Q - Thriving and Growing

Baby Q, came to our orphan care project last year in October.  Q had been abandoned in north central China and taken to a local orphanage.  She was diagnosed with a brain injury, so the orphanage asked if we could help her.

Little Q’s vital signs were somewhat unstable when she arrived at our home, so the first thing our staff did was arrange for her to have skin-to-skin kangaroo time.  She needed a little bit of supplemental oxygen at first, but it wasn’t long before she was feeding well and didn’t need oxygen anymore.  Q’s nannies made sure to give her all the love, cuddles and nurturing she would have received from her own family.

Today, Q is a happy, healthy 6-month-old who shows no signs of brain damage or other developmental delays.  This month, she travelled to Beijing to meet with specialists, to make sure there are no other issues that could affect her in the future.  We are enjoying watching her grow and learn.  Her bright, sunny personality brings joy to all who care for her. 

Thank you for being there for Q.  

 

Ling - Empowered through Education

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.

Sunflowers

At our Classroom of Smiles, we love using all of our senses when we learn. There is a Chinese proverb that states,

“When I hear, I forget.

When I see, I remember.

When I do, I understand.”

Below, we walk you through a typical morning session in one of our Classroom of Smiles in a city in Northern China. 

First up, we looked at the sunflowers and made observations. What color are the petals? Are all the sunflowers the same size? Our teacher, Nana, led the students in a small discussion. 

Then, we used our ears to listen to the sounds of the petals moving and the seeds shaking. Each child held a sunflower and made observations on what they heard. 

Third, we smelled the sunflowers. 

Fourth, we touched the flowers. Teacher Nana led the children in a song with hand motions (see the video below).

And finally, we used our mouths to taste the seeds. 

The toddlers in this classroom loved using all five senses to learn about sunflowers! 

Making Mooncakes!

What's a better way to celebrate this beautiful Mid-Autumn Festival than making our own mooncakes? We invite you into our Classroom of Smiles cooking class  - get ready for an extra load of cuteness with our little chefs! 

There are a few essential steps in making mooncakes that require special little hands. First, rolling out the dough. 

Second, getting the mold ready.

 

Third, using the mold to press out the mooncake. 

  

Fourth, coating the mooncake with egg yolk before baking. 

And finally, after the mooncakes are done, eating them! 

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 

A Day on the Playground

As the hot summer days slowly leave us for cooler fall temperatures, the days we can go outside to play for hours are also slowly coming to an end. So, we are soaking up as much sun and fun as we can! 

The classic slide is a sure crowd-pleaser! Xin guarded the slide ensuring that only those who knew how to climb up and slide down could use it.  Luckily, all the kids are experts!  

 

And what’s even better is when you can slide down with your buddy on the double slide! 

The seesaw was another big hit! Le, Xia, and Lu, loved being lifted high up into the air! 

Quan, Guo, and Li were a little more skeptical but eventually had fun!

 

Lu was super adventurous!

Finally, everyone had so much fun going round and round in the carousal.

 

Dumplings

 

In October 2019, we launched a new project with one of our partner orphanages in a small city in a northern province in China. We are currently providing specialized care to 45 children in this project. The children range in age from one month — twin brothers!– to 15 years old.

 

Food is an integral part of the day for these children as it not only provides nutrients but also helps them to build a special bond with caregivers. We have been in lock-down for two months now in response to COVID-19, and so, to provide something exciting to look forward to each day, the caregivers have been cooking all kinds of treats!

 

Under Lily’s  supervision, our “chefs” have been cooking up a storm. The menu has included meatball soup, noodles, wantons, dumplings (jiǎozi), stuffed steamed buns (bāozi), banana pancakes, muffins… the list goes on and on.

 

  

 

Yesterday, we made over 80 dumplings, which were gobbled up by 13 kids! Being stuck inside during this difficult time might be hard but at least these children haven’t lost their appetites!