A Safe Haven for Families

A Safe Haven for Families
Claudia Z

In China, having a child with special needs is often associated with shame. In many cases, the parents are blamed for the disability. Without support and with financial burdens too great for poorer families, parents in their despair often see no other way out than to abandon their children.

Our heart goes out to such families who struggle to take care of their children with special needs. That’s exactly why our Centre exists: to be a safe place for families in crisis so they can receive help and hope.

It all began with the vision of a local sister who registered a non-profit organisation to serve children with special needs and their families. Looking back, it does feel like a miracle that the dream of such a centre became true – especially in 2020, that crazy year of the pandemic when not much else went according to plan! But a suitable property with a great rental deal was found and remodelled. New staff was hired and trained, and at the end of September after the official opening ceremony, children started joining one by one. It is such a joy to see these children bringing laughter and life into the Centre!

Seven-year-old Micha is one of these children. Since he was born with cerebral palsy, his mother has been his full-time caregiver. Therefore she was understandably reluctant to believe that someone else could care adequately for her son. She was also stressed and lonely because she had no time to see her friends or relatives or to have some time for herself.

The first few days, she stayed at the Centre with Micha. But after seeing how friendly and competent the team caring for him were, she took courage to leave him there on his own, When she picked him up at the end of the day, she was overjoyed and said that she had been to the swimming pool for the first time in years and felt really relaxed! “I’m so glad to see that my son is doing well here and making progress!” she said.

Our Centre not only serves the children, but also their whole family. Every child entering through our doors is seen as precious and having potential, and by accepting each child, the whole family feels valued and welcomed. But what we deeply desire is that God’s love will leave its mark on the lives of these families and their children!