Imagine what it would be like to never have been cuddled, to never have been picked up and loved, when you were a baby. Now think back to your own babies, how you cooed over them, nuzzled them in the soft wrinkles of their necks, held them up in the air while they laughed and drooled. Think back to when they learned to walk and how you encouraged them, holding out your arms to them. Remember how you delighted when they first said "mama" and "daddy."

These images of orphans are what Kathy Call carried with her after visiting China’s Nanjing orphanage in 1989. Disturbed by what she had seen, she brought the matter to the attention of the Amity Foundation, the organization through which she came to China to teach; and Amity brought it to the attention of the congregation of St. Paul’s Church in Nanjing. So touched was the congregation that they set apart four retired doctors and nurses from the church to find their new ministry in attending to the children in the Nanjing orphanage. And the "Christian Grannies" program was born.

Today, the Amity Foundation, the ELCA’s international partner in China, works with 51 orphanages serving 7,000 children to improve conditions for the children. Not only do they provide "Christian Grannies" who give the little ones psychological and emotional support, they supply things like school fees, school uniforms, beds, desks, and bicycles for the older children, as well as corrective surgeries for children with physical abnormalities.

The North Carolina Synodical Women’s Organization has chosen this ELCA-sponsored Amity Chinese Orphan Project to receive one-half of the offering from our NC SWO Gathering in June 2004. As we have blessed other worthy projects in the past with our offerings, we can bless these precious children by contributing generously to this project. Please share the information about this project with your congregational unit and remember the children in your prayers.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE ORPHAN SITUATION IN CHINA

One of the major social problems in China today is the abandonment of female and disabled children. Abandonment of children surged in China during the 1980s, primarily due to the institution of the one-child population control policy. The high rate of abandonment of female children relates to traditional attitudes that value boy-children more highly than girl-children. The high rate of abandonment of children with physical abnormalities has to do primarily with the inability of parents to care for them.

In fairness to China, it should be noted that the institution of the one-child policy was a necessity. The People’s Republic of China, the third largest country in the world, has the largest population in the world—more than 1.2 billion people, most of whom live in the eastern part of the country, the part with good land. Even now, there is not enough arable land on which to grow food for such a large population. As the population multiplies, so does the need for food, and so does the need for land. China’s government took a hard look at the problems and set in place the one-child policy with strict penalties for not abiding by the law. Chinese mothers love their children just as much as we love our children. So what does a mother do if she finds herself pregnant with a second child, knowing that, if she keeps the child, she and her husband will lose their jobs? What does a mother do if she bears a child for whom she cannot care because she doesn’t have the financial means to do so? What does a mother do if she bears a girl-child when the family is counting on a boy-child to help in the fields? What does a mother do if she does not know of any alternatives but to abandon the child? Chinese mothers have had to make almost unbearable decisions. We need to understand that, empathize with them, and thank God that we do not have to make those kinds of decisions.