Hello, My name is Claire and I’m an artist and teacher, blogger and passionate about the work of International China Concern.

My daughter and I have been accepted onto a team to work with disabled and abandoned children in one of International China Concern’s projects in central China – and we need your help to make it!

You may have heard of how poor conditions were and the bleak outlook for abandoned and disabled children in China. Before International China Concern (ICC) was formed it was survival of the fittest.

80% of abandoned children died

Only the strong children were able to eat in most orphanages – either because they could latch onto a bottle or were able to fight weaker children for their food. That meant sick kids, or children in need of medical attention, died without help.

4 babies to a crib.

It’s hard to imagine. Babies lying shoulder-to-shoulder with up to four others in one small crib. To make them fit, children were put in sideways, which didn’t give them enough room to stretch out or change positions.

No eye contact.

With too many children and not enough care workers, most babies only received human contact when it was feeding or changing time. Most children learned to stop crying within a few days of life because they soon realised no one was coming.

1 staff for every 30 kids.

There were too many abandoned babies for the low-paid state workers to care for. Budgets were too small to hire the trained staff they needed, which meant millions of sick, vulnerable children were left to fend for themselves.

I firmly believe that every child should have enough to eat, be loved and cared for in a loving family and have access to the medicine, therapy and education that they need – that is why I’m going with ICC to work in one of their projects, and why I need your help.

Since 1993 ICC have been partnering with the Chinese Government to…

Save lives.

For newly abandoned children, ICC takes them into their care. And for children living in state-run facilities, either moving them into an ICC home, or work to elevate the standards of care in the Chinese centres.

Feed, House & Love

The building blocks of a meaningful life start by giving children nourishment, therapy and their very own bed! ICC creates a loving, family-style unit in a group home setting where they work to maintain a 1:5 caregiver-to-child ratio.

Find Schools

Advocate for ICC children to enter the school system where appropriate, by working with teachers and administrators to integrate children into mainstream classes, and teaching people about living with disabilities.

Fund Surgeries

Most children come to ICC with serious conditions – but often ones that can be treated. The costs for surgery are usually very high, and can include expenses to travel to a major city, doctor’s fees, accommodation costs and post-surgery medicines.

Prevent Abandonment

ICC is transforming communities by preventing abandonment in the first place. By offering parents of disabled children education, respite care, financial aid and other supports, ICC gives parents much-needed help and is keeping more families together.

Train China's Caregivers

In addition to caring for children within ICC facilities, they also try to help raise the standards of care in government-run orphanages using the latest therapies, nutrition and child care techniques – including lots of holding, eye contact and playtime.

Standing up for what you believe. – I believe firmly in life in all its fullness, and that’s what these children should have (John 10:10). You don’t need any special calling to help the poor, I’m not going to solve any big world problems, but I may just help a single child in need.

If not me – then who?

If not now – then when?

My own children have LOVE, HOPE and OPPORTUNITY. All I want to do is give a little of that to the abandoned and disabled children and young people in China

So what will we be doing?

Being accepted as part of an ICC China team gives us the opportunity to see first hand their work and to make an impact, we will be working with the long term volunteers to extend and support the care given to the children. This could include Kangaroo care for a newborn baby, or taking the time to feed a child with a cleft palate. Teaching a child to walk, run or even just teaching them how to play and have fun. It is an opportunity to show that these children and young people are precious and loved – showing them what family is and helping to build relationships with each other.  After only two weeks of concentrated care from short-term volunteers, ICC therapists say these children can make huge gains physically and socially.

Where will the money go?

The funds you help us raise will go directly towards costs – visas, Accommodation, flights, team fees. Any additional funds will be given to ICC to further their work.

Partner with me

You can help spread the message, by sharing on Twitter, Facebook etc.

Thank you so much for your help.