By Chloe Banks | Development Manager
The theme for this project update report is "Family!"
Families are important, and we strongly believe this at Bethel China. In the past two months, seven of our children have been adopted. It has been beautiful to see new families come together and we are thankful that these kids have such a bright future ahead of them.
In order to share some stories about families who have chosen to adopt a child with a visual impairment, we have published an Ebook called "Exposed to Hope: Stories from families who have adopted a child with a visual impairment". Thirteen families submitted their stories for the book. You can purchase a copy for $2.99 via this link.
Although we advocate for adoption, and love to share these beautiful stories, the fact is that all adoption stories begin with loss. Loss of family as children are abandoned because of their visual impairment. One reason that families may abandon their child is due to despair that they will not have access to educational resources and, medical care, and without this, a children cannot grow up to live a fulfilling life.
Bethel's Family Outreach project is a way to support families who have a child with a visual impairment. We run trainings and create and publish educational materials. At our last training in June 2014, over 40 people attended, including mothers, fathers and grandparents and teachers. Bethel teachers go through a series of topics related to education, and families also have access to our materials (including blogs, a manual and a DVD series).
As well as this practical training, Bethel's Family Outreach provides a foundation of emotional support. Parents who have a child with special needs often feel lonely and without hope. By introducing them to other parents in the same position, we see hope renewed and restored, as they share their joys and challenges with one another.
Families are important. That’s why at Bethel China, we operate as a big family, we promote adoption, and we help to give hope to parents.
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