Visiting AnnaGrace's Orphanage

Today was the big day when we returned to AnnaGrace's orphanage for the first time in almost eleven years.  Although still the original building, significant renovations have taken place.  And in 2011 Half the Sky began implementing their Little Sister's program.  The positive effects are visible everywhere.

When we arrived at Changsha SWI, we were greeted by a white board with AnnaGrace's Chinese name Tan Xiang Wen on it and the following words:

It was such a special gesture of caring!


Zhiao Ying, the Children's Program Director, began by showing us AnnaGrace's file.  Unfortunately it revealed no new information but allayed any curiosity we had above the possibility of a missing finding note.


After that we toured the orphanage.  The orphanage is in-charge of around 500 children, ages 0-14 years.  About 300 of those children live in the SWI, while 200 live in foster homes or in the Butterfly House or CCI which are both independently run programs for children with critical medical needs.


They graciously allowed us to take a few photos of the rooms and grounds to put in AnnaGrace's lifebook.  They asked us not to post those pictures out of respect; however, Zhiao Ying said we could post a photo of her and AnnaGrace together.


AnnaGrace presented fifteen of the hats she knitted to Zhiao Ying  Our prayer is those hats will keep some babies' heads warm this winter.

As good as the care and nurture appeared to be at Changsha SWI, you just can't visit any orphanage without feeling a bit of despair.  It's a stark remainder of the fact that EVERY child needs a mommy and daddy to love them.  Nothing can replace the love of a family! 


AnnaGrace is fighting a fairly significant cough and cold.   Due to that and the emotional morning,we decided to just hang out in the hotel for the afternoon.  


Tomorrow we are going to do a little sightseeing and Wednesday we'll be flying back to Beijing.


I took a few more photos that I thought we're interesting. 


The first one is from our 19th floor hotel window.  We overlook a school yard and watched the children line-up first thing this morning.  We asked Celia, our guide, about it.  She said that every Monday morning the school children line-up to pledge to the flags - communist, national and school flags - which we saw marched past the student body.  Then the teachers make announcements to the student body which are pertinent to the week. 


The orderliness of the entire process was nothing short of amazing as no teachers' were actually in the line-ups with the children.  I just can't really imagine hundreds of our school-age children lining up this orderly and standing for twenty minutes without any adult supervision.



Just a note...although the smog in Changsha is nothing like Beijing, it is still significant as you will note in the  blurriness of many of my photos.  This is not a focus issue; it is a smog issue.

Another thing I always find interesting in China is the city planning.  I'm not sure Charlotte would allow this type of zoning...


Brand new high rise apartment buildings in the back, in the middle are older apartment buildings, in the front (and obscured from view because we were speeding down the highway) are businesses.  The zoning all seems so random to me.

But then again Changsha has a population of 6.5 million according to the Hunan Bureau of Statistics. That number is just staggering to me.  I don't know how you have city planning for a city of that size?  The new construction is absolutely fabulous, and they are even beginning to preserve some green space.  You can see the effects of a thriving economy, at least in the big city.


While I'm enjoying China, of course a piece of my heart is at home...missing my girls and Phil....

but I'm also counting down until we add another pair of little feet to our family.  Only six more days!