Empower Chinese Orphans With Education

Dear ABC Friends and Family,

Children, specifically migrant children and orphans, are at the center of ABC program planning and implementation. Sense of accomplishment in working with these children is obtained when a child sees development and progress, whatever areas these may be, from our work. Every year, the Dream Program, which caters to orphans ages 16-21 years old, welcomes a class of about 10-12 students into its family by providing them with loving homes as well as offering them a practical education. Some children see improvement in confidence, some are more willing to present in front of audiences, some learn teamwork skills, and some gain lifetime friendships. We share a story here of one student, Sunny, to provide an example of a child who has shown tangible development, and encouragement for all of those volunteers, sponsors, employees and other benefactors who work so diligently to make our programs run.

Sunny joined us from a rural area where she received her upbringing and education. She struggled with anger in the beginning of our program, and often would use words such as “dog,” “pig,” and “stupid,” to describe other classmates. She would sometimes even engage in physical conflict with some of the male classmates. Through the guidance, care and love of one of our Foster Home Managers, Sunny has begun to learn what words are right and what words are inappropriate to use when communicating with her peers and others. This process of reflecting on her language and behavior has resulted in significant improvement in her social skills. Academically speaking, Sunny came in with a relatively strong English foundation compared with her classmates. She is now able to write a paragraph in English describing one of her friends. In computer classes, Sunny now can type 100 words / minute and is capable of using the basic functions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint software to complete homework.

As the Dream Program Class of 2013-2014 students gear up for the home stretch of their year-long academic program and prepare to participate in the Talent Program’s Spring 2014 volunteer program, we are excited at the prospect of experiencing the process and outcomes of positive change in more childrens' lives.

Best Regards,
Zadok Huang