Giving a gift that lasts a lifetime

Over Christmas and during our clean up after the New Year's Eve 'Great Flood' I contemplated the amount of 'stuff' you accumulate in your life- stuff that you don't fully utilise or even need and end up having to simply throw out (not to mention those consumer items with inbuilt obsolescence that are designed to be replaced regularly).

I truly appreciate the sentiment behind the gifts we were given over Christmas but there is only so many material items we need in our lives. I had suggested instead of presents that money to a charity in China could be donated but no one took us up on the suggestion (and I guess I am guilty of it to a degree also because I didn't give the such a gift to them- although most everyone got a present where the profits went to a China charity). I guess it is almost like people feel that it isn't a real present and what would people think.

Last November I wrote about sponsoring children in China to go to school (http://journey-with-magnolia.blogspot.com/2006/11/diary-of-ma-yan-life-of-chinese.html and http://journey-with-magnolia.blogspot.com/2006/11/it-is-when-you-hear-from-girls.html).

For Christmas my husband and I gave each other sponsorships for 3 years for a further girl and two boys from our daughters hometown. We had originally intended just to sponsor girls because we feel strongly that through education the girls may be able to break out of the poverty cycle and also demonstrate to others the value of having daughters, particularly educated ones. But when we realised that there were boys needing education in our daugther's hometown, we realised that it was probably just as important to show our daughter that not just girls who were encountering difficulties (a sort of equal opportunity).

I'm also happy to report that at the same time two other Australian families who have adopted from Fuling also sponsored a further 6 children between them. The organisation in Fuling that coordinates the sponsorships continues to be so pleased that foreigners take such an interest in the children.

My husband and I are now sponsoring 6 girls and 2 boys - and it will be something to remember long after the tinsel is a distant memory - and for those kids it will last a lifetime.

So if you are stuck for a gift suggestion or idea for a birthday, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day or Christmas etc - forget the extra pairs of socks or the box of chocolates - maybe you would like to consider sponsoring a child in China, or elsewhere, or maybe helping meet medical costs for a child with special needs.

Christmas is a time for giving...how about giving a gift that makes a difference

I think that as you get older you realise that the person that dies with the most 'stuff', doesn't necessarily win. Rather it is probably the person that makes the most difference for the better.

Having travelled to China and visited our daughter's orphanage and also visited rural areas and seeing the poverty, it is easy to become overwhelmed and almost 'paralysed' - there is so much to do, where to start. With small steps - even the smallest amount in monetary terms in the West and have a life long impact in China.

As Christmas approaches again I begin to realise there is not much I really 'need' or even for that matter want (other than what money can't buy and which can only be given by the CCAA). Maybe you feel the same.

For many, Christmas has become a time of commercialism run rampant. We can choose instead a gift that will make a difference. Many of the children in China’s orphanages need the basics of life and a few things to make their lives a little brighter.

If you live in Australia you might like to consider making a donation to the FCC-Australia/Amity Christmas appeal.

Families with Children from China Australia Inc (FCC-Australia) is the only Australian parent group that acts solely for families who have adopted, or who are in the process of adopting children of Chinese ethnicity. FCC-Australia is run entirely on a voluntary basis. One of FCC-Australia’s major goals is to advocate for and support children remaining in orphanages in China. In the last 2 years FCC-Australia has sent almost A$30 000 to Amity from fundraising and member donations.

Through this program you can give your family a 'gift' and child in an orphanage an even bigger gift of:

• an education;
• life-changing surgery
• books
• someone to hug or
• mobility via a wheelchair

FCC-Australia has been working with the Amity Foundation to provide some of these requirements. There is so much that needs to be done. Below are some suggestions from Amity.

• Hugging Grandmas A$750.00 per annum- These women provide the love and care that orphanage staff do not always have the resources to provide.
• Foster Care A$55.00 per month -In home family care
• Schooling A$355 per annum - Children being cared for by foster families are not guaranteed an education. Extra funds are required to provide this.
• Medical Needs (ie incubators, sterilising equipment, microscopes, medicines, vitamins,
  rehab equipment) for example a wheel chair costs A$200.00

All donations by Australians are tax deductible via the National Council of Churches in Australia. If you'd like to make a gift donation FCC-Australia will send you a card with details of the supported project.

For further information about any of the projects, please contact
Jan Williamson
GPO Box 12
Hobart
Tasmania 7001
email: jwilliamson@dodo.com.au

Further information about Amity can be found at http://www.amityfoundation.org/

Further information about FCC-Australia can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FCC-Australia