There are many reasons that have led us to the same conclusion, that we simply want to help the children.

As active volunteers we have had the opportunity to visit many orphanages and foster homes. In doing so, we have encountered numerous children in need of medical treatment and basic rehabilitation. For example,

• Babies with cleft lips who are waiting for surgery. Because they have difficulty eating, they don't gain weight easily. Because they don't gain weight, the doctors don't want to do surgery so they wait for them to get stronger. This cycle continues because the caregivers may not know the best way to feed them, have the proper equipment or the time it takes to feed one of these children.
• Children with disabilities who do not receive the needed rehabilitation to reach their full potential. This means a child who can be taught to feed himself, talk or walk, does not learn these important skills.
• Children who have received orthopedic surgeries but no rehabilitation or care afterwards. Without proper therapy they often relapse to their previous condition or develop new problems.
• Children who are waiting for surgery for spina bifida, congenital problems with their intestines, clubfeet and many other problems. They are often waiting due to lack of money and assistance, lack of proper medical care in their small hometown, or a place to stay if they have to come to Beijing.
• and many more...

To be effective, both rehabilitation and medical care require close supervision and individualised attention, which mean more time and staff for each child. Currently many orphanages and foster homes are unable to provide this special treatment due to the number of children in their care and lack of funds.

Our grand plan is to give these children the help they need to recover and reach their full potential. We may have the child stay with us to gain weight, so that he is strong enough to undergo surgery. We may house a child after surgery to watch for complications or take care of special needs such as sterile bandage changes. We have a child stay with us after surgery so that he can be close to his doctor in Beijing for follow up. We may provide physical therapy to a child with cerebral palsey, or a baby slow to develop due to Downs Syndrome or blindness.

To aid the children, we must also provide their caregivers with the knowledge, skills and basic resources to help the child. A caregiver for each child is encouraged to stay with us at our home, so they may learn to change the bandages, monitor the condition, or learn the rehabilitation skills to help the child develop. We hope that by including the caregiver we can ensure continued good care once the child leaves our home. Also, we encourage the caregiver to use her new skills to help other children in her orphanage.

In cases where a caregiver from the oprhanage cannot accompany a child, our staff will care for the children with love and special attention.