have you ever visited an orphanage? if you have, whether it was a walk through visit or to help for a short time, chances are that the experience left a lasting impression.
Imagine what it would be like to become involved and help make a difference in the lives of those who, by no fault of their own, have lost or been abandoned by their parents. Just be sure you temper your imagination with a dose of reality. The work is hard, yet incredibly fulfilling.
Although China has made huge strides in economic development over the last thirty years, it remains a relatively poor country. The population, at 1.3 billion, is enormous, and the number of poor is staggering. There is almost no financial help from the government for medical care or for the poor who want to raise their own families. In order to alleviate some of the economic problems, in 1979 the government introduced the One-Child Policy and officially restricted the number of children married couples can have. As a result, many children, especially those who are disabled, are abandoned.
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Our program is organized and run by Brent Johnson, a long time ActionQuest staff member. Since 1995, Brent and his wife, Serena, have been working with orphans throughout China. They are the founders of China Little Flower and are responsible for running all of the foundation's programs. Their mission is three-fold: care for orphans in their Beijing Baby and Children's Homes; provide necessary medical procedures through their Medical Programs and facilitate the adoption process for American families.
While Lifeworks has no religious affiliation, we work alongside Brent and his team as they assist both state-run and Catholic children’s care facilities such as those in Taiyuan and Liming. We also help out in the Beijing Children's Homes and last summer, led a trip for older orphans to go back to their birth place of Shanxi, which proved to be an incredibly rewarding experience for all involved.
Our role will be to organize and implementing sports, arts and crafts, and educational activities for the foster children and assist in providing some direct care for the younger babies. Like us, these children love to laugh, so we’ll play games and learn from each other through stories and pictures. Lifeworks China offers you the opportunity to test your compassion and your strength. For the most part, we’ll be working in difficult circumstances in poor areas, yet there will be a lot of fun and rewarding times with the children too.
Between projects, we’ll visit the Great Wall and, yes, you’ll get to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. We will walk through the famous Tiananmen Square and see the Imperial Palace and Forbidden City during our stay in Beijing. You’ll even learn a bit of Chinese! Yet, this program is not solely about sightseeing or touring China. It’s about making a big difference in the lives of those who are not so fortunate - the orphans and disabled children of China.
