How your money will help...

From Arlene Howard

With your generous support in sponsoring Nick and Lester we are able to help a number of very deserving children - a cleft lip operation for a girl called Bin and hip surgery for Qiu. Qiu underwent spinal surgery but has problems with her hip requiring more surgery to make sure her legs can support her.

You are also supporting the physiotherapy program that currently serves over 50 children in Anhui province. Some of these children are in foster care and some in orphanages. Each child now has an individual care plan drawn up with an exercise program. We are busy purchasing therapy equipment for the children in the program so they can practie the exercises at home with their foster parents or with the carers in the orphanages. The foster parents and carers are being shown how the children should exercise. We are purchasing therapy balls and peanut balls, seats for some children, matting and toys to improve cognitive and motor skills, along with some sensory toys for other children.

Many of the children have Cerebral Palsy. Some require help with walking and will require walking aids. Some are now walking and just require ongoing therapy to improve these skills. However some children will require muscle release surgery just to be able to stand unaided. This might seem like a small improvment but as they grow it will make their lives much easier if they can at least stand. Post surgery the children will require several months of intensive physio therapy.

We hope that with fundraising efforts like this, standing and walking (things we all take for granted) will become a reality for these children too. We also hope to be able to arrange speech therapy for some of the children too and also set up a special needs school for the older CP children in one area.

If you are interested in learning more, raising money or in sponsoring a child (about £15 per month), then please contact arlene.howard@btopenworld.com