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China
China is a country whose culture dates back to the earliest records known to man. At first glance, some of China's beliefs
may seem quite different than those we hold in the western world. One example of this is the cultural preference for a male
child. There are several reasons why Chinese families might prefer a boy over a girl. In rural provinces, a family's livelihood
depends directly on the output of its family members. Because of this, a family with sons would be at a considerable advantage
than one with daughters. Historically, it is also the son's honored responsibility to take care of his parents in their old
age. A daughter, however, would be expected to care for her husband's parents rather than her own. In this regard,
the Chinese believe that having a son is crucial to their livelihood, as well as a form of social security for the parents
when they grow older. Although in recent years, China has done much to change these belief systems, many families, especially
in rural areas, still strongly favor the birth of a male child. This situation is further complicated by China's One-Child
Policy, which prohibits families from having more than one child. As a result of this policy, there are thousands of abandoned
children throughout China, with the vast majority of them being healthy girls."
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A Difficult Journey :
Several hundered thousand forgotten little girls languish in state ran orphanages in China. No one
knows exactly how many. Ninty-five precent of the healthy children living in institutions are girls. Life for a young girl
in China today is not easy. But, because of Chinese society is deeply rooted in family, life for a girl with no family is
unspeakably tough. Education is her best -perhaps her only-hope.
"There were so many little girls in the orphanage that the staff couldn't handle the volume, so they
strapped the toddlers into these little green chairs to prevent them from running around. They didn't do it to hurt the children;
it was just simply too much for them to handle. Anyway, those girls would rock and sway in their confines to get some stimulation.
Today I look at my daughter and all I can think is 'Thank God she was saved from the little green chairs."
--an Adoptive Parent
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Saving Only One....
As we face this journey I had someone ask me " How is saving one child going to make a difference
when there are so many children in China?" I instantly thought of the story of the boy and the starfish.
There was a little boy who lived by the ocean. Everyday he would come out to the beautiful
beach by his little cottage to play. And everyday the tide would wash up hundreds of starfish on the sand-killing them
as the water receded around them. One day a man was walking on the beach, tired from his job in the city. As he
approached the boy, his attention was grabbed as he realized what the child was doing. He watched as the boy ran from
starfish to starfish with a determined stride, throwing each one he came to back into the ocean and saving its life. The
man felt an uncommon anger and pity swell up within him. He walked over to the child and asked, "Why are you doing that? Don't
you realize you won't make any difference? There are hundreds of starfish-maybe even thousands washed up on this beach. What
good could you possibly do? You can't make any difference!" The eyes of the boy looked solemnly up at the man, then
he slowly bent down and picked up the starfish by his foot. He lifted it up to the man's heart and whispered, "It makes
a difference to this one" and flung it into the ocean.
CHANGE
Has my daring changed the world? No, but it changed the world of our family. Have I cured a disease?
No, but I finally gave more than lip service to one of the true ills of humanity!
Orphans
I have learned of the plight of orphans in China. The vast majority are girls, and are
abandoned because they are thought to be less desirable. Girls will not make money or be able to provide for their parents
in their old age. The ones who go to the orphanages are the lucky ones with a chance at a beautiful life with a family in
America or Europe. Many girls in China simply disappear, perhaps drowned in a rice paddy or smothered with a blanket in a
quiet home in the countryside.
The families who leave these children are rural and poor. They leave them in crowded areas, train stations
or shopping areas. Rumor has it that they wait for a kindly stranger to come pick up the newborn baby (usually less than a
week old) and then dart away.
It is illegal to abandon children in China and children who are truly orphaned in China go to live with
relatives. This means that most children in Chinese orphanages are abandoned anonymously and nothing is known of their background.
Each day I learned more about orphans in China and the condictions in which they live. I found out that
they are usually dressed so that all skin is covered, despite the fact that where they come from is very warm. This was
explained to me that many of the children were dressed to cover as much skin as possible and hide unsightly rashes and sores
from prospective parents.
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We sometimes feel that what we do is just a drop in the
ocean,
but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
Mother Teresa
WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD ONE CHILD AT A TIME.
In China, the threat of mass starvation has forced the strict population
controls that are in place today. China has established a one-child policy which is enforced by giving extra food, larger
pensions, better housing, free health care and salary bonuses to couples who pledge to have only one child.
This and a strong preference for boys has resulted in the abandonment of baby girls. There are thousands of
baby girls waiting for a family of thier own. Anyone who has room in their hearts and family, please consider adoption! Here
in the United States we have so much....God has blessed us richly! Isn't it time we give something back...
The babys are usually weak and floppy when they are picked up due to
their muscles being wasted through disuse. You can see how their arms and legs hung from the baby carriers like skin
and fat without any bones. These were not the vigorous eight-month-olds that we are use to seeing. Kicking their legs
merrily at any opportunity as if they were practicing the squat-to-stand maneuver that would soon astound their parents.
It is very difficult to gain access to the Orphanages.There had been reports of human rights
violations by foreigners visiting orphanages in China several years earlier and the government does not want any more negative
reports leaked to the press. Some orphanages do not have running water or soap, much less bleach or latex
gloves. Adoption is the only hope of a future these baby girls have. The number of orphan girls in China is
staggering . The saying "we can change the world one child at a time is so true for China. The daughters of China need
our help! One way or another we all need to do our part.
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