Photos: A Return Visit to Sichuan

One of my staff went to Sichuan and she took some pictures of her visit of the mining area we first found last year. The entire mine was demolished by a landslide, burying several hundred miners under the mountain on May 12th. They have placed a memorial there to remember them.

Nine children became orphans that day. They have been sent to Fujian to study now. Forty additional children lost one parent. Children's Hope is working with their families to begin sponsorship for these forty struggling families.

The child shown here was sick in 2003 and became disabled since. He can no longer walk. We are dispatching a cerebral palsy therapist tomorrow, from Beijing, to check on the child to see what might be done.

We have a plan to help the children in Sichuan with our medical program and have received support from at least one resource.

I wish our staff could stay there longer so we can get reports like this more often. If not, maybe our volunteer staff will learn quickly to do this. It’s not hard but it’s so important to get these updates.

Birthed in the China Quake Aftermath: a Celebration One Year Later

I just got some pictures from Children’s Hope staff in Sichuan. They were invited to a birthday party for over 100 babies born in the Luohan temple after the earthquake, between May 12th to July 2008. If you remember, it was during this time the local maternity hospital evacuated and moved to the temple. Through Children's Hope, Dandelion donated their delivery bed and surgery room lights, and more. Some of the new moms also received the summer relief bags from us, as well.

The young mother pictured is 20 year old Xiong Hui Fang, who invited us to the party.

The last picture was taken back in July 08, just a couple of hours after one of the babies was born. She was indeed born on a monk’s bed in the tent. Seeing her cute face in the picture today makes it so real and so worth it, won’t you agree?

One Year

One year ago, our foster children - 10 year old Ren Qiang and his sister - lost their mom at 2:28pm today.

One year ago, a CHI volunteer team headed to Sichuan, with medicines and loving hearts.

...Masks were worn by the rescue teams in the beginning,

...Medicines were brought to the wounded in Mianyang hospital,

...$1million worth of diapers were delivered to Sichuan orphanages,

...10 water purifying systems enabled clean water for people in the tents,

...One delivery bed gave birthing mothers respite at a maternity hospital operating in a temple

...We traveled 5 days to deliver a electric generator to Wenchuan Orphanage on May 25th

One year ago, we found 200 children who lost at least one parent to the earthquake and we started to help them

One year ago, we started our first Hope Center in earthquake area


One year later - May 12th, 2009

Ren Qiang and his sister are in Beijing attending a boarding school

70 of the Sichuan orphans and children who lost one parent found sponsors and remained in their family

105 babies born in the Temple will celebrate their birthday together

CHI’s 6 Hope centers serve 8000 children and their families locally
$2 million worth of in kind donations were delivered and gratefully used, over the year span

And now, our commitment to our children in Sichuan:

Love and Hope, with you forever

To all the children of the 5.12 Sichuan Earthquake,

Earthquake Anniversary in My Home, on CNN

CNN interviewed me today, on the China Earthquake Anniversary. On the weekends, my foster children, survivors of the earthquake, visit with me. It is their story - Ren Qiang and Ren Yan's - CNN wished to tell.

Please find the article here.

The video is below.

The Loss of Their Mom, One Year Ago

Ren Qiang and Ren Yan came to our home for the May 1st holiday. They are earthquake orphans Children's Hope helped bring to Beijing last year. My family and I were their foster family for a month. We have since found a christian school and sponsors for them both. The two kids have spent holidays and sometimes weekends at our home. Qiang, the brother, is doing okay but Yan is not very diligent with her homework. She can't complete a 1st grade level test at age twelve, even though she is attending grade 5.

Qiang, Yan and one of my daughters.
We have found a school that will accept her where she can learn dancing which she loves. We are in need of 24000 yuan for tuition per year for five years for her. In ten days, it will be the first anniversary of losing their mom. It is unfortunate that this anniversary lands so close to Mother's Day.

Please keep them in your hearts and prayers. They both are going through a tough time, even as their extended family members call and check on them.

Melody