized children also face additional, complex issues such as adoption transitions, disrupted placements, or separation from parents due to imprisonment, mental illness or loss. For them, "home" is a confusing concept that can bring up many conflicting emotions.  What is home? Where do I belong? 

To help children identify and process their feelings, we designed a series of role play activities using the Conceptual PlayWorld* model. This approach allows strong emotions to be explored safely in an imaginary world, with trusted adults joining in to keep the play positive and supportive.

We recently held a weeklong session for a group of selected children in a partner orphanage who have been facing many of these concerns.  In our activity, the children stepped into the story world of Charlotte’s Web (book by E. B. White), took on the roles of farm animals, and extended the story beyond the book. By solving problems together in this make-believe setting, they began to discover the many meanings of "home". 

On the first day, the children became farm animals living on the Old Barn Farm, and they welcomed a weeping baby Wilbur (played by a teacher) who just arrived. As he had never lived on a farm before, Wilbur was scared and hesitant. With help from the farmer (another teacher) and the animals, he calmed down enough to start wondering what makes a place feel like "home". To answer, the animals created their own “homes” with craft materials, showing what home meant to them.

During the second session, the concept of home went beyond the physical structure and focused on relationship and connections. At night, Wilbur often felt too sad and scared to sleep. Together, we discussed what could bring warm and comforting feelings of a home and brainstormed ways to help Wilbur feel more at home on the farm. 

In the third session, the children explored how homes can change. A little robin arrived with news of a new farm across the mountain, inviting the animals to visit. Each animal chose whether to stay, go for a short visit, or even move. They packed what mattered most—both objects and memories. Because this was imaginary play, the children could think about change safely and playfully.

The final session ended with a joyful reunion and feast. Animals who had traveled shared their experiences, while those who stayed told of fun at home. Together they decided whether to travel again, realizing that home may take different forms but is always about protection, companionship, and belonging.

This brief week-long activity may not have provided all the answers, but it offered a beginning, and the reassurance that wherever they are, someone will be weaving a web by their side, offering care and a sense of home.

*Fleer, M. (2018). Conceptual PlayWorlds: the role of imagination in play and learning. Early Years. DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2018.1549024