Q&A: Care for Children

Care for Children seeks to find longterm family placement for abandoned and orphaned children in Asia, as an alternative to institutional care. Since 1998, the charity has placed over 250,000 children in foster homes. We spoke with the founder, Robert Glover, about the importance of growing up with the support of a mother and father.

What are the benefits of long-term foster care over orphanages?
Nothing can replace the love of a mother and father. Foster care enables orphaned and abandoned children to have a family life with ordinary families from the community who are willing to raise the children as their own. Family life gives the child a chance to learn life skills and a foundation for sharing joys and sorrows.

Describe the selection process for both families and children.
First, the word is spread in the community that there is a need for families to care for children. Then there are in-depth interviews and assessments with both the families and children. Then the children are carefully matched with suitable families. Once a child has been placed in a family, both the child and family will have regular follow-up visits.

How have the children changed after their placement?
They are happier, more caring, more independent and confident. A few years ago, I visited one of our project sites in a village in southwest China. When we got out of the car, a little boy with a stick in his hand approached me looking really angry and threatening me. The staff explained that he thought I was going to take him back to the orphanage. He told me, “I have my own mum and dad, my friends and even my own dog here. I don’t want to go back. This is my home.” This boy had found an identity with the support of a new family, and was prepared to fight me with a stick to stay where he was.

What’s the greatest transformation you have seen?
Li Li always stands out in my mind. At her orphanage, Li Li was very weak due to a life-threatening heart disease and she desperately needed surgery. But after spending six months in a foster home, she went back to the doctor for tests and they discovered that her heart had healed! There was a lot of coverage in the press about how a mother’s love had literally healed her broken heart.

For information on how to help, visit www.careforchildren.com or email friends@careforchildren.com.cn.

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