A Day of "Firsts"

We took the children from the CP Residential Unit and 4 of the older children from the Special Care Unit, for their first ever visit to a shopping centre and …….. McDonalds!!

The children knew there was something special planned, but they didn’t know what until after lunch on Friday, as the excitement would have just been too much.

We hired a local bus, which is the only way to transport all the children and their wheelchairs. As you can see from the photo, it’s kind of crowded on the bus, but we all managed to squash in!

As we arrived, the excitement was at fever pitch. Each of the children had Rmb10 to spend which the SWI had given them. It was the first time for all of them to be in a shopping centre, the first time for them to buy something of their own choosing, and the first time to eat McDonalds.

Purchases were made, the moving walkways were well ridden, and Big Mac and Happy Meals were devoured. The kids had a wonderful time and were ready to get back on the bus and head for home a few hours after arriving.

It was wonderful to see them get so much enjoyment out of the trip. The shopping centre was very accommodating with a disabled bathroom facility, and McDonalds welcomed the children with hats and balloons.

Hope you can catch some of the excitement of the day from the photos.

Tyler excitedly steps out with his new walker

This week we received a walker donated by a family in America. It has completely changed the daily life of one of our children, Tyler. He was born without the bottom half of one of his legs, and so he couldn’t walk, but crawled around in a kneeling position. He is a very active, inquisitive 3 year old who gets the most out of life. The first thing he did when he got it, was to take a good look at all the nuts and bolts, checking them all out. Then off he went, he didn’t need any coaching, just started hopping off using his good leg! There’s been no stopping him since, he doesn’t let that walker out of his sight!

What a difference!!

When we first opened our Special Care Unit, this little boy Benjamin was one of our first babies we received. He is a perfect example of how through the generosity of our supporters we can make such an incredible difference in a child's life.

Benjamin came to our unit with a severe heart condition. It was obvious he needed surgery right away. Partnering with our friends at Love Without Boundaries, enabled him to receive his much needed surgery very quickly. Once he returned back to our unit, under the care of his wonderful nanny, Benjamin just flourished. And within just a few months, his life has been transformed.

Now this healthy young boy is ready to enjoy being just a boy. Benjamin was recently moved into foster care with a local family, who thinks he is "the best".

Thank you to everyone who made this possible for sweet little guy!

Welcome!



We are thrilled to share with you all the exciting news happening at An Orphan's Wish. Many of you have contacted us to ask "Where are you?" and "What do the buildings look like". So we thought we would share a few photos with you. We are located in the Guangxi province, near Guilin. We are so fortunate to be in a new building that has been rennovated for each of our units. We have a lot of space and plenty of growing room.



Our main floor is for our House of Love kids and boy do they love the courtyard and outside areas. Wheelchair accessible ramps have been installed so they can freely move around inside the gates. A great courtyard area is in the center of the building, which allows for alot of outside activities, play time and even lunch.



Our second floor is dedicated to our Special Care Unit Babies. We have many bedrooms, a huge changing and dressing area, kitchen area, and lots of storage. A bright sunny playroom has plenty of toys to keep these little ones busy. We have additional space to grow in the future, with alot of exciting ideas for these new spaces.



We will continue to share with you all the wonderful things happening at An Orphans Wish through our blog. You will love seeing the changes and happy faces in the children we are able to help each day. Stay tuned for more!