Archive for 'Orphanage Assistance'

Wendy Darling

In January, I visited the Foshan Shunde orphanage in Guangdong where LWB has a nutrition program.  After visiting with children and seeing many adorable babies, we were almost ready to leave the orphanage.  Then we saw a young girl who had just come back from school, and I was told her file had been submitted for adoption.  I asked the orphanage if they would allow me to have a picture with her so that I could advocate for her adoption and they agreed.  Her name is Wendy, and she is 11 years old.
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Rochelle the Budding Artist

Rochelle is a lovely four-year-old child with an artistic streak that she uses to express her sunny personality. Though she cannot stand or walk, she has very creative hands that can do wonders. Rochelle loves to draw colorful pictures of flowers and the sun! Her painting is full of creativity and features quite unusual shapes. Not wanting to limit herself to one art form, Rochelle is surprisingly good at paper-cutting (for a four-year old!) and can cut shapes such as flower baskets, planes and birds.
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Henry, The Boy from LiShui

I want to tell you about Henry, 11 year old boy who is at the LiShui orphanage in Zhejiang where LWB does Orphanage Assistance projects and where two of my adopted daughters lived. He is currently on the shared list and needs of a family of his own before he turns 14! His special need is that he has a mild problem in his lower left limb. He is active, friendly and has a ready smile. He has normal intellectual development, has a good ability to care for himself and knows how to get along with other children and caretakers.
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Got Formula?

Can you imagine trying to feed your newborn, and knowing that you did not have the right formula? Can you imagine knowing that all you needed was different formula that would help them thrive, but there was no way that you could get it?

For many of the orphans in China that are being cared for through our Orphanage Assistance program, that is a reality for their caregivers. The specialized formula made for preemies and babies that are not tolerating regular formula is not readily available. The result is that the babies do not gain enough weight, and in some cases do not grow big enough to get the life-saving surgeries that they may need.

From May 15 through the 31st, you can help make a life-saving change for some of these beautiful babies.
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A Day In the Life of the Ladies of Human Resources

Did you realize that LWB has a Human Resources Department? Managing the 170 volunteers from around the world who make LWB run is one of those behind the scenes operations that most people don’t really consider.   However, without our HR department to recruit, hire and train volunteers…LWB would grind to a halt! Our HR department consists of three amazing women who were kind enough to give us a glimpse into their lives with LWB.

Kristine Fornek, Human Resources Director for LWB: As a new first-time Mom to an incredible six year old son who is taking the world by storm (seen hamming it up in the top photo), I am kept rather busy…my own world has been ROCKED and I’m loving life!  I work full time during the day as a recruiter and spend time after work with my son doing homework, reading, games, etc. After dinner and bedtime stories, it’s time for LWB. I get correspondence from volunteers all over the world. I work with an incredible team of women, and together we do things like process and track new applicants, assist Program Managers with their hiring needs, document job descriptions, etc. No two days are alike, and that is one aspect that makes this role so enjoyable.
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A Day In the Life of Three Orphanage Assistance Volunteers!

In our continuing series, “A Day In the Life,” we are featuring three volunteers who were inspired to work with our Orphanage Assistance (OA) program. We hope you enjoy learning more about these dedicated volunteers and what they do for LWB!

MaryHelen Donnelly, Orphanage Assistance Coordinator: I am a single mother who works full time, so after I put my daughter to bed I usually log onto the computer to check my email and then 2-3 times a week do some of my LWB volunteer work. I wear two hats in the Orphanage Assistance program. In my role as the OA Child Coordinator, I archive all the pictures, stories and sponsor updates that are produced by the OA team. Parents who have adopted from China can request any information that LWB has on their child from their days living in the orphanage. When I receive one of these requests, I look through the archives and send the parents what information I have on their child and/or the SWI in which their child resided.
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Chubby Cheeks from Shangrao Ling

Check out these chubby cheeks from the Shangrao Ling Nutrition Program! Our nutrition program has been providing formula to these and other babies at this orphanage in Jiangxi province. Unfortunately, however, this program desperately needs some monthly sponsors in order to continue to provide the amount of quarterly formula that we are sending.
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Earthquake Relief in Qinghai

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”
~Thich Nan Hanh

It’s been almost two years since a major earthquake struck in Sichuan Province, claiming the lives of 86,000 people and injuring and displacing thousands more. Tuesday morning another major earthquake struck, this time in Qinghai Province where Love Without Boundaries supports several schools. Thankfully, the Mama’s Wish schools in northern Qinghai were not affected, and all of our sponsored students are safe. But in southern Qinghai, the situation is dire. In some areas as much as 90% of the homes are now rubble and schools, hospitals, and other buildings have collapsed or been badly damaged. To make matters worse, the temperature is below freezing at night and survivors have no shelter or warm clothing. Rescuers have been battling altitude sickness, sleet, and high winds, digging through the rubble with their hands while waiting for heavy equipment to arrive to this remote and mountainous region.

With your help, Love Without Boundaries is sending disaster relief items such as tents and tarps rope, blankets and bedding, masks and gloves, flashlights, disinfectant, shoes and socks, heavy coats, and of course food, water, and medical supplies to those impacted by the earthquake.
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Dingxi Nannies Learn New Therapy Techniques

“…Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind,
The stronger trees,
The further sky,
The greater length.
The more storm,
The more strength…” ~
Douglas Malloch~

There are times when humans resemble trees….the more difficult their circumstances, the harder they work to achieve the height of success. Recently, LWB learned that children of the Dingxi Social Welfare Institute in Gansu Province were in need of physical therapy to help them grow strong and achieve better health. Even though several of the children there are afflicted with cerebral palsy, there weren’t trained staff members to help these children.
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Zane’s Miracle

LWB first saw nine-year old Zane in a photo from an Orphanage Assistance project at his orphanage in Zhejiang province. Our Orphanage Assistance director, Suzanne Damstedt, noticed how blue his lips and fingers were and asked the orphanage if we could do something to help him. When the orphanage told us Zane’s story, we were amazed to learn what a truly remarkable child he is.
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