FuShun City SWI

Once matched, one of the first thoughts on our minds was concerning the care that our son is receiving at his orphanage. Thanks to a little divine intervention and the Internet, I was able to track down two other families, one living in Norway, who has adopted from FuShun City SWI (apparently very few adoptions take place from this orphanage). She wrote:

"He [her son] is just a fantastic boy - happy and it is like he has been with us forever. And I think that the orphanage has done a great job raising him. He was extremely healthy and the paper on him was as expected. They had also prepared him very well for his parents (us), and he said mommy to me at once when he saw me. The orphanage has a lot of love, and it seems that they are kissing and hugging the children a lot. Our son is so full of love..."


While that was simply enough to send me sailing over the moon with joy and relief, I then found out about Bob and Pat, two retirees who travel to my child's orphanage at least once a year to volunteer (what are the odds!). Not only were Bob and Pat a wealth of information, they have kept a wonderful blog with video and photos of my child's orphanage, the nannies, the directors, etc.!

For an adoptive parent, this is like hitting the jackpot! It's like peering into a window of what life is like for my child during his most critical developmental stages of life. It is a huge relief to know that my child's needs are most likely being met not only physically, but also emotionally. To see smiles on the faces of the orphans and the orphanage staff...to see pictures of brightly-colored rooms and baby items...to know that our son is loved and cared for by the staff and by volunteers, is priceless!

China's Orphans

Twenty-three students and faculty from the University of Southern Maine spend 18 days in Chinese orphanages. Their experience is documented here and here.

Clean Drinking Water for Orphans

A Child's Right, is an organization dedicated to providing clean drinking water, through installation of water purification technologies, to children in orphanages, street shelters, and the like in impoverished areas throughout the world. Clean water -- what many of us take for granted daily, yet so integral to our overall well being.

A team just recently visited orphanages in need of clean drinking water in several of China's Provinces. Here is a peek of orphanage life in China and also a glimpse of these CR volunteers performing miracles -- bringing well being to desperate children.