Henan Project
“In the very short time of less than a year, we have seen tremendous changes that
we didn’t believe would ever happen. The enthusiasm you have generated among orphanage
directors, the extra care you have inspired the orphanage staff to offer toward
the children, the incredible amount of funding and relentless efforts you have poured
into loving these orphans, and the doubling of our international placement number
are truly amazing and appreciated. We look forward to more cooperation in the future.”
Henan Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau, March 31, 2009
In April 2008, CCAI, with strong support from the Chinese Center for Children’s
Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) in Beijing, entered into a long-term partnership with
the Henan Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau. As Henan Province is one of the largest
and poorest areas within China, this partnership represents a unique and important
step in assisting a large number of Chinese orphans. Among adoption agencies, CCAI
is the only agency that has ever been designated to help an entire province.
From the onset, the partnership goals were considerable.
- To reduce the severe overcrowding of the 20 orphanages within the province through
international adoption and foster care programs.
- To improve the survival rate of orphanage children by increasing their standard
of care, particularly special needs children.
- To provide training and support to orphanage leaders and caregivers.
As we look back today, it is clear that CCAI’s efforts are bearing fruit. No longer
are children considered unadoptable because of a special need. Our dedicated charity
team has helped orphanage leaders and staff see the potential of each child, just
like they did for a little girl now called Joy.
The charity team has also established routine child care and international adoption
trainings to improve caretakers’ skills, strengthen the adoption support procedures,
and solicit active participation from each orphanage director. Through CCAI’s tireless
effort and systematic charity investment, more than 5,000 children’s live have been
touched, about 2,000 children have received individualized foster care, and over
1,000 orphans have been adopted internationally, which represents a ten-fold increase
in adoptions pre-2008.
The partnership has even benefited the local communities around the orphanages.
Where before there were no CCAI foster families, Henan
Province now boasts more than 360. Each foster family provides one-on-one home care
to a special needs child. This personalized care not only improves the child’s daily
situation, it enables these special children to form attachments that will increase
the odds of a successful adoption.
Where CCAI saw additional needs in the community, we constructed three
Lily Orphan Care Centers (LOCC). These LOCCs not only relieved Henan’s severe
orphanage overcrowding, but they continue to serve as models of childcare which
go beyond adoption. As part of our LOCC organization, CCAI sends childcare training
and therapy teams to all Henan orphanages to evaluate orphanage conditions, produce
training plans, and conduct onsite caregiver training on how best to meet basic,
emotional, and developmental needs of special needs children.
You can make a difference in a child’s life! - Many of the abandoned children within the Henan orphanages exhibit one or more special
needs. While our objective is first, and foremost, international adoption, CCAI
believes we can make a difference in the lives of those that may never find a forever
family. Our co-founder, Joshua Zhong, says it best: “Adoption, without helping the
children left behind, is meaningless.”
To help the Henan orphans, please consider supporting a
LOCC, sponsoring a child, supporting the valuable
work done by our training team, offsetting the cost of medical treatments, purchasing
items to fulfill basic needs (i.e., special nipples for cleft lip/palate), or even
just bettering their lives through items of convenience (i.e., disposable diapers
instead of cloth; laundry machines, cooking appliances). For more information, please
contact us at
charity@ccaifamily.org
or 303-850-9998.
Please check with your employer to see if they will match your donation.