Orphanage - Donations

Hi


There was recently a baby girl at Matilda receiving charity surgeries, she is from an orphanage in Beijing - http://www.hopefosterhome.com


She also happens to have Torticollis (head tilt), and so does my baby. The same physio is treating both babies, so I heard all about Xiao Bao Li (Jayne). The difference is, for us Torticollis is the big problem, for Xiao Bao Li, it doesn't even make her top ten list...


I contacted the orphanage to find out what donations they need, and my husband (who works in Beijing M-F) has kindly agreed to transport a few bags of donated items from HK to Beijing and drive them out to the orphanage.


If you would like to donate anything, please PM me for details.


They need: clothing, soft toys, any baby items, as well as a quite detailed list of needs here:

http://www.hopefosterhome.com/needs.htm


Unfortuantely, my husband cannot bring up strollers or bulky items. But if you or any of your friends travel to Beijing maybe they can assist in that way.


Thank you so much.

Thanks for the replies via PM.


If you want to donate money, please do so directly to the orphanage - the details of bank accounts, etc.... are on their website.

I have a about half an 'amah's bag' full of items, I would like to have a full bag to donate.


My husband is going up to Beijing on Tuesday and will bring it then.


If you can donate anything this weekend, that would be great and hopefully the bag can be FULL!


Please PM me for more details.


Thanks!!

WOW

WOW

WOW


We have 4 'amah bags' (medium size, large was too heavy) to bring up to Beijing!!


Clothes, Blankets, Sheets, Toys and some medicines, new bottles and new pacifiers.


I am hesitant to accept any more now, as my husband can only bring up one bag a week, and we have four bag, so four weeks!!


DOES ANYONE ELSE TRAVEL TO BEIJING AND IS WILLING TO TAKE A BAG TO THE ORPHANAGE??


This is really amazing, I will be sure to report once the goods reach the orphanage. I think we might wait until all 4 bags are in Beijing then just do one trip out there.


THANK YOU ALL!!

We went to Beijing last week and drove out to Hope Foster Home.


It is about an hour to the north of Beijing, past the airport. We drove by farms selling watermelon and other fruits. The orphanage itself is surrounded by green fields.


At first impression the building was much larger than I had expected. There is a large outdoor play area, with playground equipment and lots of grass. Inside there were bikes and strollers.


There were larger play and nap rooms, and smaller bedrooms - the bedrooms held 3-4 baby cots. Outside each door was a chart about each baby in Chinese and their photo, as well as the photo of their nanny or nurse.


The playrooms had quite a few toys, and every window sill had soft toys / stuffed animals decorating it.


We arrived during nap time, but saw the baby from Matilda and she is doing great.


The atmosphere was very peaceful and caring. The rooms were clean and tidy, and the staff were incredibly caring towards the children and very friendly with us (despite the langauge barrier).


All in All we had SIX AMAH BAGS.... 4 medium and 2 small.... all contributions from people on this thread and forum - so THANK YOU THANK YOU!!


When we packed them and brought them there it seemed like a lot, but once we arrived we felt it wasn't nearly enough!!


While my husband commented that it is a well equiped orphanage and obviously well run, the kids are still in need.


Some of the 'bedrooms' were sponsored by individual people, families, schools or organisations - so if you are interested in this, please do contact them directly.


If you travel up to BJ regularly - bring up a bag of stuff and have a nice drive to the countryside or maybe just ask your driver to drop it off. There is a number on the website your driver can call to get directions in Chinese.


http://www.hopefosterhome.com

why dont you approach DHL or equiv and ask them to ship it for free for a charitable cause- im sure they have room in their DHL trucks

Good idea...


I am not a registered charity, and sneaking them in through checked luggage one bag at a time was the easiest. Besides, I believe formal imports are subject to duty, even for charity - although I could have been misinformed.


Hopefully more business/holiday travellers can do the same :)

crj, am i too late?

Hi Germaine


I won't be bringing anything else up to BJ for a while, but you can send things to them directly or write to them to see what else they need - they do take financial donations and sponsorship (of a child, room, etc...)


If you know anyone going to BJ, you can ask them to bring items for you and deliver them - or call the orphanage and they might be able to come to town to pick things up.

Thanks Crj.