While our Provide employee was still a young men, going to school in Germany, finishing off high school, on the other part of the world some people had the desire, to get an orphanage set up in China. These people are his colleges now. It was a long process,  after many discussions, the government finally gave its approval. One of the officials recalled the beginnings with following words: "there was a foreign lady, who came into my office over and over again, talking about the orphanage project. She came very often and was pretty stubborn, so we didnt have a joyce. We gave her the permit!"

So about 15 years ago the first step was done for the "Rainbow-house of hope" and the first -out of 4 houses - opened its doors. The idea was to have the orphans live in "families" of about 8 to 10 kids with foster parents.  Once put together, these "families" stay like together, till the kids are grown up, like in regular families also. This is the only way for the children to learn how a healthy family life is functioning and they can learn for their future, how to become good parents themeselves.

About 30 children from different people groups now had a home. Half of these children today are grown up already and some have families on their own. The first "grandchildren" are born. The other half is during the week living in school dometeries. In many remote areas of our province,  schools have been merged into a large boarding school where children learn and live six days a week. On Sunday they are free and can come home for a visit. According to official figures, this measure should improve the education of children and ensure an "adequate upbringing".

For us, this means that we only have the children in the home on Sundays. On one hand, a lot of work falls away for us; on the other hand, it is not easy for us to help the teenagers in all their questions, especially in their decisive years. The focus of the work is therefore shifted to visits to the school and cooperation with the responsible teachers. Due to the spatial separation, the social media via mobile phone become the main conversation channels with the children. For the foster parents, this meant buying smartphones and becoming familiar with the world of social media at the age of almost 70 years. So the children can pour out their hearts during the week by cell phone message, for example, when they are bullied again because they are orphans.

Due to the situation, we have closed the old premises of the orphanage this summer and reduced to a multi-room guest apartment. From here, the work will be coordinated for the remaining years until all children are grown up. The apartment is also a meeting point for the children on weekends, vocation and holidays. Due to their age,  4 out of 5 employees could not get their work visa renewed. They have returned to their home countries Malaysia, Singapore and Finland this August and September. From there the work continues - online. It is the only way for  to help the children in boarding schools us in all matters of life. And the children make plenty use of it.

Orphanages in China

Abandoned

Hope for the hopeless

Xiao Bo knocks on the door. His heart pounds wildly, when he hears his mothers voice behind the door: "Xiao Bo, is that you? Go away, go! He will come back soon. Go away and never come back again!" He, that is his mothers new husband. Xiao Bo is a so-called "abandoned" boy. His dad left sometime ago to come his and his families dreams come true of a better, more modernized life. He went to Shanghai on the eastcoast as a migrant worker. At first he still was sending money back to the family, then the contact broke. In order to survive, his wife was forced to remarry. The new husband doesnt want to take care of the children who were left behind. So they are cast out. Should they come back they might get beaten up. These children fall through are not taken care off by any social networks and usually end up on the streets.

One of our goals in the southeast of China is, not only to supply them with clothing, food and a shelter, but also to become mom and dad to them.

You may become part of this work by donating/sending a  gift
Project number: P1815

2014

The Golden Triangle  

The evening shadows of the mountain peaks are laying heavy over the highland valleys in northern Yunnan, a province in southwest China. In the small mountain town the schoolday just finished and the students are on their way home - among them several dozen children from our orphanage. They have to hurry, because the beautiful sunset lasts only a few minutes, until it is swallowed by the darkness of the night. As soon as night sets in, the streets in the tranquil town become uncertain. At dawn, the drug dealers appear on the main street that runs through the place. Especially the students in the upper grades often have lessons until late in the evening and leave the school building after dark. t Our biggest worries for them are, that nothing happens to them and that they do not get in the wrong way on their way home.

Unfortunately hard drugs among young people are very common in these remote mountain regions. For centuries, the locals in the hills know and use opium. The border regions of Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and Laos became sadly known for their fierce trade with drugs, paid by Chinese traders with gold  , and is called "The Golden Triangle".

In the   provincial capital Kunming, with its 8 million inhabitants, live an estimated 50,000 drug addicts.

About a year ago, our staff in Kunming was asked by   friends and local authorities to provide addiction counseling. The idea of a addiction help center was born. The goal is, not only to offer help for those affected, but work especially in schools and universities, to challenge the students in advance, open their eyes to the horrible effects of drugs and thus make the young people aware of the danger.

For the team it stil is shocking how little addicts knew about health implication the drug has on them. As their body decays more and more, the addiction draws them deeper and deeper into an ever-growing swamp of problems. Theft, prostitution and HIV / AIDS are the ugly companions of addiction on the way to the margins of society. Those affected who turned to us for help, have lost everything through their addiction in just a short amount of time: work, friends, family, and finally all hope.

After more than one year of planning, the   application for the addiction center has been submitted. If the authorities will give us green light for this project, the first courses could start.