Launchpad Updates - May 2025

 (Note: this blogpost was jointly written by the young men in our Launchpad projects, so it's a wonderful glimpse into what is going on in the project from their point of view.  Bonus points for them because they also did the translation into English! 😊)

As the spring fades away, May quietly ushers in the breath of early summer. The sunlight grows more intense, the leaves turn denser, and our lives have also become exceptionally vibrant and colorful this month. 

Birthday Celebrations

At the beginning of May, we welcomed an eagerly anticipated event—a birthday celebration for one of our team members. Though we didn't have  fancy decorations, everyone put their hearts into preparing a small celebration. On the birthday, under soft lighting, the cake was slowly brought out as we sang the birthday song in unison. The birthday boy's face lit up with a shy yet joyful smile. The candlelight reflected our sincere faces, and in that moment, time seemed to slow down. We took turns offering our blessings—some heartwarming, some humorous—filled with laughter and heartfelt moments. Together, we took photos, cut the cake, and shared snacks. Though the ceremony was simple, its meaning was profound. It was not just a birthday celebration, but an expression of friendship, a reflection of the understanding and emotional bonds we've built through our shared experiences.

 Culinary Skills

Besides celebrating birthdays, there has been much other learning in our daily lives. We set a new goal for ourselves this month: each person tries to cook a new dish. Some chose “Cola Chicken Wings”, while others chose “Stir-Fried Pork with Green Peppers”, etc.

Learning new dishes is not only about mastering a recipe, but also an exercise in hands-on skills, independent thinking, and patience. It's essential to make a list in advance when preparing ingredients. During the cooking process, proper timing and heat control require careful attention. 

After the finished dish is served, everyone takes a turn to taste, score, and give fair feedback. Every successful attempt is an affirmation of oneself, and even if some steps aren't executed perfectly, we’re all bold in trying new things and aren't afraid of failure. This sense of continuous progress makes us enjoy every bit of effort put into the kitchen even more.

Making "Zongzi"

As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, we have also participated in the traditional "Making Zongzi" activity. (Zongzi are a special sticky rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves that are eaten during Dragon Boat Festival.)

Early that morning, the table was arranged with cleaned bamboo leaves, soaked glutinous rice, and prepared red dates neatly. We gathered around the table, listening to the teacher explain the essentials of making zongzi: how to fold the leaves, how to fill them with rice and stuffing, and how to tie them securely in neat triangular bundles without coming loose.

For some of us, this was an entirely new skill. At first, we often didn’t make them tightly enough, or the zongzi would fall apart when boiled, but no one was discouraged. We helped each other, exchanged experiences, and gradually mastered the technique. The process of making Zongzi became not just a manual task—it turned into an exercise in communication and cooperation. After finishing, we looked at the table full of our creations, some oddly shaped but uniquely crafted Zongzi, and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The aroma of the boiled zongzi filled the air as we sat together, enjoying our handmade meal and reminiscing about the process of making them earlier that day. In that moment, the air seemed to carry not just the fragrance of zongzi, but also the warmth of home and the festival we celebrated together.

Dumpling Making Party

At the end of May, we organized another “dumpling-making” activity at home. While this activity may seem simple, it truly demonstrates our teamwork and coordination. We had clear divisions of labor—some rolled out the dough while others focused on wrapping the dumplings. Throughout the process, everyone helped each other and worked together together.

Unlike the "craftsmanship" of Zongzi, dumplings emphasize more on a sense of rhythm. While everyone's hands are busy wrapping, their hearts remain engaged in communication and cooperation. Some wrap at a fast pace, some create beautifully shaped dumplings, and some even invent special styles like "mini versions" or "double-folded edges, etc." There were many humorous moments and exclamations of delight! The moment the dumplings are dropped into the boiling pot, steam billows from the pot, as if lifting our laughter into the warm, bustling essence of life.  
When the steaming hot dumplings are served, everyone quiets down to savor them earnestly. Each dumpling on the plate carries not just the aroma of its ingredients but also the joy of our collective effort and shared experience.  

May is warm, steadfastly, and colorful. Throughout this month, we celebrated together, learned together, worked with our hands together, and turned simple days into flavorful memories. These experiences may seem mundane, yet they shine brightly in our memories.  

Thoughtful and Resourceful - Little F

Little F was abandoned as a newborn almost 5 years ago, during the height of the Covid lockdowns.  

She was diagnosed with a number of heart defects, as well as a few other abnormalities.  It was later confirmed that she was born with Loey's-Dietz syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder that often causes aortic and other arterial malformations.  

F has already had one heart surgery, and will need another at some point in the future.  She follows up with her cardiologist every 6 months, but so far has been stable and the risks of doing surgery now outweigh the benefits. 

F lives in our family model of care and is thriving with her 3 sisters and one brother.  

She has a fiery personality, and her foster mom says she is not only fearless, but also incredibly smart.  F never stops talking, and is always ready with a solution to any problem she faces.  

Recently the power went off unexpectedly mid-day, and lunch had not yet been prepared.  Realizing that her foster mom would be unable to make lunch as usual, she remembered that they had bread left over.  So, she went to her mom and said “The power is off!  You won’t be able to cook lunch for us… but don’t worry, we have bread left over from breakfast and we can eat that today.”  Her mom was amazed that she was so thoughtful and resourceful.

We are able to offer F loving, nurturing family based care and life saving monitoring and medical treatment because of the wonderful support of people like you.  Thank you for making a difference for little F!

Little Y returns...

 Little Y was born prematurely and with a heart defect.  He came to our medical home in 2023 as a tiny newborn and received the heart surgery he so desperately needed.  

He then spent nearly a year recovering and growing stronger before he returned to his province.  

We knew that he would need an additional surgery once he was a little older and made it clear to his orphanage that we would be happy to help when the time came.

Little Y’s orphanage reached out to us earlier this year about arranging his next surgery, and we were delighted to have him come back.  

His surgery went smoothly last month and he discharged back to our home to complete his recovery. 

 

We’ve been told that he is healthy now and will not need any additional surgeries… we’re happy about that, but it’s bittersweet knowing that once he leaves this time, we probably won’t have a chance to see him again.  At least we had the chance to celebrate his second birthday together!

We hope and pray that someday little Y will someday be able to join a family of his own.  Until that can happen, we are so thankful that we could help provide him with lifesaving medical care and a loving, nurturing environment so that he can grow physically and emotionally strong and healthy.   

Made for Love - The Value of Meaningful Social and Cultural Experiences

 We believe that children develop through meaningful social interactions and culturally rich experiences. 

However, children growing up in institutional care settings and/or those with special needs often face a significant challenge—a mismatch between what they need for healthy cultural and psychological development and what their surrounding social environment provides. This incongruence can hinder their ability to fully participate in meaningful social and cultural experiences, which can further impact their emotional, cognitive, and social growth. 

For example, a child with autism may thrive in a structured yet flexible setting that incorporates sensory-friendly activities, but if the environment is overstimulating or lacks appropriate social scaffolding, their development may be negatively affected. 

Similarly, institutional care setting often involves standardized routines and structured activities, and so children often miss out on the rich and individualized interactions that families typically provide, leading to gaps in cultural and emotional learning.

We believe that to address this incongruence, the education of children with special needs and those in institutional care should prioritize building a safe, child-friendly, and relaxing environment that provides ample opportunities for the children to participate in different kinds of social and cultural activities for playful interactions and learning. 

So how do we do this?

A safe and nurturing space

Emotional security is foundational to learning. Children need environments where they feel secure, valued, and free to explore without fear of judgment or failure. Building close, trusting relationships with caregivers, teachers, and peers can help children develop confidence and social competence. 

Playful and interactive learning 

Play is central to cognitive and social development. We try to integrate both structured and free play opportunities that allow children to engage in social interactions, problem-solving, imagination and creativity. 

Individualized support for every child

In our early learning classrooms, trained and compassionate teachers are able to recognize each child’s unique needs and ensure that social interactions, cultural engagements, and learning are tailored to their current developmental levels.  

 

Rich cultural and social opportunities

We use every possible opportunity to expose the children to arts, music, storytelling, history, and community events. All these help children learn cultural norms and develop a sense of belonging. 

When we design an environment that aligns with children’s developmental needs, we bridge the gap between their potential and their reality. By building safe, engaging, and socially rich spaces, we create conditions for children in institutional care and those with special needs to thrive. 

Little LC's PKU Story

 Little LC was found in his stroller by the gate of a local orphanage in northern China at the end of January.  The orphanage medical team estimated his age as about 4 months old. 

LC was found with a small supply of special formula for babies with PKU.  Based on that, we guessed that he had been diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU).  This is a serious metabolic disorder in which a person is unable to break down the amino acid phenylalanine.  If left untreated phenylalanine can build up to toxic levels in the body, causing seizures, intellectual impairment and life-long health problems.  

The treatment for babies with PKU is a special low protein formula.  We can only guess that his birth family was unable to continue buying the special formula, or perhaps they were uncertain about his long-term prognosis.

LC’s orphanage asked us if we could help provide the special formula and care he needed, so he came straight to our home.  

We recently transferred him to our medical home in Beijing so that he could follow up with the top pediatric specialists.  They were able to tell us that he has a less severe case of PKU and his feedings can be mixed with a percentage of regular formula.

LC is a happy baby who loves cuddles and is very interested in watching the volunteers and older children.  He finds their antics quite humorous and laughs deep belly laughs whenever they are being silly… so now they delight in putting on a show just to hear the little guy break out in laughter. 

We're so grateful to you for supporting us in this work, and making it possible for us to provide loving, nurturing care to LC!

Made for Love - The Importance of the Ordinary

 When we think about child development, it is often the major milestones that come to mind, like first steps, first words, first day of preschool. 

However, the seemingly trivial everyday moments play an even more central role in shaping who a child is and who they become. We believe that everyday life matters, for example, family life, school, and extracurricular activities create abundant opportunities for the child’s socialization process and the development of higher psychological functions, such as problem solving and self-regulation. 

Children learn through daily interactions with the people around them. For many children, our family model of care is the very first and most important social environment where they learn practical skills that are indispensable in life. Watching and participating in daily chores like sweeping the floor, doing laundry, and grocery shopping teaches the child about self-care and responsibility. 

When a child helps prepare dinner, they practice fine motor skills, following instructions, time management, simple math, and teamwork. 

Participating in family life, school, and extracurricular activities supports children in their development of language and cognition. For young children, learning begins with concrete and tangible experiences. For example, the water-related activities in our Montessori classroom offers children abundant opportunities to experiment with abstract concepts like sinking and floating. A trip to the supermarket or grocery store is ideal for learning names of ingredients, colors, and quantity, and for having conversations about meal planning and nutrition. 

For our children, important adults in their lives (nannies, group home parents, and teachers) also play a critical role in shaping their emotional stability, social skills, and overall psychological well-being. An adult who responds instantaneously to a little one’s physical or emotional needs, who engages in play and storytelling, who comforts when the child feels hurt, help maintain trust and a sense of security. When an adult models communication, calmness, and empathy, the child learns how to express emotions and build relationships. 

Everyday life provides a rich setting for social and cultural awareness. A child’s sense of culture and society develops through simple activities—sharing a meal around a round table with family, offering tea with respect when guests visit, and visiting famous historical places. When children celebrate Chinese New Year with red lanterns, red envelopes from older generation, and dumpling-making and eating as a family, they learn, in a sensory-rich and tangible way, about traditions, values, and ways of thinking. Experiences like these shapes their cultural identity and a sense of belonging. 

It is the everyday routines, interactions, and relationships that shape a child’s development. Children are constantly learning, growing, and absorbing what is available in their near environment. In this process, they form their sense of self. By creating a rich and supportive environment, we want to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background.