By James Paul | Senior Grant Writer
Mr. Qiao became a social worker because he wanted to help people. He just didn’t think those people would be children.
“I used to care for the elderly before joining the Kunming Children’s Social Welfare Institute, so I felt like I transitioned from a son to a father. I remember asking myself, How can I become a good father?”
He turned out to be a great father. In fact, he excelled in his work so much that he was promoted to be the director of the institution.
“I realised that when I served the children even a little bit, they appreciated it and would give much more in return."
We’ve known Qiao for over a decade now, and we are consistently encouraged by his work.
“Our goal is always to provide all the children with a happy life and support the foster parents, so they can enjoy their work. This has been my purpose from the very beginning.”
He was quick to recognise the benefits of foster parents and has become an advocate for a community-centred approach to childcare.
“One of our project sites is in Luquan (Yunnan Province), where a community of foster parents looks after the orphans together. It has become a culture of raising children in the community, and it has been awarded as a model of best practice in foster care nationwide.”
Qiao has seen the way the families have built even stronger bonds with their community through their shared commitment to providing homes for children.
“They support each other, learn from each other, and discuss openly what they need to improve together. Their practice and action of kindness also inspired other surrounding villages. More and more families are joining them to foster children!”
In addition, Qiao has seen the way foster care is able to address a child’s needs for love and security and help that child grow into a healthy adult.
“I think what they [foster families] do the best is they have helped the children grow up holistically, and the children in Luquan are more complete psychologically."
We have hope for the future of orphan care in China because of people like Qiao. His dedication to finding the best way to support orphans in China is what will move that system forward.
“China’s success is not related to de-institutionalisation [removing orphanages] but remodelling their services to meet the needs of the children they serve."
Your support helps train and equip individuals, like Qiao, who are working to change the lives of children every day. Thank you for your support.
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