Tots & Teenagers at Yizhou SWI - Big Changes!

After the excitement of  our Desheng visit.....

we headed along the familiar road to into Yizhou to visit the SWI where we support babies and teenagers in the Grace-Hope Foster care programme.

                     Here is Abbie, one of the little cuties who had just recently been placed in the SWI

             and was able to be taken straight into foster care with a very experienced and loving mama.

                    Shawn was able to work with the foster mothers providing training and therapy

               for the mothers to practice with their children to improve muscle tone and support

                                  ..our own little monkeys receiving some much needed attention too :-)

                                       This little one had made lots of friends in the SWI community

           and was enjoying lots of cuddles, stimulation and attention as she tried to walk with her friend

The FANTASTIC news is that not long after this, her birth family who had left her at the SWI,

 came back to take her home!!!!!!!!

We do not know what circumstances led them to that difficult decision in the first place, but are just delighted beyond words that they were able to be reunited, and thankful to Grace-Hope, our sponsors and the wider community who cared for this little one in between!

Sadly the news was not so good for our little Gina, who had been placed in Yizhou SWI in 2009, already seriously ill.

                                       She was placed with a very experienced foster mother.
                      Sadly nothing we did made any major improvement in her physical condition,

                       but I am hopeful that she could feel the love and comfort of her foster family

as she passed away peacefully earlier this year.

Her frail little body is now at peace and free from pain and suffering.

We are thankful to her sponsor who shared love & concern over this little one 

and who was able  to play a  part in ensuring she could feel this love......

The other group we were working with were the Yizhou Teenagers, kids from various backgrounds who for a variety of reasons had ended up in the SWI.

Xiao Xiao helped to set up foster  families for them to be able to live and be part of a normal family set up. It was great to meet here with them and share dinner, read English books and share personal hopes and dreams together.

        Thank you so much to the sponsors who sent books for the teenagers- they loved them!

Some toasts to friendship!!!

and hopes for the future.......

UPDATE........

now SOME of these teenagers have aged out 

(others are still needing the support of their foster families), 

and in situations where they we living in at school for the whole week, and beginning to go back to local villages in the holidays, they have left their foster families.

However it is still important for these kids to have someone to support them and so... 

we are going to have our first BOY in our Guangxi "Girls" programme!!!!

So if anyone would like to help to continue to provide support for these young people

$10 /£6 a month

please contact info@hope4china.info .

We really hope that we can find sponsors for these young people soon,

 maybe families with Yizhou Connections?