Hey there! This post is about donations we are taking to the orphanage, but I wanted to give you all an update on our process as well
In my last post we had received LOA (letter of acceptance). Since then we have obtained our visas, received immigration approval and article 5 pick up! We've been busy!
Now we are waiting for travel approval and then we are outta here!!
Three reasons why we chose to donate this way:
1. Providing supplies directly to the orphanage.
What a wonderful way to give back to the nannies and caregivers and home to our daughter for the first 3 years of her life!
But some of the smaller orphanages, like the one our Mae is in, does not regularly receive donations or funding (other than the government). The individual adoptive parents traveling to the orphanage are a great way to bring donations directly in.
2. Setting an example.
For our children. They watch, they hear, they follow. We want our lives to be a constant outflow of love to others, locally and across the world.
3. The children left behind.
Well this is a tough one. I can't tell you the heartbreak and affliction of scrolling through pictures of children waiting for a family. Domestic or International. It breaks my heart, over and over again. I feel hopeless; so maybe bringing donations makes me feels like I'm able to help in a very small way for the children left behind.
If you would like to view waiting children available to adopt in China, this is a wonderful organization that has listings:
Our agency, Madison, as well as other adoption agencies have their own listings. You may have to fill out a quick form about yourself before you can access their waiting children list:
What donations are we taking?
Most think right away of clothes, bottles, pacifiers. And those are much needed. But what surprised me was the need for vitamins, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Of course that makes sense once you process it but that is not where our mind goes first.
These children have no dental care.
Most have a special need.
There in close quarters and often get sick together/ at the same time.
Some suffer from malnutrition
Another request is cleft palate bottles/ nipples.
you may wonder, is there such a thing? The answer is yes!
I read a documentary of an orphanage in China and how these precious babies would often die of starvation. They take the longest to feed, they have a poor sucking reflex, they can't hold their own bottles, and there are not enough nannies to feed them...the list could go on.
No matter how you look at it, it is truly heartbreaking.
But on a more positive note, CL/CP (although more prevalent in China than the US) is one of the most requested special needs among adoptive parents. So these children often are matched with a family that can meet their needs.
Other items: thermometers, underwear, socks, toys, sippy cups
One of my close fiends, threw us a "donation shower"! It was wonderful! We gathered donations by opening up a registry and filling it with the most requested items! Below is a suitcase with most of the donations (more are coming in the mail). And if we have to get a bigger suitcase, than that would be a blessing!
And the last picture I will share with you tonight is a picture of her orphanage (sent from a fellow adoptive momma) . Although bright and clean, there is still an unsettled feeling in my heart when I see this. Most orphanages in China have the same basic characteristics: cribs/ toddler beds lined up, multiple children sharing one bed, no mattresses. Here, also pictured is mosquito netting above the beds.
So I apologize for this post being a mix of emotions, happy and sad. But honestly that is how I have felt through this whole process. Up and down. Happy then sad. Confusion then clarity. The orphan crisis weighs heavily upon me. Mae's past and her losses weigh heavy on me. She will experience grief, loss and closure while we are there. And I hope to start fresh when we arrive back in the US, but also never forget her past or those left behind.
