Who We Help
The Great Tea Party 2008 will help the following small charities working in China with orphaned and abandoned children. These organizations have been working in remote areas of China for years and have made a real difference to the lives of the children they care for. They need your support, so click here to find out how to host a tea party this year!
Christian Action UK
Christian Action UK works in Qinghai Province, in China's northwest. In the past 10 years, they have cared for approximately 250 children with around 100 of these being adopted internationally. The children who are not yet adopted are either being cared for in the Xining Children's Home or, whenever possible, with local foster families. In 2007, Christian Action co-managed the setting up of the province's first and only rehabilitation centre with the local government. Qinghai has one of the highest levels of congenital disability in the country, and so the goal of the centre is to offer support to parents with disabled children and thereby reduce the rate of abandonment of disabled children in society. More recently, Christian Action has been asked to help run several new orphanages for thousands of ethnic minority children on the Tibetan Plateau. For more information please go to www.christianactionuk.org.
The Gap Foundation
The Gap Foundation works in Liaoning Province, in China’s northeast. The province borders North Korea and has the highest proportion of ethnic Koreans in China. The Gap Foundation looks after 12 children in a small, family-like environment. Most of the children in its care are disabled and most are boys. The director looks after the children as her own and has done an inspirational job of building the self-esteem and confidence of the children. All of the children are in education in the community and are being taught life skills so that they can live independently once they reach adulthood. Because of the small number of children in the home, the children live as a family – they even have a family dog! To find out more about The Gap Foundation’s work, log on to www.thegapfoundation.org.
The Good Rock Foundation
The Good Rock Foundation works in Xinjiang Province, in China’s far northwest (home to part of the historic Silk Road that Marco Polo followed). For the past 10 years, Good Rock has been doing great work supporting local orphanages, buying specialist equipment for disabled children, providing supplies the children need and providing enriched baby and toddler milk. The charity has also helped orphanages set up foster care programmes and community centres with specialist equipment for disabled children. Good Rock is trying to keep older children out of menial jobs by providing the means necessary for them to attend college, university and vocational training. More than 85 children have benefitted from Good Rock’s education programme. To find out more about Good Rock’s work, log on to www.goodrock.org.uk.