Half The Sky

I wanted to take a minute and talk about a great charity called Half The Sky.

It is a non-profit organization with one goal: to make sure every child feels the love and security of a loving adult even before they find their permanent home. Through donations, hundreds of representatives in China develop programs that directly benefit institutionalized children by providing physical and cognitive interaction and supplies that they may never normally receive otherwise. They provide medical and nutritional resources, and most importantly the interaction and stimuli that only one-on-one attention can provide.

Because orphanage workers in China are often asked to care for a dozen or more children, the most they can do is feed, potty, change, nap...feed, potty, change, nap... Depending on capacity and work load, kids are often in a crib or play pen for hours on end with one or two toys, and sometimes none. Orphanages are typically kept very cold and children are often bundled to a point where they can barely move their arms and legs. So many kids come home with little muscle tone, under developed motor skills, and without the capacity to understand simple play.

Half the Sky sponsors Social Welfare Institutions (orphanages) and provides them with the above mentioned supplies and resources as well as training for caretakers (aunties), preschool programs, learning programs for older children, and foster homes for children with special needs. It provides these kids with one-on-one attention that they so desperately need at that stage in their lives.

In many cases, kids from HTS sponsored SWIs come home close to or on target developmentally. That's a big deal.

A 10-year old girl mentioned on their website has sponsored 40 kids simply by asking for donations instead of gifts on her birthday since age 4. How cool is that?

The above picture is from their website. I think it is not only beautiful, but communicates the red thread proverb. I've mentioned it in the past, but here it is again...

An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.
-- Ancient Chinese Proverb