Half the Sky

Half the Sky
Volume VII, Issue 3
Winter 2006
www.halfthesky.org
A HOLIDAY GIFT FOR YOU!!
...from the children of Half the Sky
By Jenny Bowen
Executive Director, Half the Sky
the brand-new RMHC in China, will underwrite the costs of two
complete Children’s Centers (Baby Sisters, Little Sisters and Big
Sisters) and TEN new Family Villages over the next five years!
The first new Children’s Center and Family Village to come of
this extraordinary collaboration opened in Tianjin on November
19. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and the Global Ambassador for RMHC, came for the party, as did, of course, Ronald
McDonald.
And then the next day the celebration culminated in a media event
at the Great Hall of the People. Eight small Half the Sky artists
were selected from HTS programs across the country to join in
the festivities.
With the help of HTS HK development director, Deanne Bevan, YuMei presents her art to Antony
Dapiran of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer at Half the Sky’s Hong Kong launch party
We’ve been having our own special sort of thanksgiving season
here at Half the Sky. In recent weeks some wonderful events have
been taking place. And for the first time, really, since we began
our work, the children have been given an opportunity to give
something back.
What a year this has been for Half the Sky and the children! It
seems that the efforts that were begun by ordinary people wanting to give a gift to the children who were forgotten may one day
actually realize its own lofty ambition — to make sure that every
orphaned child in China has a caring adult in her life. It will never
be easy, but we are determined to make it happen.
And they have certainly risen to the occasion! No one who helps
Half the Sky has ever asked for thanks from the children. But
when our preschool teachers told the Little Sisters about two great
milestones coming for “their” Half the Sky, and that, if they chose
they could create special gifts to celebrate, the children, in Half
the Sky programs across China got busy. What you see on these
pages are their thank you gifts to all of you. I sure wish this edition of the newsletter could be full-color!
And the two events they celebrate?
On September 27, 2006, Half the Sky Foundation (Asia) Limited,
the Hong Kong home of Half the Sky was officially launched.
And....
On November 20, 2006, a major grant from Ronald McDonald
House Charities China was announced. This, the first project of
Our girls at the Great Hall of the People!
INSIDE:
2 Hong Kong Launch Party
3 Tianjin & The Great Hall
4 4 Little Girls in Hong Kong
5 Build Volunteers
6 Giving Pages
12 Volunteer News
13 In Asia
14 Kids4Kids
15 Little Sisters Golden Fish
16 Big Sisters News
17 Baby Sisters
Hong Kong
Launch Party
YuMei, 9
Chenzhou CWI
(art on p1)
LiPei, 4
Chongqing CWI
Wish: help the teacher when I grow up
The people I like most: Myself
This is doll “Sun”. She is my good friend and I am her only friend. She is four years old, so am I. I am her
big sister. I dress her in jacket, trousers, shoes and socks.
I stay home alone because mom is busy. Therefore the doll “Sun” sends me balloons and flowers. She also
plays with me, sleeps with me and wakes me up every morning. When I am having meal with the doll “Sun”
at the table, a caterpillar smells and comes. It’s time to go to school. The doll “Sun” carries the school bag
for me and we go to school together.
Before I entered the
Little Sisters Preschool
in 2002 I seldom talked
with others because I
couldn’t make myself
understood well. The
teacher told me not
to worry and to speak
slowly. I liked reading my
memory book with the
teacher. I always told
her what I was doing
in the picture. Later,
she let other children
read my memory book
and I read theirs too.
Gradually, I dared to
talk with other children
and sometimes in a loud
voice.
Now the teachers is
teaching us to look at
ourselves in the mirror
and then draw ourselves
on paper. I draw much
better pictures than
before!
Wei Shi, 6
Guilin CWI
I was not good looking before, but after my surgery this June,
I am prettier and speak more clearly.
I have learned how to
ride a bicycle. I want to
be a painter, athlete or
teacher when I grow up.
At Half the Sky school I have many friends. We dance and
complete jigsaw puzzles together. The teacher often plays
pleasant music as we are dancing. She let us make up our
own dances. She liked the dance I invented and followed
the steps. And then the other children followed too. I
like dance most.
The picture is about the International Children’s Day when
I was giving performance of Xinjiang dance. I was wearing
“Xinjiang hat” with many braids and clothes with my navel
revealed. I was beautiful and had a good time on the stage.
I want to be a dancer when I grow up.
Half the Sky
Volume VII, Issue 3 Winter 2006
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Vivian Wong Zaloom . Karin Evans . Steve Hoffmann
Dana Johnson, MD, PhD . Carolyn Pope Edwards, EdD . Kay Johnson, PhD
Richard Bowen . Carlos Cordeiro . Lou DeMattei . Robert Eisenberg . Linda Filardi .
Jim Gradoville . Scott Kronick . Emily Kwong . Yves Maurais . Nancy Spelman, PhD
Jenny Bowen, Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation establishes early childhood education, personalized learning and infant nurture
programs in China’s welfare institutions to provide the children stimulation, individual attention, and an
active learning environment. HTS was incorporated in California in 1998 as a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. HTS Foundation of Canada (an independent
affiliate organization) received charitable registration status in 2004 and Half the Sky Foundation (Asia)
Limited, in Hong Kong in 2006. Donations to all three organizations are tax-deductible. This newsletter
is distributed free to donors and to supporters living in the United States. An international subscription
for non-donors living outside the United States is $15 USD per year.
Edited by Patricia King, Communications Director, Half the Sky
www.halfthesky.org
E-mail: info@halfthesky.
org
USA:
Half the Sky Foundation
764 Gilman Street
Berkeley, CA 94710 USA
1/510-525-3377
FAX: 525-3611
HONG KONG:
Half the Sky Foundation (Asia) Ltd.
Room 2301, 23/F Worldwide House
19 Des Voeux Road, Central, HONG KONG
852/2916-8810
FAX: 852/2916-8811
MAIINLAND CHINA:
Half the Sky Foundation
Apartment 7-2-103
Jianguomenwai Diplomatic Compound
Chaoyang District, Beijing CHINA 100600
86/10-8532-3043
FAX: 86/10-8532-1920
CANADA
HTS Foundation of Canada/
Fondation HTS du Canada
1190 Place Nobel, Suite 100
Boucherville QC J4B SL2 CANADA,.
[email protected]
HTSF is an independent affiliate of HTS
Tianjin CWI and The Great Hall
QianHuan, 6
Chuzhou CWI
One day, YongChao told me he had a dream:
the pebble lane in front of our house turns
colorful. I think the colorful lane must be
beautiful! So I drew a picture of colorful
lane so that other children
can see it. I drew many colorful pebble lanes and I even
painted the sky. It would be
so interesting if the lane in
front of the house turned
colorful!
Sarah, Duchess of York visits Half the Sky in Tianjin
QianHuan with Norma Rosenahain,
CEO Creata
HongJie, 7
Chengdou CWI
I don’t know where my home is. The police officer
sent me to the institution. I am a good girl. I have
the loving “mom” and teacher here. I was shy and
afraid of speaking in a loud voice. But now I am
a “big girl” who loves drawing and dancing. I like
dancing very much. I want to be a teacher when
I grow up and teach the children to dance. I am
going to the primary school in a few days.
Hong Jie
HongJie with the Duchess
LiTong, 6
Wuzhou SWI
My teachers call me TongTong. I like drawing.
In my picture, the sun rises, the flowers in the
garden are all in bloom and they are beautiful.
Two little girls are in the garden. They are so happy
to see the beautiful flowers that they dance. They
wear pretty skirts with flowers. When they dance,
the skirts will be blown in the air.
The girls wear high heels when they dance. They
dance gracefully and the children in the house all
stick their heads out of the window, watching
them dancing happily.
Below, AnAn with Ronald McDonald House Charities
Global Director, WeiLing Eng
LiTong with McDonalds senior executive, Guy Russo
AnAn, 8
Chenzhou SWI
I have been in the “Little Sister Preschool” for 3 years. I used to be afraid of riding a bicycle. So the teacher
helped me to ride it by holding it for me. I can ride a bicycle now and I have learned to roller skate. I like
to play with the children in the preschool. I teach them the Chinese characters in the picture books as
their “little teacher”.
I often read my memory book. The teacher drew beautiful pictures in my memory book. I drew pictures
in it too. The teacher said my drawings were good. I drew the sun, my “little sister”, the flowers and red
flags. The teacher praised me and said I was making progress. I was happy that I drew a nice picture of two
children hand in hand. Later I drew many other things, such as the staircase, insect, centipede, “people
and fish”, etc. I remember clearly the morning exercise “Our wonderful world” and we performed it outside
the institution. We were so happy because they all said we had a good performance!
4 Little Sisters in Hong Kong!
By Mei Jiang
Finance Manager, Half the Sky, Hong Kong
I had the privilege of escorting four lovely, very active girls who live
in the Chenzhou and Guilin Social Welfare Institutions on their first
trip outside mainland China. They came to town for the celebration
of Half the Sky’s launch in Hong Kong and to give the gift of their
art to some of our biggest supporters.
All dressed up, they walked into a room filled with strangers and
bravely presented their gifts with pride.
That morning, when I took the girls by train to their hotel in Kowloon
they kneeled on the seats, kept their faces close to the windows,
and talked the whole way! Looking out the window, WenZhen, a
5-year-old who favors lacy socks and a short haircut that makes her
look like an adorable little boy, told me that she loved Hong Kong
very much. “Look! This building is sooo high!” When I told her I
was going to take her to the 68th floor of that building for the party
she said, “Really! Can we go now?”
The other girls were equally charming. WeiShi is a beautiful 6year-old who loves to dance. She always held my hand and smiled
at me. She and YuMei, 9, were born with a cleft lip; both of them
have had successful surgery. Sometimes it is still hard to understand
what they’re saying, but I would say that these two girls have the
most beautiful smiles in the world. YuMei is the oldest of the four
girls so she acted like a big sister.
Like other kids, the girls squabbled periodically. YuMei and BoBo
even decided to have
WeiShi, BoBo and YuMei, enjoying the party.
a spat just as a reporter arrived to talk to them and take their pictures.
The reporter had to settle for a photo of only three girls because
Bobo was crying and screaming! To be honest, taking care of these
girls was a challenge. I had a crash course in what it means to be a
busy mom--it was the first time I’ve been called, “my dear mom”
and have had to juggle the competing needs of four energetic
children.
We were a little bit worried when we brought them to the party.
But as they promised, they were all great that night! They were
the centers of attraction. It was so sweet when they presented their
artwork. I think that was the most beautiful and impressive moment
of the night. The next day, on the train back to Shenzhen, they were
still excited. When I gave each of them a pack of paint pens, all
the girls cheered. It was a short trip for them, but I felt as if we had
been together for years.
Right: BoBo in 2002 when HTS
began its programs in Chenzhou,
and above, center, today
BoBo, 7
Chenzhou CWI
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I used to be bald
and shy. I always hid behind the door of the
room, saying nothing but crying. Then I went to
the Little Sisters Preschool in 2002. I like the
teacher. I have learned to ride a bicycle, roller
skate and play with a hula hoop. I graduated
from preschool and I am in grade one of primary
school, but I still like to play at the preschool.
I like dolls. I usually wash the doll, get her
dressed, and together with the teacher do up
her hair. The doll has beautiful long hair. When
I draw the doll, I draw her hair. I like dolls with
long hair and now I have beautiful long hair
too. Just like the doll, I have a pretty skirt
with flowers on it. It’s just beautiful and I like
wearing it.
I want to be a teacher, painter, or a mother
when I grow up.
The Volunteers who make it happen —
“It’s the best birthday feeling ever.”
One of the secrets of Half the Sky’s success is its phenomenal supporting team of volunteers around the globe. Quite simply, our Children’s
Centers would not exist if not for the efforts of volunteers, whether kids manning lemonade stands or collecting birthday donations,
employees launching Angel tree drives or those intrepid souls who organize walks, bikeathons, poetry readings, house parties, give HTS
presentations at gatherings or simply pass a newsletter and Mei Mei book on to a friend. Each year we are able to invite just a few
volunteers to join us on a build in China. 2006 marked our first all-Canadian crew and Half the Sky’s first online build-blog. Check
out our new website often for more volunteer blogs and stories.
Emily Ann Wen Li Shields, 12
California
My mom told me of your work in Nanning
and that is where I was adopted. I lived there
until I was 5 months old and then my mom
adopted me and brought me to my now home
in California.
For my birthday this year, I was able to raise
enough money to support a child in Nanning
for a year.
Morgan C. Peterson, 11
Kansas
I worked in the Nanning orphanage--Nanning was the prettiest city I have ever seen.
Thank you for dedicating your life to making children’s lives so much better. I am so
happy to contribute to that effort. It’s the
best birthday feeling ever.
All the best and friends in spirit.
We painted, sanded, and put together
toys for the kids. It was really sad to
see all the kids who don’t have parents.
They were all so cute you just wanted to
pick them, up and take them all home.
I felt so sad that the older children have to
sit there and watch that happen, but glad
because we adopted my sister five years
ago and will adopt my brother next year.
One happy thing was to see all the kids faces
when they saw how we had decorated the
orphanage. The happiest thing about this
trip was getting to hold all of the babies and
make them all so happy when we held them.
the trip began, I expected to learn a lot
about Chinese culture, and to hopefully
accomplish a lot for the sake of the children of Nanning. Coming out of the trip, I
must apologize, because I can not convey
in mere words how meaningful, wonderful, and beautiful those few weeks were.
Our group was very quick to bond, all
coming with different stories, yet together
for one goal. Never before have I gotten
so so attached to so many people in such
a short time.
A lot of us brought dress up clothes from
home. At the party we handed them out and
the kids put them on -- some of the 12, 13 and
14 year old boys put on the dress up clothes
because they had never seen dress up clothes!
Although I had a lot of fun, this was a very
sad trip. I cried a lot. There are so many older kids in the orphanage. It is even sadder to
see them because they are so much older and
don’t have parents. They have to sit around
and watch all of those babies get adopted.
Emily Shields (story at left)
Alan Jones, Florida
As a 20-year-old college student, I find myself learning from new social situations all the
time. Still, nothing I have encountered here
in Gainesville has even held a candle to my
undeniably life-changing build adventure.
I had been to China once in my pre-teenage years when my family adopted my
younger sister, Kina, but the magnitude of
those two weeks had escaped me. Before
In the orphanage there was a little boy who
had been abandoned after he lost a leg in a
car accident. To my surprise, this child was
very upbeat and more than excited to see
us. As he hopped over to see us, we were all
amazed not only by his mobility, but by the
strength of his will and his determination to
overcome his impairment. To see that boy,
so happy to see us and so appreciative of our
presence, made me feel honored and truly
blessed to have the opportunity to serve in
such an environment.
I grew to love that boy and all the children
we were working for. My priorities changed,
my heart was touched in an intangible manner. As I continue to shift into the perilous
age of young adulthood, I will continue to
use this trip as a reminder of where my heart
should be.
Dawn Parker, Gracie & Sarah Anderson, Washington
could look out and watch the kids playing
and I could hear them laughing. It was
peaceful. There were three floors of huge,
beautiful new rooms: new bunk beds, new
wooden desks, long rows of shelves waiting
for toys, fun playful lights…it was stunning.
I stood there painting for hours, thinking
about the children outside who have no
idea what awaits them behind these walls.
Gracie, 11 and mother, Dawn
Since the beginning of Half the Sky I
have been following the astounding work
that they are doing in China, and always
wanted to help in some concrete way. This
was the year that it finally happened and I
will be forever grateful for this opportunity.
I traveled to Nanjing with our two adopted Chinese daughters, Gracie and
Sarah. It was wonderful to go back to
China and visit their beginnings.
It completely astounded me that we were
literally inside the orphanage all day long.
We became a part of the ebb and flow of the
daily life there. It is an honor and a priviledge to be handed this much trust. For all
of us adoptive parents who usually met our
Chinese children in a fancy hotel in some
city in China, to be able to work daily in
one of these mysterious orphanages is totally
amazing. It removes some of that shroud
of mystery. It sheds some light into those
grey corners of our children’s beginnings.
I think when you haven’t seen something
before you tend to imagine the worst. The
kids in the orphanage are much like kids
everywhere...they play in the courtyard,
the girls jump rope and giggle, the boys
zoom around on roller skates daring each
other to say ‘hi’ to these funny white
people covered in paint. I will forever
keep an image of two girls walking outside
and talking to each other holding hands..
they are about 8 or so..will they ever have
families of their own? It breaks my heart,
yet I am so glad Half the Sky is here to
help make their lives brighter and better.
I spent most of my time painting rooms
beautiful, peaceful shades of lavender, yellow, green and light blue. One day I was
alone painting up on the 4th floor. There
were big, open windows and a breeze. I
It is a wonderful feeling to be actually doing something for these children whom I
feel are our daughters’ sisters and brothers.
The children left behind. At the end of the
day I am totally exhausted but it is worth
every ounce of energy. I know the children in
Nanjing have become a part of me forever...
I will carry them inside my heart always.
Sarah Ying 9, & art below
From Gracie’s blog...
It was so amazing coming to the orphanage
and seeing where my sister Sarah lived at
the beginning of her life. Who ever thought
this would be where she was from? Looking around at the buildings was the most
spectacular view. When we walked inside
the building a man walked up to us and told
us that he was going to give us a tour and
show us a presentation. We could hear the
children playing. They sounded so sweet!
We saw infants and kids who were learning to
walk. Wow! Could they have been any more
adorable? They were like... I don’t know,
cute! They all looked up at us and saw that
we were not the nannies and got very frightened. Yet they liked the attention. The only
thing that really scared me was that some of
the kids had cleft palates. I felt really bad.
Now I come back to the kids who were
learning how to walk. They were doing so
well. I never knew it would be this hard
to learn how to walk. There was one child
who was having the worst time! I am pretty
sure she was disabled. But I didn’t care,
she was doing such a good job! I never
knew she could learn this fast. She was
the first child who totally caught my eye.
When went to the room where we were going
to put together tricycles and bicycles for the
kids, oh boy... could I tell you how hard it was
and how weird it felt. It felt weird because I
was building something that the kids were
going to ride... those bikes! I sure felt like a
mechanic building those bikes! I know the
kids will love them and I am happy to help.
The Nanjing kids are playing in
their new playroom. One boy is
painting, another is riding a bike
and a girl is playing dressup and
another girl is eating a snack.
Joseph Dorow, 11
New Hampshire
This fall I saw a Chinese orphan’s life
for the first time. I felt really sad when I
saw the babies in the cribs. I thought they
should have the same life as everyone else.
I felt glad that I was there to help build an
infant center and preschool. The children
in the orphanage are less fortunate than I
am and now they will have a special place
to learn and play. I helped assemble bikes
and paint walls. I found it hard and put a
lot of effort into it. I wanted the children to
feel at home. I just wanted to help them.
I spent a lot of time working with Wei ayi.
Continued...
peace sign over and over. In the following
days we took every opportunity we could
to wave and smile at those kids--it was
fantastic to connect with them in that way.
...Continued
She is Half the Sky’s nanny who takes
care of the kids who come with their
parents on the build. She is kind and
generous and the nicest person I have
ever met. She taught me some Chinese,
which I have been studying at home for
two years. I am going to miss her a lot.
At the end of the week when the center was
finished we had a big party with the children
at the orphanage. I felt happy for them because they had fun at the party. I liked watching the children play with the toys. It was
hard to leave and I felt sad when we left the
orphanage and all those beautiful children.
I think everyone in the world should help
Half the Sky Foundation. I am glad my sister
Ava, who is three, had a Half the Sky nanny
in Beihai. It is really good to help orphans
the way Half the Sky does. I hope I can
go back to China with Half the Sky again.
Tannis Shaw
British Columbia
My husband, Lawrence and I arrived at
our hotel in Guangzhou for the Yibin and
Shenzhen builds after a most exciting taxi
ride – if you’ve been to China, you’ll agree
that your first taxi ride in China is an experience you’ll never forget! We spent the
first day walking around, and then met up
with our crew Saturday night. There was an
instant bond and chemistry among us. We
had no idea we were joining the “first allCanadian” crew, but it made sense with all
Tannis Shaw
the French-Canadian names on the emails
we had received over the past few months!
We flew to Yibin the next day. I will never
forget the people in the market outside the
orphanage who were so welcoming, smiling
and waving to us, and our first tour through
the institute. When we reached the rooms
with the children, most of the volunteers
jumped right in and interacted with them,
but personally, I had to stand back and soak
it all in and keep myself at an emotional distance. It can be heart-wrenching to be in an
orphanage, and yet it’s also very fulfilling.
Everyone handles these situations differently--I just had to stand back and watch.
We were taken on a tour through the building and noticed a school in session across
an alleyway behind the orphanage. Once
those kids got a peek at us fair-skinned
foreigners they stopped their studies and
squealed with joy, yelling out “hello!
hello!,” waving to us, and flashing the
Below: HTS’ first “Almost All-Canadian Crew”
celebrates the end of a hard day by
displaying their well-earned paint scars
Our main work was sanding and painting
and assembling small chairs and desks. It
was what I would consider “light-duty”
work, but the paint fumes and long hours
ensured that we had worked up a sweat and
were tired by the end of the day, ready to
enjoy our feast of delicious Sichuan Chinese
cuisine! At the end of the first week, as is
the tradition at Half the Sky, we threw a
big party for the kids and babies. Each of
us had brought 50 lbs of toys with us from
Canada. We set them up and watched the
kids play with them. Some had never (or so
it seemed) seen their reflection in a mirror.
We then went to Shenzhen, which is a
much larger orphanage. The work was
the same, there was just a lot more of it to
do!!! We worked all week and again threw
a party for the kids, playing the piano with
kids, lifting them up onto the play equipment, laughing and smiling all around.
Our two-week trip was magical. We all
worked hard to make the orphanage a
better place with those kids, but it’s not
the work I remember, it’s the kids and
the babies, the nannies and staff at the
orphanages, our co-volunteers and the
staff at Half the Sky that I remember
fondly. I think we would all agree that we
would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Jean-Michel Anctil
Quebec
On the crew’s last day in Yibin, JeanMichel signed “Il y a un peu du Quebec
ici” on the workcrew wall and wrote the
following blog:
We have opened the center for the children today. What a pleasure to see all the
children playing. For us it was a great
reward to see the smiles and excitement
and we felt the same excitement. Opening
a Half the Sky Center is a little like opening your arms to a child.
Half the Sky Holiday Giving Pages
There are all sorts of ways to celebrate the holiday season and honor family and friends while, at the same time, transforming young
children’s lives. This holiday season, why not make sure that your cards and gifts will make a difference that can last a lifetime?
Sponsor a child, a nanny, a Big Sister, a room — or even an entire Half the Sky Children’s Center!
Sponsor a Child for One Year
Providing loving care and attention for a child. You or your honoree will
be assigned one child in our Baby Sisters or Little Sisters programs. The
sponsor receives a certificate and a quarterly report and photo showing the
child’s progress. Sponsors can write or send cards to the child and may also
send small gifts, which are generally shared among all the children.
Child Sponsorship - US$300 or $US25 per month for 12 months
Sponsor a Child for One Month
A popular gift certificate, which helps provide nurture and enrichment for a
child in Half the Sky’s Baby Sisters or Little Sisters programs
1 Month Child Sponsorship Certificate - US$25
Sponsor a Nanny for One Year
Make it possible for a Half the Sky nanny to give the gift of love and nurture to her 3-5
“own babies” in a Half the Sky Baby Sisters Infant Nurture Center. Nanny Sponsors
receive a certificate and information about their Nanny and quarterly reports about all of
the infants in her care.
Nanny Sponsorship - US$600 or $US50 per month for 12 months
Sponsor a Nanny for One Month
A popular gift certificate, which helps a Half the Sky nanny give the gift of her love to
between three and five special babies.
1 Month Nanny Sponsorship Certificate - US$50
Sponsor Big Sisters for One Year
Your gift is put into a pool of funds to pay for whatever services will help better the
lives of older children: remedial tutoring, middle school tuition, music, language
or vocational training. Sponsors can target their donation to the University Fund,
which provides college tuition to outstanding students from orphanages all over
China. You or your honoree receive a quarterly Big Sisters Newsletter that
features letters and artwork from our Big Sisters.
Big Sisters Sponsorship - US$900 or $US75 per month for 12 months
Kids4Kids Big Sisters Sponsorship for One Year
Young people 18 and under can help older children growing up in Chinese
orphanages by signing up for a Kids4Kids Sponsorship. The special reduced
cost is just enough to provide music lessons to one Big Sister for one year.
Kids4Kids Sponsorship - US$480 or $US40 per month for 12 months
Sponsor Big Sisters for One Month
A popular gift certificate, which provides tutoring and enrichment for older
orphaned children in Half hte Sky’s Big Sisters Program.
1 Month Big Sisters Sponsorship - US$50
Certificates and acknowledgement cards can be sent either directly to the recipient or to the donor for presentation. Just let us know your preference!
G i v e
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Half the Sky Holiday Giving Pages
Sponsor a Year of Self-Expression for Young Artists
Paints and markers, papers of every kind, clay, paste, playdough, glitter,
feathers and jewels and buttons and beads—your gift of an Art Supplies
Package will keep an entire HTS preschool full of little fingers and minds
creatively busy for an entire year. Art Supply Sponsors or their honorees will
receive a personalized certificate commemorating this wonderful gift.
Art Supplies Sponsorship - US$2,000
Sponsor Art Supplies for a Month
A popular gift certificate, which purchases a month’s worth of art supplies
for one classroom in a Little Sisters Preschool.
1 Month Art Supplies Certificate - US$50
Say Thanks to a Wonderful Teacher
Show your appreciation to the teachers that
gives their best to your child and help support the work of Half the Sky’s trained preschool teachers at the same time.
Teacher Appreciation Certificate - US$25
A Year of Memories for Little Sisters
Record-keeping in all types of media is a critical part of our work at Half the
Sky. We photograph and videotape every significant event in the children’s
lives. We document their developmental milestones, their conversations,
their adventures. We collect their stories and their letters. All of this goes
into individual memory books or progress reports or fills the walls of our
Children’s Centers. The children, most of whom don’t know where they came
from, soon are surrounded by a living history and a sense of their own place
in time. Your gift will purchase a video camera, two still cameras, photo
paper and printing supplies to document the lives of Half the Sky’s young
learners. Documentation Sponsors or their honorees will receive a personalized certificate commemorating this wonderful gift.
Documentation Sponsorship - US$3,500
Gifts that protect our programs and children’s futures
Become a Half the Sky Guardian
Guardians make a three-year commitment to support Half the Sky’s endowment fund,
which is invested for long-term growth to ensure that HTS programs need never be taken
away from children who need them. A small percentage of the fund’s value may be made
available each year, if needed, to help cover the annual costs of program operations.
Guardians or their honorees receive a certificate and a Hafl the Sky classic poster as a small
token of our appreciation.
Half the Sky Guardian - US$3,000 or US$1,000 per year for 3 years or US$83 per month
for 36 months
Become a Half the Sky Angel
Half the Sky Angels provide unrestricted leadership support for our most pressing needs.
Donors help launch new centers and sustain current programs. Angels or their honorees
receive a certificate and a Great Wall poster as a small token of appreciation from Half the
Sky.
Half the Sky Angel - US$5,000 or more
Certificates and acknowledgement cards can be sent either directly to the recipient or to the donor for presentation. Just let us know your preference!
G i v e
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Half the Sky Holiday Giving Pages
Good Morning China
Mei Mei
Mei Mei (little sister)
Portraits from a Chinese
Orphanage
Hu Yong Yi’s whimsical view of
mornings in China with a pop-up
surprise at the end, Good Morning
China will delight even the youngest child.
by Richard Bowen
introduction by Amy Tan
afterword by Karin Evans
HTS special edition, with traditional
Chinese binding, will not be sold
after December 31, 2006.
6”x8” hard cover; 32 Pages, full
color
Price $30;
Additional charges for shipping and
handling.
Chronicle Books, 2005
8-1/4 x 9 in; 144 pp; 90 duotone
photographs
Hardcover
ISBN 0811847349
Price $35
Additional charges for shipping
and handling
The Great Wall Poster
See it in full color at www.halfthesky.org
16” x 38.5”
Perfect for a child’s room!
$50 plus shipping and handling.
The Mei Mei Portfolio
Mei Mei – Holiday!
From the Mei Mei photo collection.
Inside, the greeting, in both English
and Chinese says “...may your holidays sparkle “
Below, the optional inscription reads,
“A generous donation has been made
in your honor to Half the Sky Foundation.”
This is a limited collector’s edition portfolio of 12, 16”x20” archival,
museum qualty, silver gelatin prints form MEI MIE, each handsigned and numbered by Richard Bowen. Each image is restricted to
only 25 prints and can be purchased singly or in portfolio. Once the
25 portfolios are sold, there will be no further prints of these images
made. Proceeds from the sale will benefit HTS programs and are
partially tax-deductible. For purchasing information and to view all 12
images in The Mei Mei Portfolio, please visit www.halfthesky.org.
G i v e
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t h e
G i f t
The card is printed in full color on fine
art stock and is available in packages
of 12 with 13 envelopes.
To see the card in color Half the Sky
go to: www.halfthesky.org.
PRICE $25 per box; $13 USD per
box is tax-deductible. Additional
charges for shipping and handling.
Note: All items on this page are partialy tax-deductible. Please check website for details on
shipping charges and quantity discounts.
o f
N u r t u r i n g
C a r e
Half the Sky Holiday Giving Pages
Yes, I want to touch the life of a child this holiday season...
Enclosed is my gift:
Qty
*Price
Total USD
Notes
General Donation
1yr Child Sponsorship
1mo Child Sponsorship
1yr Nanny Sponsorship
1mo Nanny Sponsorship
1yr Big Sister Sponsorship
1yr Kids4Kids Sponsorship
1mo Big Sister Sponsorship
Art Supplies Sponsorship
1mo Art Supplies Certificate
Documentation Sponsorship
Half the Sky Guardian
Half the Sky Angel
Book - MeiMei
Book - Good Morning China
Poster - Great Wall
MeiMei Portfolio Print
2006 Holiday Card
Special Instructions:
Total Amount Enclosed:
Name ____________________________________________
E-Mail Address ______________________________________
Address _ _________________________________________
Total Amount of Your US$ Donation ______________________
_______________________________________________
Payment Method: Check
City ______________________________________________
Credit Cards Accepted:
State/Prov. _ _______________________________________
Visa/MC or AMEX # __________________________________
Zip/PC ___________
Country ____________________
Expiration Date______________________________________
Phone ____________________________________________
Signature _ _________________________________________
Please Mail or Fax this form to:
Half the Sky Foundation*
764 Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA
94710 USA
FAX: 1-510/525-3611
Visa
MC
AMEX
To double/triple the amount of my donation, I have enclosed my company’s matching gift application.
*For information about Can$ and HK$ sponsorship fees and for addresses where your Canadian or Hong Kong
donations should be sent, please visit www.halfthesky.org.
11
Volunteer News
never forget their faces and I’ll
always wonder where they are.
But knowing they have HTS
now is a wonderful feeling.
When I asked Hope what the
most important part of the trip
was for her, she smiled and said
“helping to set up the toys.”
By Carla Seidel
Volunteer Coordinator, HTS
This year my daughter Hope,
who is 9, and I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of
Half the Sky’s work crew for
the Shenzhen build. I have been
a Half the Sky volunteer for
several years so I already knew
that what HTS does is amazing,
but seeing it firsthand was an
incredible experience.
Even before we left for China,
Hope wanted to be part of packing all of the toys and art supplies that we took to China with
us. She was so worried during
our flight that the boxes would
get lost. Thankfully, everything
arrived without any problems.
When it came time to set up the
toys for the children. Hope was
just so excited--this was her
way to help the children.
Hope also helped shipped the
mountain of auction items that
took over our living room during our annual, October ebay
auction. We had another very
succesful auction thanks to
the generosity of those who
donated items, shopped, and
helped list and ship hundreds
of items. If you would like to
help with next year’s auction
it’s not too early to e-mail me at
[email protected].
In this season of giving I want
to mention Betsy Martell’s 5
for the Sky fundraising cam-
paign for improvements to the
Chongqing Children’s Home.
It has been more than 4 years
since the HTS program began here and the preschool
needs new developmental toys,
books, music and bikes. Here is
Betsy’s blog: http://5forthesky.
blogspot.com. Also thanks to
the Rumor Queen, who mobilized her readers to help support
our new Infant Nurture Center
in Nanning.
Have wonderful holidays! And
don’t forget Half the Sky’s
Angel Trees for your holiday
party. For more information
contact me at [email protected].
HTS’ Online
Auction:
Hope Seidel
and boxes for
winning bidders
I have never seen a bunch of people work so hard and enjoy every
minute of it. We had people from
Canada, Australia, UK. USA and
China on our crew. We sanded
and painted then sanded and
painted even more. I got some
paint on my watch and I couldn’t
remove it. I’m glad I couldn’t
remove it because now every
time I look at my watch and see
the little specks of paint, I think
of those little faces in China
whom we helped that week. I’ll
Ritht: An
angel tree for
the holidays
Volunteer Connections
If you are interested in joining Half the Sky’s volunteer efforts, please contact us at [email protected] or, if
there’s a regional coordinator close to home, contact him/her directly:
Northeastern States
CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY,
PA, RI, VA, VT
Contact Anne Poliakoff
[email protected]
South Central States
AR, CO, KS, LA, MO, MS, NM, TX,
Contact Mindy Carney
[email protected]
Canada
Contact Rosemary Iacucci &
Chris Foroglou
[email protected]
Southeastern States
AL, FL, GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV
Contact Lynn Cobb
[email protected]
Shanghai
Western States
Contact The Bund Fund
AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, [email protected]
WY
Contact Betsy Martell
To join HTS’ volunteer listserves:
[email protected]
North Central States
IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI
Contact Lori Polly
[email protected]
Children’s Volunteer Coordinator
Contact Melissa Manassee
[email protected]
12
North America
[email protected]
Outside North America
[email protected]
In Asia...
By Deanne Bevan
Director of Development
Half the Sky, Hong Kong
As the year draws to a close we
have a great deal to reflect on
from our new office in Asia.
In May we received news of our
official registration as a charity
in Hong Kong, and by mid year
had opened an office, complete
with two staff (!), in Des Vouex
Road, Central. In September
we hosted what turned out to
be a fabulous party for old
friends and new, and formally
introduced ourselves to the
philanthropic community in this
vibrant city.
Almost two-hundred people
turned out for the cocktail reception and honored Half the Sky
with a resounding welcome. Our
generous sponsors ensured there
was plenty of fun, food, wine
and good cheer – many thanks to
State Street Bank, McDonald’s
Hong Kong, Prestique Marketing, Ketchum PR, Concord
Wines, Go-Gourmet and Galerie
du monde.
The gathering also provided
us with a unique opportunity
to publicly thank a number of
very special, local supporters.
The four children you read about
in this newsletter traveled from
China to Hong Kong to present gifts of their hand-painted
artwork to the following organizations who have so generously supported our work – BHP
Billiton, Creata, Finance Asia,
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer,
Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan
Chase, Ogilvy PR and Radio
Flyer. The ceremony truly made
everyone smile and the children
enjoyed themselves too!
We also arranaged an October
visit to the Shenzhen SWI for a
“housewarming” party with the
warm-hearted sponsor who made
all four of our programs there
possible, Norma Rosenhain from
Creata and guests. HTS’ thirty
new friends made the journey
with us to Shenzhen and met
the parents and children in the
new family village there, as well
as the infants and preschoolers
in our HTS center. Gifts, hugs,
tears and smiles were shared all
round.
It was particularly moving on the
day of our visit to see the children in their new family homes,
with mothers and fathers and
brightly colored bed-spreads and
lunch-time tables crammed with
home-cooked dishes specially
prepared for the occasion. This
new area of our work at HTS is
one that never fails to resonate
with all who see it – what can
mean more than the love of family for a child?
This holiday season I am grateful
to be part of the greater HTS family – an extraordinary group of
friends, supporters, colleagues,
organizations and individuals
– who extend the love of family
to children in need. To the bighearted folks of Hong Kong who
have shown such enthusiasm for
our work in such a short time,
on behalf of HTS, our sincere
gratitude. I look forward with
tremendous hope to all we will
achieve together in future - for
the children.
See you in Central!
Ross & Vicki McGregor (front) and players from the
Richmond Football Club
Shanghai’s Bund Fund
Our thanks, as always, to the fabulous Bund Fund along with the
Shanghai Tigers Aussi Rules Football Club and ANZ Bank. Ross &
Vicki McGregor helped organize the Shanghai Tigers ANZ Charity
Dinner attended by players from the Australian Football League’s
(AFL) Richmond Football Club. Richard David served as Master
of Ceremonies and Jock McGregor with ANZ Bank sponsored
the event. The Shanghai Tigers Aussie Rules Football Club was
re-established in Shanghai by Ross McGregor and is made up of
Australian expats with a handful of New Zealanders, Americans
and British AFL fans thrown in.
Bund Funders also helped organize the St. Patrick’s Ball and raised
enough money to sponsor 10 children! And Bund Fund stalwarts,
Georgie David and Andrea Soares, have created another gorgeous
calendar featuring the talented team’s photo impressions of China.
All proceeds benefit the Bund Fund’s efforts to support programs.
Sorry, but it’s already sold-out!
Still pedaling...
Our intreprid fundraisers from the UK, Nathan Taylor and Joe Ryan
are continuing their long bicycle trek the length of China. The pair
took a break to attend a wedding—Joe’s brother Adam married
Talitha. At the reception Adam talked about Nathan and Joe’s trip
to raise money to pay all the operating costs for HTS’ program in
Sanya for at least two years, a speech that prompted the wedding
guests to contribute generously. Now it’s back to the bikes for Joe
and Nathan. To follow Joe and Nathan’s yearlong journey visit:
http://www.chinabybicycle.co.uk/.
Want to give Half the Sky a hand next time you travel to China?
One efficient and economical way to help Half the Sky get devlopmental toys,
dress-up clothes and supplies to our centers is by volunteer couriers. If you are
traveling to Beijing and can carry a package or a box (or two!), please contact
us at [email protected]. Many thanks!
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s
d
i
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4
s
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My 6th Birthday
by Annie Langston Meirong Dugan
I loved my Half the Sky party because
Poage Park has a fun playground and
Dear Half the Sky,
I got to play leap frog. I want to send
On my birthday I wanted
all the money to Half the Sky for my
to collect money so I could
friends still in China. Love, Annie
help a child. I ended up
collecting enough money
to support a child for a
whole year. Hope a child
will have a happy year.
Sincerely, Quinn Cabral
Happy Birthday to the generous kids
who collected
HTS donations instead of gifts!
Madison Shiyi Asbury, 6; Aliya Salter, 4; Emily (3.5) & Mia (1.5) Prahl; BinBin Sullivan, 9; Kelsey Meiling Rammelkamp, 13; Annie Langston Meirong
Dugan, 6; LoriAnne Nelson, 14; Kaili Brown, 9; Keane Irene Lan Fairchild,
9; Ava Wellnitz Applegate, 3; Lucy Bisceglia, 2.
Right: Honors American
History students at
Hamtramck High School
More kudos to great kids....
Every year Toni Coral’s Honors American Literature class at Hamtramck High School in Michigan, (photo
above) reads The Grapes of Wrath and chooses a charity that underscores one of the novel’s main
ideas: working together makes us strong. This year, Coral’s students chose HTS and raised money
by selling coffee in the morning for three weeks. Toni wrote that the students chose HTS because
they were touched by the stories of her son Andrew, whom her husband and she brought home from
Changzhou last year. “I can tell you that they all embraced this activity with great enthusiasm and that
they are proud of their accomplishment.”
First graders Hannah Matthews, Grace Poukey, Hannah Peschier, (photo left) discussed and planned
their Half the Sky fundraiser Art Exhbit for a year. The girls offered their artwork for sale. Customers
could also paint a t-shirt and buy goodies from their concession stand.
The seventh graders at Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito, California collected donations for Half the Sky
in lieu of gifts for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs; The children of Congregation Beth Am in California study
“tzedakah,” which menans “righteous giving to help repair what is broken in our world.” The students
brought money to each class and donated it to charities, including Half the Sky.
12-year-old Lily Susman received money as a holiday gift from her grandparents and donated it to Half
the Sky;Reyna Mei Polly, 3, Neela Lin Polly, 2, and Ocean Di Cillo, 9, sold candy bars to raise money
for HTS. Lin Yuan, a student at Richard Montgomery High School in Maryland and her sister organized
a club at school to raise funds for HTS.
Hannah Matthews, Grace Poukey & Hannah Peschier
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MeiLing Blackstone, Miriam Wolpert, Allie & Annie Hanichak, Emmilee & Jennilee Stocker, Emily Earnest,
Ava Paieda, Anna Sevey, Grace & Mary Jicha & Kate Rairigh, all members of a 16-family travel group
who adopted in Guangdong Province did chores and sent the money to Half the Sky.
OUR LITTLE SISTERS IN CHENGDU
Learning About Golden Fish....
A key element of the Reggio Emilia approach to child development is following children’s innate curiosity. Our teachers in Chengdu are
implementing that principle masterfully. After a walk, when the children discovered golden fish in a pond, the teachers developed an
ongoing project that is helping the children learn about fish and also about the joy of discovering things on their own. Here is a report
from our teachers in Chengdu, who are thrilled that the children led the way for this project about fish.
This project started when the children in the junior
classes (ages 2-3) discovered during a walk that
there are golden fish in the pond outside the institution. The children got very excited when they saw
the beautiful fish.
During our discussions, many excited
children described
what they saw: “I
saw a big one...It is
this big (using both
hands to illustrate)...I saw that the
fish’s body is long and round. I saw a
big tail of a fish.”
Based on the children’s observations about the fish, the children
made fish in their classroom
with colored paper. When
they finished, the teachers
realized that the children
were still confused about
the shape of fish and the
also were not clear about
the vocabulary necessary to
describe fish.
So the teachers brought the fish into the classroom for the children
to observe again. The children started to notice the
body parts of the fish. The
children made fish for the
second time. This time the
teachers asked the children
to compare the fish they
made and the fish they observed. The children noticed
that the ones they made
didn’t have eyes and tails.
The children added the tails and
other body parts based on what
they had just observed. They also
discovered the fins on fish.
The children were excited to be able to choose
their own material. JiaJia said: “I want to use
the toilet paper roll for my fish body.” Not to be
outdone, Lu Hui said: “I want to pick a triangle
for my fish’s tail.”
These exercises, all connected to fish, have enhanced the children’s fine motor skills and problem
solving skills. Each child was able to try different materials to make fish that were increasingly
detailed and creative.
The children also demonstrated confidence in their problem-solving ability. When we
tried to offer help, the children
refused and insisted on trying to work out the problems
themselves.
And the children are now even
using their bodies to express
how fish swim. When we visited the pond to observe the fish after
the children had make fish four times, the children became very
creative with their bodies, describing how the fish move in the
water.
Personal observation
and project work has
again proven to be a
fine way to learn. We
can proudly report that
the children in our Little
Sisters Preschool know
a great deal more about
fish and how them swim
than they
did just a
short while
ago!
Continuing this ongoing project,
the children made fish a third
time using a new material, Play
Doh. After that Play Doh project
the children got to choose the
materials they wanted to use for their four fish-making attempts.
15
Big Sisters News
It is very difficult for children who grow up in orphanages to make their way in Chinese society. Thanks to our Big Sisters program,
190 older children and young adults living in Chinese institutions are getting the help they need to become independent adults. Our
Big Sisters receive instruction in everything from electronic keyboard, to English, to calligraphy. Some are receiving tuition aid while
they pursue their dream of a higher education. We thank all of our sponsors who make it possible for us to provide help for our Big
Sisters. We are particularly happy to welcome our new Kids4Kids Big Sisters sponsors. Through this program, children 18 or younger
can become Big Sisters sponsors for $480 a year, the cost of providing music lessons for one Big Sisters for a year. A big thank you to
our new Kids4Kids sponsors and our loyal grownup sponsors as well for helping us help older children growing up in Chinese institutions. Our adult and kids sponsors receive a quarterly newsletter with letters (and photos) from our Big Sisters, like the letter and photo
below from Hefei Big Sister and violinist YangShuang:
Dear Half the Sky,
How are you!
I am twelve years old and I am studying at grade 5
in Jianshe Primary School.
I am taking part in English class and violin class
through the Big Sisters program.
It has been two years since I attended English
remediation class. I have made great progress in
English during the past two years. I used to get
70 on tests, but now I can get over 90. The English
teachers from the school are very happy about my
great progress.They praise me for my improvement
and encourage me to do better in the future.
In addition to English, I am also studying violin.
I am now learning to play the violin in “123 Musical School.” With the teacher’s patient help, I am
now able to play many tunes.
YangShuang
Where is Half the Sky Right Now?
Anhui Province
Chuzhou
Hefei
Chongqing Municipality
Chongqing
Guangdong Province
Guangzhou
Shenzhen
Guangxi Province
Beihai
Guilin
Nanning
Wuzhou
Hainan Province
Haikou
Sanya
Henan Province
Luoyang
Xinyang
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Hunan Province
Chenzhou
Shaoyang
Xiangtan
Yiyang (2 centers)
Yueyang
Jiangsu Province
Changzhou
Gaoyou
Lianyungang
Nanjing
Jiangxi Province
Fuzhou
Jiujiang
Nanchang
Shanghai Municipality
Shanghai
Sichuan Province
Chengdu
Yibin
Tianjin Municipality
Tianjin
Baby Sisters
During HTS builds, our newest nannies and teachers stay out of the construction
chaos, but they are hard at work learning how to provide high-quality nurturing
care. Retired medical doctor Dr. Huang BaoShan has been with Half the Sky
from the start. This key member of our nanny training team provides medical
knowledge, translating skills and folk wisdom:
When our nervous new nannies start their training, Dr. Huang puts them instantly
at ease by asking for a volunteer dancing partner. Dr. Huang loves to dance for
exercise and entertainment (especially the challenging Inner Mongolian folk
dances of northern China), but for the demonstration he dances in whatever style
his volunteer is comfortable with. Good dancers, he stresses, are constantly comDr. Huang shares his wise counsel with a nanny supervisor and HTS
municating with each other: “One is leading and one is following.” Dancers can
field supervisor, Zhou Dan
switch back and forth between leading and following, but when it comes to the
“dance” of childcare, there is no question who should be leading: “You follow
what the baby needs, just like a good dance partner.” When Dr. Huang was raising his two sons such “responsive” care was thought to be
“spoiling” a child and often still is, even by our nanny recruits. After their training, our new nannies take to the floor, intently interacting
with their new charges with no fear of spoiling them: “I see tremendous changes.”
Nanny trainers Debbie Tong and
Huang BaoShan encourage new
nannies to get down on the floor
and let their babies take the lead.
17
Helping her hold up half the sky.....
Half the Sky Foundation
764 Gilman Street
Berkeley, CA 94710 USA
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
18
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 2508
OAKLAND, CA