Spotlight: Amy Jia

We've introduced something new on our blog called "Spotlight." Each week we'll introduce you to someone who works here at New Day.  Last week, we featured one of our interns, Anneli Johnson.  This week, we're spotlighting Amy Jia, our foster home manager.

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Tell us a bit about yourself:
I grew in up in South of China in a small village in Anhui province. I moved to Beijing in 1996 to study finance. In 2000 I got married and we moved to Qingyundian, the village where New Day is located. One month later I started working for New Day Foster Home as a nanny. Most of the nannies had either experience in the field or had children on their own. I was the only one without any children or experience, but I knew that this was the right place for me. I worked as nanny for two years, then a few years in the office, and then five years as a preschool teacher at the Foster Home. My years in various roles have been very useful for the work I do today, managing the daily operations of our foster home. I’ve experienced the challenges the nannies face and I know how much patience and genuine love a preschool teacher must have for the children.

How did your burden for orphans start?
It started when I was in middle school. I grew up in a big family with 6 children and parents that loved us very dearly. My parents worked hard to support us. They would do anything in order to provide a bright future for me and my siblings. One day in middle school, I met a girl who didn’t have parents and I felt so sorry for her. During my whole childhood, my family had always struggled financially. My siblings and I never got new clothes like the other children or toys for our birthdays. And there were times we had to drop out of school because we simply didn’t have any money to pay for the education. But we never doubted that our parents loved us. So when I met this girl and found out that she had grown up without parents by her side, it made me so sad. I realized that the hardest lot in life is not to grow up with “nothing,” but it’s to grow up without a family. No matter how few things my siblings and I had, we had each other. From that day on, orphans have been very close to my heart.

Is there a child’s story that you’ll always remember?
There are several children’s stories that I’ll never forget, and Chloe’s (Adopted 2007) is one of them. Chloe came to New Day when she was five years old with severe development issues. She couldn’t speak, she had difficulties understanding when people talked to her, and she wouldn’t make any eye contact with anyone. We knew that Chloe had been through many traumatic experiences and she was carrying deep wounds from that. But we knew that love could change her and we all poured out our love for her. Slowly we started seeing improvements in her development and behaviors. By the time she left New Day with her family, she was a changed little girl. The memory of seeing her leave New Day with her family is still vivid today, three years later. Chloe smiled at me and she gave me a kiss and said “Bye-bye” as she left.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
In the area of Anhui province where I grew up, we were famous for our pears. My favorite childhood memory is seeing the pear trees bloom and smelling the scent of rain.

What was your childhood dream?
I dreamed that I could fly!

What is your dream today?
That every child at New Day will be matched with a loving and caring family.