Many of the children living in Chinese orphanages have special needs. Needs such as cerebral palsy, cleft lip and palate, cardiac abnormalities, and limb deficits to name a few. Families in the US, Spain, Canada, and Sweden happily adopt these children with special needs and overwhelmingly say they cannot imagine their lives without their child.

Kids who live or have lived in an orphanage have some degree of sensory defensiveness and delay and can benefit enormously from OT and PT. Red Thread Charities has set up developmental training centers in 2 orphanages. The staff in each of these orphanages is trained and are able to independently carry out the techniques taught to them to help the children. Both orphanages plan to open their doors to families in the community with children who have special needs.

Beautiful country

China is such a beautiful country. Here is an image taken last October in Guiping while hiking up a mountain. This mountain overlooks Guiping Social Welfare Institute in Guanxi province. It is home to over 40 children with special needs. Red Thread Charities has worked with this orphanage for 3 years. They are now independently running a PT / OT /special education program for the children.

Let's start blogging.

Our October 2009 volunteer trip starts in just a couple of weeks. Some of us are leaving a little early on the 9th in order to tour for a few days in Lijiang. The 26 volunteers and 10 of our kids will meet up in Shanghai on October 15 and will travel to Hangzhou the following day to start working with the children and staff at Hangzhou Children's Welfare Institute. We will be examining the children and sharing techniques in physical and occupational therapy, and special education. We will be giving medical advice regarding the children needing it and lectures are planned and already translated into Mandarin! Each of us willl have an interpreter. I am inviting all the volunteers to help me keep this blog interesting for the duration of the trip. That shouldn't be too hard to do as it will surely be a fascinating time. It can be shared with all friends and family so they can actually see our insider's view of China.