Meet Ling! Ling came to our orphan care project two years ago in 2020 when she was seven. Ling had been born with a cleft lip and palate, which we can guess is the reason that she was abandoned as an infant. After surgery to repair those, she then spent the next seven years growing up in an institution. The orphanage enrolled her in the local school system when it was time for her to start first grade.
Unfortunately, Ling did not do well in school. She felt ostracized by the other children, who ridiculed her repaired cleft lip. In addition, she had never attended any preschool or kindergarten program, so she was very behind the other students. To make matters worse, she did not have a family support system to ensure her homework was completed, to work with her to catch up academically and help her deal with these emotional challenges. It was just a few months after Ling started school that her orphanage, realizing that things were going badly, asked if she could join our family model of care project.
We can’t undo the trauma that has happened, but we are working hard to ensure that Ling knows what it means to be part of a family and receive unconditional love from a consistent caregiver. She is developing close relationships with her foster mom and sisters. Best of all, she now has the support she needs to excel in school. She studies very hard and is growing in confidence. Ling loves to read and is a good storyteller.
Thank you for being there for Ling. Not only are you making a difference in her life - your support helps us reach out to other children who continue to suffer unintentional harm due to institutional care. Our orphan care programs, working within the government run orphanages, strive to create systems of care that prevent additional trauma to children who have been abandoned and are living in orphanages.
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