“All the children who are held and loved will know how to love others …
Spread these virtues in the world. Nothing more need be done.”
—Meng Zi
I'd like to introduce you to an organization called "Half the Sky." Over the last 11 years, Half the Sky programs have provided love and hope for thousands of orphaned Chinese children. One such program is the "Baby Sisters Infant Nurture Program." Half the Sky "employs, trains and supervises local women to work as full-time nannies, providing orphaned babies the stimulation, bonding and affection that are essential to a healthy start." When we adopted Kelsea at 13 months old, we knew immediately that she had none of the developmental or emotional issues that many institutionalized children have. She was lucky enough to have been placed in an orphanage that worked with Half the Sky. Several months after we arrived home, we received three photos in the mail of Kelsea as an infant with her nanny, as well as a few notes the nanny had jotted down about her development. It is only a tiny snapshot from Kelsea's first year of life, but it is a treasure to us.
The name "Half the Sky" is taken from the from the saying "Women hold up half the sky." In China, women are not seen as equals to men. With the enforcement of the one-child policy and the fact that it is the son's job to care for his parents in their old age, families are conditioned to prefer sons over daughters - hence the thousands of abandoned newborn girls who end up in China's orphanages each year. Organizations such as Half the Sky are working to send a message that not only are women important in this world, but each tiny life that finds it's way to the orphanage is of infinite value and deserving of individualized care.
To donate to "Half the Sky" or just find out more about their work, check out their website here: halfthesky.org
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