China

As a not-for-profit organisation, our investment interest in China is unique.  Our interest lies in China’s social capital and we have a vision to open a Children’s Home in Sichuan Province.  Sichuan was dramatically affected by an earthquake in 2008, leaving many of its children without hope and without a home. 

In Australia, Lifestyle Solutions has helped many children who have been displaced from their families find comfort and support in group homes and family-style environments.  We want to extend this care to the children of Sichuan.

Project Aims and Objectives

This project seeks to establish a Children’s Home in Dujiangyan or Pixian county, which are both located in the northwest of the Chengdu Plain, about 48 km away from Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan Province). It covers a total area of 1,280 sq. km.

Our aim is to create a positive, comfortable, protective and dependable home environment for Sichuan’s orphans and disadvantaged children.  In doing so we will:

• Ensure their basic needs for food, health, clothing and shelter are always met
• Seek and promote the rights of orphans and street children; and
• Support the children in their educational needs.

Project Details

Our vision is to provide a stable, warm and loving family-style foster home in Dujiangyan or Pixian County, to care for “at-risk” and high-need orphans.  We believe that every child deserves a bright future filled with hope and love with their families. However there are many children in China whose parents have been unable to care for them because of their medical and physical support needs. As a result of their high demand for support, these infants and children are often unable to grow up in a family-style setting.

We aim to create an environment where the medical, physical, emotional and social needs of these children are met in a family-style environment.  By working in smaller homes we will be able to focus on the personal needs of every child, helping them to grow and mature in a supportive setting where they can thrive.

As the majority of these children have medical needs, at first our services will be centred on providing them with medical support.  As the individuals become more medically stable and stronger, our care will focus on personal growth and development and then  education and schooling.

We aim to create a pathway for the people we support that:

• fosters community and social participation
• builds everyday  life skills
• encourages emotional development
• supports psychological progress; and
• facilitates spiritual and moral growth

People We Support

Initially, our support will focus on infants and young children who require medical care and / or surgery.  In our first home, we would like to begin with six children under one year of age taking time to train our Chinese staff and establish close relationships with the children.  Once this home is settled, more children can be supported in additional family units.

Our Experience

Our extensive experience in supporting children with disability and delivering early childhood intervention services will assist in ensuring the young children we support will be active community members through the provision of therapies, learning and play based activities and opportunities to interact with peers.

We will also empower local “aunties” through the provision of training, information, referral and support coordination and assist in the development of formal and informal networks. It is our aim to introduce and train staff in responding to the individual needs of the children we support.

We look forward to working in partnership with the local Chinese people and authorities to help give these children high quality support services and the hope and care they need to thrive.