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Hope For A Bright Future
The Education Program |
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This month's newsletter features the Education Program. Don't miss out! Please download the newsletter in pdf format to read all the stories and features.
Download the complete newsletter by clicking here. |
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LWB's Sunflower Project - Hope Through Education
Nan is 15 years old and lives in the rural countryside with her parents, brother, and sister. Her mom is handicapped and cannot work, and her father hauls bricks each day to earn money to feed his family. Nan has never had a piece of clothing that was new. She's never celebrated her birthday. Her bed is a group of boards on a concrete floor, and she has never invited a friend to her home because the conditions are so poor. But inside her heart she still hopes to graduate from high school someday.
Nothing crushes the dreams of a child more quickly than true poverty. If a child is told again and again that something is impossible, they begin to believe it. For many rural families in China, a high school education for their children is often impossible. Many people do not realize that compulsory education in China only goes through junior high. Only 43% of children in China will continue to high school, and that number is far lower in rural areas. The costs to attend senior high school are often well be yond the means of rural families, and so the cycle of poverty continues from generation to generation.
Because we believe so strongly in the transforming power of education, we are excited to announce the launch of a new education program, our Sunflower Project, for rural children in Anhui, Fujian, and Hunan Provinces. We are concentrating on areas where our foundation has a strong presence in China and where we have wonderful and committed local staff members who have identified children at risk for losing their dreams of higher education. Our staff will visit the children in our program regularly and provide personal support to help empower them to improve their own lives and then ultimately their communities. This program will be run completely by LWB, so donors can expect our high standards of providing regular reports. We are seeking donors who want to join with us to change the lives of some exceptional and determined young people and who will sponsor these students for $20 per month.
As we interviewed students and families to take part in this project, I will admit to feeling extremely guilty about sitting in my comfortable home, with my air conditioner running and a full pantry, trying to decide which students were the best match for our program. The children's profiles showed many homes with dirt floors, little furniture, and concrete walls covered in mold. Do you ever ask yourself why so many of us were born into situations where we were able to go to school, have a full dinner each night, and have the audacity to think we could be whatever we wanted while so many children around the world are born into crushing poverty? I know I certainly do, and working in rural China has definitely made me never take any of my life's blessings for granted any longer.
I am happy to report that Nan has been accepted into our Sunflower program in Anhui Province. When she learned that we wanted her to be a part of our LWB family, she broke down and wept. I cannot wait to follow her progress and look forward to bringing you more news of this very important project. Please consider becoming a monthly sponsor. This program will give true hope to many wonderful children and a real ability for them to change the course of their futures.
Amy Eldridge
Executive Director
To see students needing sponsorship click here.
To donate to the Sunflower Project click here. |
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The Impact of a School
by Karin Cooper
Huainan Education Assistant Coordinator
When a small group of LWB volunteers entered a stark conference room in May 2007, it was with hope and anticipation that an educational program could be set up for the children living at the Huainan Social Welfare Institute. A partnership was formed with the orphanage officials to provide a preschool, kindergarten prep, and tutoring program to assist the children with their educational needs. Teachers were hired, and the conference room was turned into a colorful and inviting classroom. Of course it takes more than agreements and paint to make a school. Sponsors joined our effort, wanting educational opportunity and success for the children too, and LWB's Believe in Me Huainan School was realized.
 We continue to see the benefits from this program. A few of the students have been adopted and united with their forever families, and the transition to family life and new schools has been helped by their participation in this program. The quarterly reports, a collaborative effort between the school's teachers and LWB's volunteers, are proving to be a "grateful" history for adoptive parents as they acquaint them a little more with their adopted child.
Read more... |
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Special Training for Teaching Special Children
LWB's Believe in Me schools provide an educational opportunity for orphaned children who have special needs that do not allow them to attend public school. We are truly fortunate to have such a wonderful team of dedicated teaching staff, all of whom have such a big heart for the children. One of the challenges faced by our teachers is the lack of training opportunities available within China to help them meet the unique individual needs of their special students.
In February we sent four teachers from the U.S., each experienced in teaching children with special needs, to Jinjiang to provide week-long training to our teachers from all five of our Believe in Me schools in Jinjiang, Changde, Huainan, Shantou, and Jingzhou. Our American special needs training team consisted of two special educators, an art teacher with experience working with children with special needs, and a speech language pathologist. It was a life-changing experience for everyone who participated.
Read more about the Special Training... |
| More Marathon News!
We send a sincere thank you to all who participated in the New Jersey Marathon Festival earlier this month and whose dedication made this such a successful fundraising event for LWB's Education Program. The weekend,  which ran from April 30th to May 1st in Long Branch, New Jersey, couldn't have been better. We had great weather, dedicated volunteers, and a wonderful racing team. We are deeply grateful to everyone who ran, volunteered, or sponsored runners, all to help the children in our education program receive the priceless gift of an education, and a chance to achieve their dreams.
Another racing event to benefit our education program is coming up: the Rebel Race 5K and 15K in Frederick, Maryland, on June 18th. It will be a great time, full of obstacle courses, barricade climbing, rope swinging, mud crawling, and even fire jumping, followed by a big party! This is a wonderful opportunity to have fun while helping children in need at the same time. The funds raised will go to provide healthy school snacks to the 75 students in our Believe in Me School in Huainan. The children are often hungry as they get no snacks between their meager meals of rice and vegetables, and they rarely receive protein. LWB has committed to providing healthy snacks (fresh or dried protein, fresh or dried fruit, and milk) three times a week. By providing nutritious snacks, the children's learning will improve, and their health will too!
To participate in the Rebel Race 5K, register here.
To participate in the Rebel Race 15K, register here.
If you would like to sponsor a Rebel Race participant in this event, click here.
Thank you so much for all of your support to the children in our education program.
Kate Dlugozima
Director of Education |
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About LWB
Love Without Boundaries Foundation is a worldwide group of volunteers dedicated to improving the lives of orphaned and impoverished children in China. We provide humanitarian aid in the following areas -
Education, Foster Care, Healing Homes, Medical, and Orphanage Assistance
- enabling children to receive families through adoption or to become self-sustaining members of their communities.
Our vision is to provide the most loving and compassionate help possible to orphaned and impoverished children in China, and to show the world that every child, regardless of their needs, deserves to experience love and be treated with dignity and care. |
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LWB Launches New Website!
LWB is excited to announce the launch of our new website! We hope you'll enjoy the fresh new graphics and that navigating the website will be informative and easy. Pop on over and check it out! |
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New Book Features the Story of the Hills of New Hope Foundation
Love Without Boundaries is thrilled to announce a new book chronicling the story of Joyce and Robin Hill who run New Hope Foundation. LWB has partnered with the Hills since our first days of working in China and our Heartbridge Healing Home is run from their facility just outside of Beijing.
 In 1998, Robin and Joyce walked away from their wealthy expatriate life in China to take sick and abandoned orphans into their home. This is the story of how that commitment to aid the most vulnerable has helped to save and change hundreds of little lives. Singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman has written the foreword. It and the first chapter are available for download on pdf by clicking here. The book will be released in June and is available for preorder from Amazon.UK and The Book Depository.
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Born In My Heart Auction Funds Already Bringing Healing!
This year's auction was an exciting one! We limited the number of items this year to about one-third the number of items as last year and the proceeds brought in about half the amount! Isn't that AMAZING? We ma de a little under $12,000, which was used for our most urgent children! Some of the children have already had successful surgeries and are on the way to recovery. Thank you everyone that participates in this auction every year!!
Debbie Gentile
Art Auction Coordinator
Read about the children healed... |
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Celebrate
Teachers
Celebrate the special teachers in your children's lives with a beautiful celebration box and the gift of hope and healing. Inside a gold box tied with a burgundy ribbon is a special card stating:
T his gift celebrates love for you, the person receiving this gift, but it also helps provide humanitarian aid for children in China. LWB provides care in these five key areas: Education, Foster Care, Healing Homes, Medical, & Nutrition/Orphanage Assistance.
Please accept this gift knowing that someone chose to honor you and help children in China at the same time.
Also inside the box is a lovely and simple adjustable-size, black twine bracelet featuring a light-colored large bead, surrounded by small silver beads, against a white floral fabric ruffle. The large beads, purchased in China, vary in color and will hopefully remind the wearer of the gift of hope and healing provided to orphaned children in China.
Celebration boxes can be mailed to you for giving or directly to the recipient. If you would like your gift mailed directly to the recipient, please include the recipient's name and address in the Shipping section on the donation form. A donation of at least $30 per gift is suggested, which includes priority mail shipping to U.S. addresses. If you would like to purchase multiple gifts, please make one total donation and email us with the details concerning where to send them.
Teachers are sure to appreciate this thoughtful gift, knowing that orphaned children in China are being helped.
Order Celebration Box - suggested donation of $30 per box, including shipping.
Education Gift Cards are also available. |
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