Short Summary:
Your
donation to the International Committee for Chinese Orphans (ICCO), which
supports the Tianjin orphanage, will help to improve the orphans’ life by
providing calorie rich formula for the orphans in order to have healthy growth.
My motivation for this campaign:
I volunteered
at the Tianjin orphanage during my one year stay in Tianjin, China. I only
spent a few hours with the kids every week but they gave me back so much more:
The smile in the children’s faces when I played with them and fed them was the
most heartwarming moment that I have experienced in my life. Coming from a
country in the world where state welfare is taken for granted I also
experienced that this is not the case in every country of the world. Every week
I saw new orphans coming in but I also had to deal with the reality that a lot
of the children had serious disabilities like heart conditions which needed
surgery but were unlikely to be given this opportunity due to a lack of funds. But
it is not only the expensive surgical interventions that some of the orphans
need, it is also basic things like proper nutrition, formula, orthopedic shoes
or medical devices for the clinic in the orphanage, that are expensive and
can’t all be covered by the orphanage itself.
Why donate?
100%
of the profits of this campaign will help improve the life of Tianjin’s
orphans. The profits will be used for the nutrition program. This provides high
calorie, nutrient dense formula for preemies and at risk children. To sponsor
one child for one month is US$100. ICCO is currently supporting 8 children in
this program. Reaching the goal of 4,800US$ would support the 8 children for 6
months.
Zhang Xin
Yu before and after the first nurtition project in 2012
The organization you are donating to:
The orphanage in Tianjin is
incorporated in the International Committee for Chinese Orphans (ICCO):
- ICCO
is a volunteer organization that has been dedicated to improving the lives of
Tianjin’s disabled orphans since the early 1990’s.
- The
Tianjin Institute of Children’s Welfare has been housing orphans since 1882.
-
Currently,
there are 200+ children with physical or mental disability in the orphanage. As
well as 450+ kids in foster care.
-
ICCO
increase levels of care by facilitating physical therapists, special educators
and other professionals.
-
ICCO
also provides financial assistance to the Adult Facility, a separate facility
in Tianjin that provides for the care of those who are too old for the
orphanage (15+ years old) and unable to live independently. The over 350
residents there are provided with 24-hour care, physical therapy, medical care,
educational classes and nutritional support.
-
The
Committee provides financial assistance for medical assistants, surgeries,
special formula and special equipment.
-
For
over 20 years, ICCO has succeeded in improving the lives of the children with
help from the volunteers and donors, ICCO will continue to benefit the orphans
of China.
-
ICCO
provides financial assistance in many areas: support for medical surgeries like
cleft lip/palate repair, heart & eye surgery.
-
ICCO
provides milk powder to children with special medical needs such as PKU, milk
allergies, and lactose intolerance. They also provide funds for wheelchair
repairs, leg braces, and other special medical needs.
Top left:
Brenda Tea and Rebekah Lee, Co-Chair and Treasurer of ICCO
Other ways you can help:
You are
more than welcome to donate to the orphanage after this campaign has ended. The
easiest way to do this is on the Tianjin ICCO website: http://tjicco.org/donate/. Again: Every Dollar, Pound or Euro we donate helps to improve the
lives of these orphans and puts a smile on their face. So the next time you buy
another coffee or pack of cigarettes, you might want to think about how much
more of an impact you could make by donating the money to help a disabled orphan
instead.