Our work in china
ABOUT CHINA
There are currently over 600,000 orphans living in China. Tragically, due to stigma and an overall lack of support for families, 98% of children abandoned in China have special needs. Sadly, there does not appear to be a significant change in the number of abandoned children with specials needs. In just two months, 262 children with special needs were abandoned at the baby safety island in Guangzhou.
OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE
AGCI is working to recruit and hire a team of local leaders who will open a regional Child Advocacy Center. With this regional center as a hub, it’s our goal to:
PROVIDEÂ Implement Caregiver Training Programs at 16 orphanages throughout China so that 7,000 children living in institutions are given the chance to thrive.
PLACEÂ Launch Adoption Administration Trainings for government officials, social workers, and orphanage directors while securing adoption grants. As a result, 13,500 orphans will be eligible to be adopted and 300 children with special needs will have the opportunity to be united with a family.
PREPAREÂ Increase vocational training programs by 650% for orphans aging out so that 900 more children are prepared to successfully transition to independence each year.
POLICYÂ Â Influence Child Welfare Policy at the highest levels of government and create a path to family for 43,000 orphans. AGCI will also unite over 30 NGOs to create a regionally unified, strategic Child Advocacy plan.
PLACE
Finding Families for Orphans
To date, we’ve united over 654 children with their forever families—87% of these families completed their adoption from China in less than 2 years. We believe that all families should have the opportunity to adopt, regardless of finances, which is
why over the past two years, families adopting from AGCI’s China program have received over $335,717 in adoption grants. Additionally, AGCI China families are happy families—24% of China adoptions in 2015 were returning AGCI families.
Provide
Family-Like Care
Since 1994, AGCI has served orphaned children throughout China. Through our work with orphanages, we’ve elevated the standard of care while advocating for adoptive and foster homes for orphans with special needs. Through the support of sponsors, we’ve also supplied orphanages with crucial developmental toys, bedding, clothes, room upgrades, medical care and therapy.
AGCI is currently in the process of acquiring our NGO license–this will allow us to further expand our orphan care efforts throughout Fujian. To date, we’ve served over 6,465 children through our orphan care efforts.
Policy
In 2013, of the 57 orphanages in the Fujian Province, only 9 were preparing adoption paperwork for the orphans in their care. Without this paperwork, children are ineligible to be adopted by loving families. To address this concern, AGCI hosted the first ever paperwork conference to educate orphanage directors on the importance of completing paperwork for children and advocating for children with special needs.
Just two years after our advocacy, 60 children with special needs have since united with their forever families through AGCI alone and over 6,000 more children now have the chance for family. To further support these orphanages, we’ve raised the funds to purchase the computers, scanners, printers, and cameras needed to help complete adoption paperwork and advocate for these children.
Stories
How We’re Intervening For the 8 Million
There are currently 8 million orphans living in institutions around the world. For AGCI, the current state of the orphan crisis is alarming and unacceptable…
Why Our Sponsorship Program Is Different
AGCI’s Education Sponsorship program is truly life changing for the vulnerable children we serve. But what really makes our Colombia Education Sponsorship program so different?
The Dream Home Has Officially Launched!
24 young women entered their first real home after spending their lives in institutions…
Connected Care: AGCI’s Pilot Caregiver Training Program
We believe every child, regardless of their circumstances, deserves to find true connection, healing, and love…
The Tkacik Family
We never dreamed that watching our three-year-old daughter take her first steps would bring such genuine pride and joy…
Adoption Isn’t Easy, But It Is Worth It
Cady shared with us what it was like to let go, trust God, and say yes to uncertainty!Â
Place
– Demeter Family
