Introduction
Orphanages in China are filled with bright-eyed, smiling children living in conditions that would shock and depress us. The victims of China's one child per family policy, these children don't yet realize why they have been abandoned...  [Read on...]

Volunteering in China
This summer, what would motivate you to pack up your books, stuff your suitcase full of toys, and dive headfirst into enormous culture shock? What would make you scrap a sunny Cancun vacation, and choose instead to volunteer in an orphanage on the other side of the globe?

Hundreds of happy children in Chinese orphanages are quite ready to help you figure this one out. They’ll show you how to hold chopsticks properly, teach you top-secret card tricks, and correct your rusty Mandarin. Perhaps twenty or so inquisitive children, all open-mouthed and wide-eyed, will hang onto your every mispronounced word as you try to explain that you’ve only studied Mandarin for a year. Working together, they'll decipher your meaning, and through wildly gesturing hands, vigorous nodding, heartwarming smiles, and much laughter, wonderful friendships will soon develop.

Harvard China Care would like to extend to you an opportunity to volunteer this summer in an orphanage in China. We will help match you with an orphanage in China, help you secure funding, and prepare you for your volunteer work. Many of the children that you will come to know were abandoned at birth or shortly afterwards because of their disabilities. They grow up in a variety of institutions, some far better equipped than others, where the orphanage staff works hard to meet their daily needs. All, however, are quite deprived of the one-on-one interaction that stimulates growth during these critical years. Volunteers are always needed to help fill this void.

Admittedly the work is not for everyone. It can be both physically and emotionally draining, but for those who can hack the pace, the rewards are huge. Sending a child into a fit of giggles, teaching another how to walk, encouraging a toddler to speak her first words, to successfully locate her ears and nose, teaching songs and clapping hands—all in a day’s work.

Site Descriptions
We have established relations with a number of orphanages, some comparatively well off, others quite poor. A number are run by the Chinese government, while others were founded by overseas Christian groups. We invite you now to take a look at the brief descriptions of the main orphanages with which we work.

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