Orphans into loving foster families in China

Wen Wen’s story is a beautiful example of what can happen when a family’s compassion is supported with the scaffolding of a well-functioning foster-care system.

Wen Wen is now a healthy 18-year-old woman, with a clear sense of direction and purpose. But her life could have been very different if it wasn’t for a combination of compassion, good care planning, and loving support. She was abandoned when she was very young, and found by an elderly couple, ‘Grandpa and Grandma Hao’. Grandpa Hao contacted Taiyuan Social WeIfare Institute (SWI) for their advice, and when Grandpa and Grandma Hao shared with the staff at Taiyuan SWI that they were willing to care for Wen Wen, they were shown how they could become her foster parents. It was a successful placement, and Wen Wen enjoyed a healthy and stable early life with her ‘Grandpa and Grandma Hao’. 

However, in 2016, it became clear that Grandpa and Grandma Hao’s old age was beginning to limit their ability to care for Wen Wen safely. The social workers communicated with them, and listened to everyone’s feelings and thoughts. After several meetings, and careful planning, Wen Wen moved to a new family during the summer vacation of her last year in middle school. Both of her new foster parents work in a school, and they lost their only child in an accident. Her social workers help her keep in regular contact with Grandpa and Grandma Hao. 

Wen Wen did experience some difficulties in coping with academic tasks in her new school, but her family took good care of both her life and study. During the college entrance examinations, which are a particularly challenging time for students in China, her parents made extra efforts to support her. Social workers continued to make home visits to understand the needs of both Wen Wen and her foster parents, often helping to coordinate resources they needed. With the help of her parents and social workers, as well as through her own resilience, Wen Wen's academic performance improved, as did her interest in learning. WenWen has just finished taking her college entrance exam, and says she wants to major in history.

Wen Wen is just one example of thousands of children impacted by Care for Children's work. Please stay connected to our work as we strive to see children right across the world moved out of orphanages and into local, loving families.