In-orphanage projects making a difference

In the orphanage, most of the children have medical issues. Children with physical developmental disorders,  brain developmental disorders, those with difficulty in eating.....many different issues causing the children many challenges.

A number of years ago New Day opened two in-orphanage projects. The “Savannah” project and the “Little Deer” project.

These projects provide

• A significant lower ratio of childcare workers to children (1:3)
• Specialized training and support to a dedicated group of caregivers,
• A living example to influence the orphanage staff.
• Experts in the areas of medicine, therapy, nursing and special education are able to give information and techniques to nannies that are specific to the types of children they care for. New Day China depends on a strong team of experts.

Caregivers are the ones who interact with the children all the time and their impact in the children’s lives is the greatest. For that reason, we focus on using long-term hands-on training to develop nannies that are excellent at taking care of children with long-term needs. A child’s drinking, eating, and daily life are inseparable from the care of their nannies. Their influence on children is evident. Therefore, in addition to the need for more love and patience, the nannies need professional training.

Coaches are a vital part of the New Day China team and strategy. These coaches are specifically trained not only in how to care for children with special needs, but also in how to coach caregivers on an ongoing basis. These coaches provide a key link between the knowledge of the experts and the caregivers, because the coaches help the caregivers consistently and accurately implement the guidance and training provided by the experts in each subject area.

Our coaches regularly visit the orphanage to provide continuous and accurate guidance and training for the nannies. Things like

• Early childhood education for children with special needs. For example, to develop the children through targeted game interaction, to intervene in the child's early growth process as early as possible, and to promote the overall development of their body, language, cognition, social and emotional skills.
• Feeding intervention. We provide specific children’s milk powder, custom recipes, monthly assessments and regular tutoring for the feeding of children with eating difficulties.
• Rehabilitation training. Our rehabilitation partners and other rehabilitation teachers regularly come to train employees, evaluate children, and provide targeted rehabilitation guidance.

We are grateful for the opportunity to know these special children and to participate in their lives. We will continue to update their stories showing what changes the power of love makes in their lives.