Hengdong Charity Fund

T-shirts, Coffee Mugs, and More

Attention shoppers: check out the new Hengdong Charity Fund online store at http://www.cafepress.com/hengdongfund

Now you can help the Hengdong SWI by buying t-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, and a host of other useful items that have our Hengdong Charity Fund logo on them!  How about a charity fund mousepad for the office or a BBQ apron for those backyard fundraisers?  Why not carry your books or paperwork in a charity fund tote or messenger bag?  Too tired?  No problem.  Now you can rest your head on one of our nifty charity fund throw pillows.

All proceeds from the relatively low mark-up on these items will go to the fund and, as mentioned previously, 100% of the fund goes to the orphanage. 

Plus, when you wear or use our stuff, other people will see our logo and ask, "Hey, what's the Hengdong Charity Fund anyway?"  Then you can clue them in.

New Building Plan

Officials in Hengdong recently decided to begin construction of a new orphanage building before the end the year.  The present building would be renovated to eventually house only the seniors and war veterans that it was originally built for, in keeping with a goal of eventually separating the children from these older residents due to health concerns.

The plan to move forward with the construction of a new building has replaced an emergency renovation plan that would have made a broad series of improvements to the present orphanage building.  The renovation was to have begun in June, and indeed may have.  Hengdong officials very likely decided as work began that renovating the present building for the children simply wasn't the best use of their limited funds, given the building's poor structural condition.  Cracks in the roof that were mentioned in the renovation plan, in addition to the cracks in the walls and around window frames noted in a visit to the orphanage in February, may have been hints to this.

The renovation plan had said that remodeling the present building's interior space would enable it to accommodate as many as 150 children. It's interesting and indicative of the urgent need there that despite several groups recently adopting more Hengdong SWI children, the project report for the plan indicated in May that there were 87 children housed at the orphanage, a net increase of more than a dozen since the visit mentioned above.   

The Hengdong SWI will need help for a long time to come.  As the facility becomes better able to house children it is unlikely that provincial officials will still target it for its current unusally high rate of foreign adoptions if there are other SWIs in Hunan that also need improvements, as there surely are.  This was very likely why Hengdong officials planned in the renovation to create spaces for nearly double the number of children housed currently.

Construction of a new building will provide a much better opportunity for the Hengong Charity Fund to assist in improving conditions for abandoned children in Hengdong.  The director of the Hengdong SWI has sent word that more detailed plans for the new building will be forthcoming, and that he will very much welcome our input and assistance with the project ahead.  Basic construction costs will likely be covered by the cumulative fees from well over 150 foreign adoptions from the orphanage along with significant contributions from the Chinese government.  Help will be needed most in furnishing the new facility, since there will be few resources to move from the present structure.

Welcome

Donations to the Hengdong Charity Fund provide support for improvements at the Hengdong Social Welfare Institute (SWI), a struggling orphanage in southeastern Hunan Province, China.  The Hengdong SWI was originally built to house aging veteran soldiers of the Chinese Army, but now houses abandoned children, nearly all of them baby girls.  Six to eight newly abandoned infants arrive at the orphanage each month.

The Hengdong Charity Fund was established in 2005 by parents of adopted children from the Hengdong SWI.

This web site is intended to provide information about the fund, how its proceeds are applied, and how you can help.

First, consider helping the Hengdong SWI by donating directly to the fund.  The Hengdong Charity Fund is a special Hengdong account set up as part of the larger Chinese Children Charities Fund (CCCF).  Donations are tax deductible and 100% will go to orphanage help, as CCCF administrative costs are covered from other sources.   The Chinese Children Charities Fund is affiliated with the non-profit agency Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI), which is widely recognized as among the most reliable and reputable groups working with Chinese foreign adoption.

Donations to this account will go to projects and purchases aimed to provide direct benefit to the children at the Hengdong SWI.  We currently have a campaign underway that is coordinated with the SWI's evolving plans to build a new orphanage, and very much need support for this effort.

To make a donation simply send a check for any amount to Hengdong Fund, Chinese Children Charities, CCAI,  6920 S. Holly Circle, Centennial, CO 80112

Even easier, especially for donors outside the U.S., donations can be made to the fund by credit card using the online form at https://www.chinesechildren.org/Charity/DonationForm.aspx.  Just type "Hengdong Fund" into the space on the form for Specified Project.

For information about the CCCF and CCAI see http://www.chinesechildren.org/Charity/Default.aspx.

Donations to the Hengdong Charity Fund provide support for improvements at the Hengdong Social Welfare Institute (SWI), a struggling orphanage in southeastern Hunan Province, China.  The Hengdong SWI was originally built to house aging veteran soldiers of the Chinese Army, but now houses abandoned children, nearly all of them baby girls.  Six to eight newly abandoned infants arrive at the orphanage each month.

The Hengdong Charity Fund was established in 2005 by parents of adopted children from the Hengdong SWI.

This web site is intended to provide information about the fund, how its proceeds are applied, and how you can help.

First, consider helping the Hengdong SWI by donating directly to the fund.  The Hengdong Charity Fund is a special Hengdong account set up as part of the larger Chinese Children Charities Fund (CCCF).  Donations are tax deductible and 100% will go to orphanage help, as CCCF administrative costs are covered from other sources.   The Chinese Children Charities Fund is affiliated with the non-profit agency Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI), which is widely recognized as among the most reliable and reputable groups working with Chinese foreign adoption.

Donations to this account will go to projects and purchases aimed to provide direct benefit to the children at the Hengdong SWI.  We currently have a campaign underway that is coordinated with the SWI's evolving plans to build a new orphanage, and very much need support for this effort.

To make a donation simply send a check for any amount to Hengdong Fund, Chinese Children Charities, CCAI,  6920 S. Holly Circle, Centennial, CO 80112

Even easier, especially for donors outside the U.S., donations can be made to the fund by credit card using the online form at https://www.chinesechildren.org/Charity/DonationForm.aspx.  Just type "Hengdong Fund" into the space on the form for Specified Project.

For information about the CCCF and CCAI see http://www.chinesechildren.org/Charity/Default.aspx.