2 children’s homes in Xinxiang Henan province

The children’s home Sunshine Village under the management of Mrs. Ding is located in a village outside the city and appears more like an extended family than a children’s home. Mrs. Ding, a small, energetic person, together with three maids, takes care of the well-being of her 29 foster children, aged four to 18 years. The older children help out and earn additional pocket money. We have supported Mrs. Ding for many years in paying for medical care, school fees and the salaries of the caretakers.

Most of the children here have one parent in prison, the other is dead, run away or sick. As a result, they are often severely traumatized and need care and stability in their lives without family.

A pair of siblings were brought to Mrs. Ding’s children’s home on June 1. Liu Shaman (seven years old) and Liu Fengshuo (five years old). Both children are mute. Medical examinations showed that both of them could speak from a medical point of view. Here we assume a strong trauma. We are convinced that both of them are in good hands in Mrs. Ding’s house and we will do our best to provide them with psychological care as well. The two are wonderfully accepted and integrated by the other children. Liu Shaman already speaks a few words without context, but she often smiles. Liu Fengshuo, on the other hand, says only one unintelligible word. Since the staff of the home is already working at full capacity, we will finance an assistant from the village to take care of the two while the other children are at school.

Only 20 minutes by car from the Sunshine Village is the Sun Village, which is much larger and more modern. It is modeled after Sun Village in Beijing, the first home for children of prison inmates, and currently houses 56 children between the ages of four and 19. All the children here have one parent in prison, and the other is often dead, run away or sick. They are therefore usually severely traumatized and need care and stability in their lives without a family.

The home is officially registered and is therefore supported by the local government with a monthly contribution that corresponds to the salaries of the staff.

We finance the school fees and university fees for some students here.

Loyal staff members take care of the children and their needs around the clock. There are helpers who live with the children in the individual houses (divided into girls and boys and by age groups) as well as kitchen helpers, an electrician and an accountant.