Made for Love - Supporting Our Caregivers

Over the years, we have learned a powerful truth: the well-being of children facing disadvantages is closely tied to the strength, effectiveness, and resilience of the adults who work directly with these children. 

Whether they are nannies, group home parents, teachers, or project managers, these individuals are often the primary source of emotional security and support for children who have experienced abandonment, trauma, and tumultuous family situations. 

We believe that to truly support the children in care, we must first support the adults in their lives. It is essential to meet them where they are, to be culturally sensitive, and to engage and motivate them through strength building activities, rather than resorting to deficit-focused approaches.  

Frontline caregivers often come with their own personal histories, beliefs, and unique challenges. Expecting them to adopt new ideas or methods without acknowledging their own realities may lead to passive resistance and frustration. Meanwhile, traditional training and support programs often take a deficit-focused approach. Experts come in, identify what caregivers are NOT doing well, and prescribe external solutions. While this is well-intentioned, it can leave caregivers with feelings of inadequacy, demoralization, and confusion.
               

Instead, we have adopted a strength-based and culturally sensitive model which begins with listening. We invite caregivers to share stories about their daily challenges, joys, fears, and needs. For example, in a training for teachers working in orphanages, the teachers mentioned that some children’s behavior issues and their lack of progress in learning were their biggest challenges at work. Knowing this allows us to tailor the training to their actual needs.  

Seeing caregivers as capable and competent problem solvers and amplifying their strengths fosters motivation. For example, in trainings about how to engage with children through play, we started by asking: what kinds of play do you already use with the children in your care? What games did you play when you were little? The discussions brought smiles to everyone’s face. One caregiver shared that she remembered playing “selling piglets” as a child with her siblings, which involved a lot of pretending, playful physical contact, and laughter. She was encouraged to introduce this game to the children during her shift, and it became the most popular game at the time. 

Working with caregivers from diverse cultural backgrounds means we need to be adaptable and drop the one-size-fits-all approach. In one of the orphanages, many caregivers were skeptical of formal training but possessed rich local knowledge. Rather than insisting on typical workshops, we used shared staff lunchtime (nap time for the children) as a teaching tool and capacity building opportunities to talk about how to interact with children and understand their behaviors. During this time, caregivers were more open to share their concerns and strategies, rather than quietly noting down information passed on to them as often seen in traditional professional development sessions. 

Supporting adults who care for vulnerable children is not about forcing them to conform to a single mold. It is about recognizing their voices, amplifying their strengths, and walking alongside with them humility. When we meet caregivers where they are, we help create a more nurturing and stable environment for the children, and for the caregivers themselves too. This approach emphasizes that quality care begins not just with food and shelter, or training, but with human connections. 

Big changes for S!

 S was born with a cleft lip and palate and abandoned as a tiny infant in 2014.  Her cleft repair surgeries were done when she was small, long before we met her.  Five years ago, when we began operating our family model of care in her province, her orphanage asked if she could join our project.

When S first arrived, she had many behavior issues.  She did not know how to regulate her emotions, and would frequently throw tantrums and try to hurt herself when she was upset.  Her foster parents worked hard to help her understand her feelings and her reactions.  

Gradually, her outlook changed, her interactions with her parents and siblings improved, and her outbursts lessened.  Right before our eyes, we began to see her blossom.

Knowing her now, it’s hard to believe she is the same girl who joined us 5 years ago.  S seems content and very much at peace.   

She is very thoughtful and helpful toward others in her family.  She studies very hard at school; both her parents and teachers are continually impressed by her hard work and independent spirit.  She is truly a joy to be around!

And the best part?  A local family has expressed interest in adopting her and they are working to fulfill the requirements to bring her home.  We recognize that although adoption is exciting, it’s also a huge transition with the potential to arouse many strong feelings and emotions.  We are working with S to give her the tools and resources she needs to navigate this difficult, life changing event.   

Because of your support, we are able to provide loving, nurturing family-based care to children like S, building a solid foundation for the future, whatever that may be!

Made for Love - It Takes a Village

We believe that is is important for children with special needs to build stable and supportive relationships through a network of adults—caregivers, teachers, group home parents, project managers etc.

There’s a well-known proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In the work we do, we see the truth of this every single day. When a child has been abandoned, or when a family is unable to care for their child due to hardship or illness, the village becomes not just important, but essential. It is this village where the child learns to trust, to connect, and to hope again. 

Many of the children we care for are not only orphans or separated from parental care, but also live with special needs. Some were born with disabilities that their birth families felt unequipped to support. Some have developmental delays. Others carry deep emotional scars from early trauma or chaotic family situations. Each child’s story is different, but they all share a common need: relationship—secure and nurturing relationships with stable adults in their lives.  

What we see in our daily work is that when a child is both orphaned and living with special needs, it takes an entire village working together to help them heal, grow, and thrive. 

Group home parents provide daily nurturing, routine, and a sense of family and belonging. 

Caregivers offer care, tenderness and warmth. 

Teachers adapt learning to each child’s capabilities and developmental ages. 

Managers ensure environments are safe, responsive, and rooted in respect. 

Volunteers and sponsors provide additional and specialized support that helps transform survival into thriving. Each one plays a vital role—not alone, but together, as part of the “village” that raises and supports every child. 

When these adults work together, consistently and compassionately, they begin to offer what many of our children have never had: a stable network of care. For orphaned children with special needs, this kind of relational stability is crucial. Above all, they need adults who do not give up on them—who keep showing up, even when progress is slow or behaviors are difficult.

We have learned that healing does not happen through structure alone. It happens in the seemingly trivial everyday moments like shared meals, random conversations, and celebration of every child’s birthday. These moments, woven together by a team of caring adults, tell a child, “You are important. You belong. You are not alone.”

We realize it is essential to invest in creating this village. We train staff in play-based, trauma-informed, and inclusive practices. We work to build trust among our staff members. We strive to hold children with compassion and dignity, recognizing their unique potential and not just their diagnosis or history.

We cannot replace a parent, but we can be a village—a network of consistent, loving adults who help each child develop, one relationship at a time. 

Launchpad Updates - May 2025

 (Note: this blogpost was jointly written by the young men in our Launchpad projects, so it's a wonderful glimpse into what is going on in the project from their point of view.  Bonus points for them because they also did the translation into English! 😊)

As the spring fades away, May quietly ushers in the breath of early summer. The sunlight grows more intense, the leaves turn denser, and our lives have also become exceptionally vibrant and colorful this month. 

Birthday Celebrations

At the beginning of May, we welcomed an eagerly anticipated event—a birthday celebration for one of our team members. Though we didn't have  fancy decorations, everyone put their hearts into preparing a small celebration. On the birthday, under soft lighting, the cake was slowly brought out as we sang the birthday song in unison. The birthday boy's face lit up with a shy yet joyful smile. The candlelight reflected our sincere faces, and in that moment, time seemed to slow down. We took turns offering our blessings—some heartwarming, some humorous—filled with laughter and heartfelt moments. Together, we took photos, cut the cake, and shared snacks. Though the ceremony was simple, its meaning was profound. It was not just a birthday celebration, but an expression of friendship, a reflection of the understanding and emotional bonds we've built through our shared experiences.

 Culinary Skills

Besides celebrating birthdays, there has been much other learning in our daily lives. We set a new goal for ourselves this month: each person tries to cook a new dish. Some chose “Cola Chicken Wings”, while others chose “Stir-Fried Pork with Green Peppers”, etc.

Learning new dishes is not only about mastering a recipe, but also an exercise in hands-on skills, independent thinking, and patience. It's essential to make a list in advance when preparing ingredients. During the cooking process, proper timing and heat control require careful attention. 

After the finished dish is served, everyone takes a turn to taste, score, and give fair feedback. Every successful attempt is an affirmation of oneself, and even if some steps aren't executed perfectly, we’re all bold in trying new things and aren't afraid of failure. This sense of continuous progress makes us enjoy every bit of effort put into the kitchen even more.

Making "Zongzi"

As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, we have also participated in the traditional "Making Zongzi" activity. (Zongzi are a special sticky rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves that are eaten during Dragon Boat Festival.)

Early that morning, the table was arranged with cleaned bamboo leaves, soaked glutinous rice, and prepared red dates neatly. We gathered around the table, listening to the teacher explain the essentials of making zongzi: how to fold the leaves, how to fill them with rice and stuffing, and how to tie them securely in neat triangular bundles without coming loose.

For some of us, this was an entirely new skill. At first, we often didn’t make them tightly enough, or the zongzi would fall apart when boiled, but no one was discouraged. We helped each other, exchanged experiences, and gradually mastered the technique. The process of making Zongzi became not just a manual task—it turned into an exercise in communication and cooperation. After finishing, we looked at the table full of our creations, some oddly shaped but uniquely crafted Zongzi, and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The aroma of the boiled zongzi filled the air as we sat together, enjoying our handmade meal and reminiscing about the process of making them earlier that day. In that moment, the air seemed to carry not just the fragrance of zongzi, but also the warmth of home and the festival we celebrated together.

Dumpling Making Party

At the end of May, we organized another “dumpling-making” activity at home. While this activity may seem simple, it truly demonstrates our teamwork and coordination. We had clear divisions of labor—some rolled out the dough while others focused on wrapping the dumplings. Throughout the process, everyone helped each other and worked together together.

Unlike the "craftsmanship" of Zongzi, dumplings emphasize more on a sense of rhythm. While everyone's hands are busy wrapping, their hearts remain engaged in communication and cooperation. Some wrap at a fast pace, some create beautifully shaped dumplings, and some even invent special styles like "mini versions" or "double-folded edges, etc." There were many humorous moments and exclamations of delight! The moment the dumplings are dropped into the boiling pot, steam billows from the pot, as if lifting our laughter into the warm, bustling essence of life.  
When the steaming hot dumplings are served, everyone quiets down to savor them earnestly. Each dumpling on the plate carries not just the aroma of its ingredients but also the joy of our collective effort and shared experience.  

May is warm, steadfastly, and colorful. Throughout this month, we celebrated together, learned together, worked with our hands together, and turned simple days into flavorful memories. These experiences may seem mundane, yet they shine brightly in our memories.  

Thoughtful and Resourceful - Little F

Little F was abandoned as a newborn almost 5 years ago, during the height of the Covid lockdowns.  

She was diagnosed with a number of heart defects, as well as a few other abnormalities.  It was later confirmed that she was born with Loey's-Dietz syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder that often causes aortic and other arterial malformations.  

F has already had one heart surgery, and will need another at some point in the future.  She follows up with her cardiologist every 6 months, but so far has been stable and the risks of doing surgery now outweigh the benefits. 

F lives in our family model of care and is thriving with her 3 sisters and one brother.  

She has a fiery personality, and her foster mom says she is not only fearless, but also incredibly smart.  F never stops talking, and is always ready with a solution to any problem she faces.  

Recently the power went off unexpectedly mid-day, and lunch had not yet been prepared.  Realizing that her foster mom would be unable to make lunch as usual, she remembered that they had bread left over.  So, she went to her mom and said “The power is off!  You won’t be able to cook lunch for us… but don’t worry, we have bread left over from breakfast and we can eat that today.”  Her mom was amazed that she was so thoughtful and resourceful.

We are able to offer F loving, nurturing family based care and life saving monitoring and medical treatment because of the wonderful support of people like you.  Thank you for making a difference for little F!

Little Y returns...

 Little Y was born prematurely and with a heart defect.  He came to our medical home in 2023 as a tiny newborn and received the heart surgery he so desperately needed.  

He then spent nearly a year recovering and growing stronger before he returned to his province.  

We knew that he would need an additional surgery once he was a little older and made it clear to his orphanage that we would be happy to help when the time came.

Little Y’s orphanage reached out to us earlier this year about arranging his next surgery, and we were delighted to have him come back.  

His surgery went smoothly last month and he discharged back to our home to complete his recovery. 

 

We’ve been told that he is healthy now and will not need any additional surgeries… we’re happy about that, but it’s bittersweet knowing that once he leaves this time, we probably won’t have a chance to see him again.  At least we had the chance to celebrate his second birthday together!

We hope and pray that someday little Y will someday be able to join a family of his own.  Until that can happen, we are so thankful that we could help provide him with lifesaving medical care and a loving, nurturing environment so that he can grow physically and emotionally strong and healthy.