New Hope Foundation

Another unforgettable experience while I was in Beijing was visiting a Chinese orphanage to which the USOC donated our extra food items and supplies after the Games. A British couple started this independent orphanage in 2000. They provide care and medical treatment (the wife is a doctor) for babies (6 months to 5 years) with surgically correctable deformities. Then they send them back to their state-run orphanages, foster homes, adoption agencies or to new adoptive parents. They’ve donated their life to this cause and look after the babies in their own home and as if they were their own children.

An Intensive Care Room

Their current location about 45 minutes outside of Beijing accommodates 56 babies as well as being the center for babies to be fostered into local homes in the area. They also manage various other special care units in China which care for 153 babies.

With the 1 child rule in China, babies are often abandoned if they have physical deformities. Even if there are easy medical fixes for their problems, the parents are often from poor rural areas and can’t afford them, so they abandon them at just a few days in order to have another child. In orphanages, the Chinese government won’t pay for the babies to have surgeries, and often leave them in rooms to die. The British couple, the Hills, have taken on this crisis, and they’re making a life changing difference for countless children.

This little one came running right up with his arms open for a hug.

It was really neat to visit the orphanage and see how organized they are. Imagine those 60 Minutes programs on TV featuring families with quintuplets or sextuplets and how they keep track of them all, then multiply that by 10! Every bedroom, dresser, stroller, highchair, storage unit and nanny schedule is color-coded and themed to make each baby unique and special. Add to that the medical files, medicine, treatment plans and special needs of each baby, and they have their hands full.

A chart to keep track of all the kiddies.

Mr. Hill was nice enough to give us a tour of the orphanage, along with an explanation of what they do and how they make everything work. He told us that the newest area they have started venturing into is taking babies that the Chinese government determines are “terminal.” Of those they have taken in, Mr. Hill said that only about 60 percent passed away. They treat the rest and are able to find adoptive homes for them, rather than having them slowly die from neglect in state-run orphanages. For funding, he said they rely primarily on grants from large non-profits around the world, such as Shaohannah’s Hope in the United States.

Mr. Hill shows us their recent surgeries.

I had the brilliant idea of bringing treats, as I’m quite the sugar fan myself. I had a bunch of lollipops and cookies, and boy was I popular! I’ve never felt quite like Santa Claus until this day, and I was so touched to watch all of the kids get up their courage to come ask for a treat. Some of them can’t walk because of deformities in their legs, but they had no trouble scooting themselves over! They even all knew how to say thank you in English, as they learn both English and Mandarin in their little onsite Kindergarten.

The orphanage was colorful, fun, cheerful and uplifting. We were so touched by the Hills and all the beautiful, happy babies. If you’re interested in finding out more about the New Hope Foundation, visit http://www.hopefosterhome.com/.