Exploding!!!!!
That is how we can describe what is going on in the Hunan Foster Care Program. The news is getting out about the program and families have been contacting FTIA to find out if their wonderful little bundles have been in the program. So far we have been able to send out 26 packets of developmental information and photographs to families whose children were in foster care. We would love to be able to send packages to all of the families whose children were in the program. If you know of someone who has adopted a child from the Changsha First Social Welfare Institute since late 2001 please encourage them to contact Nikki Bilderback at FTIA to see if their child was fostered during his/her time at the orphanage.
Love, Care, Nurture, Encourage, Support
For those that wonder how well the children in the foster care program are cared for and loved we have included a story about Gui Ni.
Gui Ni was born on September 8, 2002. She has been in the foster care program since November 2, 2002.
Gui Ni is the only one from the orphanage in the subdivision where her foster family lives. Everybody in the neighborhood just adores her. Her foster family celebrated her one year birthday recently. Almost everybody from the subdivision came to celebrate her birthday and gave her birthday gifts! including a lot of food. Since the foster family's house was not big enough to accommodate everybody for a birthday dinner, the foster family made tea to treat the guests. Because there were so many that came to help Gui Ni celebrate, the family was busy making tea for two hours! Among the guests there were an elderly neighbor who was over eighty years old, a poor lady, and a couple of the vendors who sell vegetables and fruits in the neighborhood. Everybody said little Gui Ni was the star of the neighborhood and the most treasured baby.
As evidenced by her pictures, Gui Ni is a very happy baby. She is very much loved and adored by her foster family and will be greatly missed when she is adopted.
To date we have served 197 children through the foster care program. Our goal is to serve hundreds more to give them the very best start in life they can possibly have. We cannot accomplish that goal without the help of people like you who continue to give and support these children.
As the holiday season approaches we know that many families are looking for a way to give back a portion of what they have been blessed with. We want to encourage everyone to take a look around at all you have been blessed with and see if there is anything you can do to give back to help a child grow and thrive during that very important time in their lives—that very first year.