Orphanages
China is our initial focus and our homes are run and managed by caring, professional and Christian adults. Some of the children were abandoned due to physical disabilities such as cleft lip, congenital heart problems, urological problems, under-developed organs (e.g. ears) and other kinds of disfigurement. Others had to endure the loss of parents through accidents, murder, suicide or a mother leaving to re-marry. With professional, caring staff we seek to give them hope and love that they so desperately need.
Goal
The life of an orphan is not an easy one. All children arrive at the homes out of necessity brought about by abandonment or poverty.
LivingHopeChildrenFoundation desires to foster the growth and development of orphans by providing a safe and loving environment that nurtures their growth into adulthood. Here they will grow up in the company of 'brothers' and 'sisters' and our staff, whose desire is to go above and beyond just providing the basic necessities. Each management team, each volunteer, each staff member has made personal sacrifices to be part of the Living Hope Family.
Nothing is more rewarding than the child's smile that says "You have made a difference to my life."
Our homes include:
Zhao Xian County, Shijiazhuang, Hebei
This is the first authorized Christian orphanage in China, started since 2001. Started by the local church following a number of children being abandoned at the church premises, the church elders trekked over the surrounding areas whenever they were informed of children in plight to identify, seek and look after such destitute children.
Located in Zhao Xian County, south of Shijiazhuang, it is a four hour drive from Beijing, China.
Now with some 35 children in this orphanage age from new born to older children of 17 years old. These children have living relatives and are not therefore eligible for adoption. A number of the older children have left the orphanage to attend vocational school.
Being in a Christian environment, the children are taught to LOVE; Love thy neighbour as thyself.
Fuzhou City, Fujian Province
Started in 2004, this orphanage was set-up to take over some of the burden of a government run orphanage nearby. Many of the children here are disfigured in some way; some may be dyslexic, some children saved from traffickers. As such with a lack of knowledge of their family ties, some have surnames in accordance with the chinese zodiac animal of the year they were supposedly born.
This home is located in Fuzhou City, just by the north gate of Fuzhou University in Fujian Province of southeast China. These children have no living relatives. Many of them were found wandering or abandoned in the streets or in the countryside. Some of these children have "special needs" such as blindness, Acroparalysis (partially paralyzed limb), skin disease or mild cleft lip. At the age of 12, two of our new girls were never educated in a classroom.
We have recently completed a new building to house our children and we hope to be able to move into this new premises by early 2008 once we have full funding to complete the "fitting out". We now have some 30 children here, but with the completion of our new building we will have room for many more children.
Juyongguan, Beijing
Having rented an old primary school and fully renovated the building the Beijing home commenced operations in 2005. We now have some 45 children there, many of whom are from areas around Zhangjiakou, north Hebei, as well as Inner Mongolia. These children are aged from 7 till 15 years old.
This home was started as a joint venture with the Ministry of Culture and is licensed as a school. This home is called the China Minority Arts and Culture Training School. Located just 1 kilometer from the Great Wall at Juyongguan it offers a quiet environment, free of distractions in a setting not unlike many boarding schools in the western world. The children here are given additional tuition in Maths, Chinese, English, computer skills as well as being taught performing arts, over and above their regular school work.
We have plans to increase capacity of this centre to house up to some 80 to 100 children. This involves potentially building an extension or moving to a new building to increase our capacity for another 50 children.
Gaoyao near Nanjing
Started recently in 2007 – with some 20 orphan tenage girls, all of whom are disfigured or disabled in some way, this Helena House of Hope named after our dear Helena Wong seeks to provide hope and a chance for these children to lead normal lives in a highly uncompromising secular world.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want,
..He guides me in paths of righteousness..
Even though I walk through the valley…
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23
Many are in need of corrective surgery and a home that spells HOPE to them, that seeks to take away their inferiority complex. And counseling to teach them the true values of life; a life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Some of the girls can receive vocational training and be able to find work. One one-handed teenager was recently discovered to have artistic talents.