a downloadable PDF of the China Program flyer - Holt International

Programs for Children
Holt International
in China
Holt’s Vision
A world where every child has a loving
and secure home.
Holt began serving children in China in
1993. Responding to the country’s growing
number of orphaned and abandoned
children, Holt first developed an
international adoption program – placing
children with loving families in the U.S. In
the years that followed, Holt began allying
with the government to develop foster
care as a family-like alternative for children
living in institutions.
As Holt’s adoption program from China
continued to grow, so did Holt’s in-country
programs for children. At the end of
2010, Holt completed registration for the
Holt International Foundation of China –
opening more avenues of cooperation and
trust with the Chinese government, and
enabling Holt to provide a broader range
of child and family services.
Today, Holt staff in China oversees 22 child
welfare programs in seven provinces,
serving several thousand children per year.
Services include family strengthening and
preservation; foster care and group homes;
and multiple programs for older children
and children with special needs.
1195 City View Street (PO Box 2880)
Eugene • OR 97402 • USA
holtinternational.org
Ph 888.355.HOLT

Holt’s Child Welfare Programs in China
Family Strengthening and Preservation
Holt’s family strengthening programs in China help children in
rural areas to stay in the loving care of their birth families. Most of
the children’s families have been impacted by HIV or drugs, and all
children have lost at least one parent. In some cases, children live in
the care of relatives. Through educational, nutritional and medical
support, Holt helps these struggling families to give children a
brighter, more hopeful future.
Foster Care
After helping to establish a foster care program at the Nanchang
Orphanage in 1998, Holt replicated this model of care for children
throughout China. In foster families, children receive the attentive,
nurturing care they need to grow and develop to their fullest
potential. Many children stay in foster care for a short period while
waiting to join a permanent family. Holt also supports a number of
foster homes for children who require more long-term care. Many of
these children are older or have special needs, and may wait longer
to join families through adoption.
Group Homes
For older children and children with special needs, group homes
provide another alternative to institutional care – particularly in
circumstances where foster care may be problematic. Families in
Holt’s group home projects care for no more than six children at any
given time – helping to ensure children receive the loving, personal
attention they need to grow and thrive.
Medical Services
In 2011, Holt assumed management of the Peace House, providing
before-and-after care for children from all over China who come
to Beijing for surgery and rehabilitation – many of them suffering
from serious medical conditions. Through medical interventions
and follow-up care at the Peace House, these children have a much
greater hope of finding adoptive families. Almost all Peace House
children have since joined families in China or the U.S.
In 1999, Holt also helped to develop a special care unit for babies
in Nanchang. The unit is specially designed to improve feeding
and initial care of weak or premature infants, as well as those with
special medical needs. Once stable, babies are quickly placed
in foster families where they continue to receive the
nurturing, one-on-one care they need to thrive.
Social Adaptation Programs
These programs are designed to help children with special needs
grow a spirit of independence, learn vocational skills and build
greater self-esteem. Holt currently supports three social adaptation
projects in China – a knitting group for older children and an
arts and dance group for younger children living in the Liuzhou
Children’s Welfare Institute in Guangxi province, and a music class
for children in Holt’s family strengthening program in Longchuan,
Yunnan province.
Continuing Education Support
In several provinces of China, Holt collaborates with local civil
affairs offices to provide funding for tuition, fees and living
expenses so that orphaned and abandoned children may continue
their education. The education fund in particular supports children
who have aged out of Holt’s sponsorship, and are now preparing to
enter vocational schools or colleges.
Outings and Activities for Children in Orphanage Care
Not all orphaned and abandoned children in China are able to join
foster or adoptive families. Many grow to adulthood in orphanage
care, with few opportunities to experience the outside world.
Through the years, Holt staff members in China have escorted
hundreds of children on field trips in their communities. They visit
restaurants and parks, and celebrate holidays in different places –
exposing them to the rich diversity of life outside orphanage walls.
China Family Tours
Holt’s family tours of China offer adoptees the unique experience
of traveling alongside other adoptees and their families. During the
tour, adoptees engage in fun activities under the guidance of adult
adoptee camp counselors. Families learn about the culture and
history of China while visiting historic sites such as the Great Wall
and Forbidden City. Whenever possible, children may also visit their
home province and orphanage as well as their former foster family.
Families from all agencies are welcome.
For the latest information about Holt’s
China program and related China affairs,
subscribe to Holt’s China Moon blog –
covering everything from international
adoption, child welfare programs and
heritage tours to Chinese culture, traveling
in China and relevant popular media.
holtinternational.org/china/moon