Update

Happy New Year!

January 2008 marks the fifteenth anniversary of International China Concern’s founding. We are so grateful to the thousands of people who have taken the seed that was planted all those years ago and helped it grow into a vision under which hundreds have sheltered. Together we’ve given nurture, homes, therapy, education, medical care and vocational training – in essence love, hope and opportunity – to each of these little ones.

We’re excited at all this year holds and trust many more lives will be transformed. The Hengyang Project continues to expand its services to more than 130 children and young adults, and renovation has finally begun on a new care facility for around 40 children in Changsha. We’ve also begun training and supporting families in the community with special needs children. Sam Hills, Community Outreach Manager, writes:

‘One of the grandmothers who attended the training had been telling us that her eight year old granddaughter had ‘level 2 cerebral palsy’. When we met her it quickly became clear that she actually has autism. When we asked how she had been given the diagnosis she said that she had taken the child’s CT scan to the doctor and he had made a diagnosis without seeing her. We were able to start her on some strategies to improve communication and play with her granddaughter.

The three days of training gave us a really good opportunity to connect with the families. It is very clear that families in Changsha caring for disabled children have a great need for support, for services such as therapy or vocational training, but perhaps more importantly for education, information, emotional and peer support.’

Contact us if you’d like to partner with us to bring love, hope and opportunity to China’s abandoned and disabled.

2008.01.07