Firstly, allow me to apologize for posting this so late. It was difficult to find national organizations that had any opening for an English speaker. However, this might not be the case if I were able to read their sites. They are not open to translation as yet.
The first organization is The Amity Foundation ( www.amityfoundation.org ). This is supported by overseas Chinese and Hong Kong Chinese. It works to help grassroots companies get a start and maintain in their assistance to the social challenges of China. In 2009, they founded the Nanjing Amity NGO Development Center. This center helps communication among social agencies, the academic community, businesses and government.
I am drawn to this organization because as a Christian, I see an agency that is representing our faith as it ought to be. They work within the boundaries of the law and society. They work with other religions to bring about needed aid. For example they teamed with the Muslim community to address HIV/AIDS (www.amityfoundation.org). Their motto Love Never Ends well represents the Christian faith and causes it to be useful and accepted.
They team up with communities and businesses to build healthy water systems and provide other developmental support for a sustainable solution in rural areas. Shangxi, the provincial location of my Capstone project, is one of the areas in which they operate.
They facilitate Summer English Programs (SEP) where English speakers spend a month with rural teachers to help with English. This could be expanded to training in teaching skills if done by an early childhood practitioner. There are no job openings at present. I could apply for a summer volunteer position and work my way into the organization that way.
Half the Sky (www.halfthesky.org) is an orphanage for abandoned children. It is an outgrowth of China Care Foundation (www.chinacare.org) that provide immediate medical and follow up care for these children. When they are recuperated they now can go to Half the Sky.
Half the Sky is a project birthed from a need noticed by Jenny and Richard Bowan when they adopted a toddler in 1997. The child's cognitive and emotional growth had been severely hampered from lack of interpersonal interaction: nurturing and language. With their tender loving care they saw this little one gain confidence, emotional depth and cognitive strength. Seeing this as a need for many children in orphanages they opened Half the Sky.
They are now expanding throughout China and in fact in 2014, they project to be training teachers for Shanxi Province. Their intent is to establish Children's Centers headed by Child Development Experts from each area whom they have trained.
Again, this is an internationally run organization. To be a part of it here at this time would be through volunteering in the orphanages. My hope would be that we could partner in communities where I would be working with parents/caregivers and young children in the family setting.
The next organization is headed by a Taiwanese business woman. It is the internationally acclaimed music and movement program, Musikgarten (www.musikgarten ; www.piedpiper.cc). This is a program for Babies up to 9 years. Of particular interest to me are the Baby Music, Family Music and Cycle of Seasons. Ms Seng has created a Chinese programme with the permission of Dr. Lorna Heyge, the founder and creator of Musikgarten. She has researched, recorded and put in print Chinese folk songs, many for the first time. This alone is a feat deserving international recognition.
I did Musikgarten training with Ms Seng in Taiwan and she has asked me to conduct teacher training with her. I do not have the time now. However, I hope to collaborate with her as I move into Shanxi province.
The final organization is Rural China Education Foundation (www.rcef.org). This is an organization headed by overseas Chinese wishing to improve the quality of education in rural areas by way of curriculum development and teacher training.
They are presently working in several rural provinces. My role with them would be volunteer : either through a teaching program or as a committee member helping with research and curriculum development.
These agencies have again inspired me as to what can be done with a little heart and will.
Wonderful agencies. I talked to my husband's cousin over the holiday and he now works for the Damien Center (a local non-profit) as a representative for people with HIV/AIDS (www.damien.org). Although this agency is located in the States, they might be able to send you information about this topic if you are interested. I look forward to reading more about your challenge as it progresses. Great post!
ReplyDeleteReferences
The Damien Center, (n.d.). The Damien Center. Retrieved from www.damien.org.