QuzhouVolunteers                         "Help Me Help You"- a charity for children in Quzhou                                                   quzhouvolunteers@gmail.com

Help Me Help You is also known as Quzhou Volunteers. We are a not for profit charity and Volunteer Organisation part of the Student's Union of Quzhou University of Technology. Quzhou is located in Zhejiang Province which is towards the East of China, 5 hours away from Shanghai. The charity has been running since 2005. It was founded by Chinese university students and a British "foreign" teacher. That foreign teacher was Elinor and together with her colleague Ben they set up the university's first Volunteer Organisation and the city's first charity without bribes. 

When the "secret conditions" of the orphanage were discovered by Quzhou's university students, Elinor and her Chinese colleagues decided to set up a Volunteer Organisation named by the university students as Help Me Help You. We have been invited to speak by the local government at numerous charitable events and press conferences educating locals on the importance of volunteering and charity. We have become known as the only charity who has never paid bribes to offer aid to the children and this is why we have not translated our page into Chinese.

There is an American group called Quzhou Parents, but none of their donations ever make it to the orphanage because they rely on the powers of the leaders in the city who have never provided for the children anyway. We provide for all the children's basic needs, clothing, nutrition, toys and education. In order to witness this for yourself we invite you to volunteer with us in the city of Quzhou. We can help you find accommodation and set up fun activities to volunteer with our voluntary organisation.

We know our site does not look as professional as many other charities' websites who claim to provide for the children but this is because we spend all our money and time dedicated to the lives of deaf, disabled and abandoned children. Our work is displayed in photos, reports, newspaper clippings, volunteers' voices and success stories of children who have been adopted from the Institute since 2007. If you would like to send us money know that 100% goes directly to the children, not in pockets, not on admin, not on travel, not in bribes - we simply can't afford to do that because we provide nappies (diapers) for 75% of the children in the orphanage - work that out as 3x a day 365 days a year and you'll understand! All we'd like you to do is either: join us, support us, donate to us or go out and volunteer in your own community! We want you to feel inspired!    

All the children were bed bound when first discovered but through our society all the children have been taught to walk, discover the outside world, are held by student and teacher volunteers and have been blessed with love and care, parties and presents, education and a chance of a new life.

Currently, the deaf school and the orphanage are HMHY's main projects although HMHY are popular in the local press for raising awareness about charity and we are revisiting our Elderly project.

 October 2005 Conditions

2005 - Volunteering Begins

2006

2007

2008

2009

These photos show HMHY student volunteers sending off Chinese lanterns into the night sky to celebrate 4 years of our charity and to send prayers and wishes for all the children in both our projects which have closed due to the high cases of Swine Flu in Quzhou. In the mean time student volunteers are being trained and preparing for their new project, visiting the elderly and the sick in the city of Quzhou. Once the children's projects open their doors again HMHY have lots more in store for the children.

 

Adoptions

2007

XiHe Rachel

Beautiful Rachel Coleman was adopted in 2007 by Keith and Judi who have been in constant contact with HMHY since they knew they were going to be adopting Rachel in 2007. Rachel was best known for her love of singing and performing to the other children at the orphanage and it's lovely to know she still loves to put on a performance! The Coleman's have made a very generous donation to HMHY which has already been used on new baby clothes and warm blankets for 9 babies at the orphanage.  Money left over will be donated to 5 months worth of diapers!

MingXian

MingXian was abducted from her family home and sold on the black market. When she was brought to the orphanage she was a frightened little girl who screamed or cried if anyone came near her. After just 2 months however, MingXian learned to trust the volunteers and soon became adoring big sister to BinBin and he loved her! MingXian, BinBin and XiHe took the name of the "Terrible Three" as they always managed to get as many lollipops and treats out of the volunteers with every visit. Mingxian is now being fostered by a very caring childless couple in a town just outside of Quzhou in the countryside.

 

2008

BinBinEli

 Eli Poff was adopted at the beginning of 2008 by the Poff family who live in Texas like the Coleman family. Wonderfully, Eli and Rachel have been able to stay in contact! BinBin was considered the cutest toddler at the orphanage so devastation as well as cheer spread through the volunteers upon learning little BinBin was going to be adopted. BinBin was very upset when MingXian and XiHe were adopted before he was, he kept crying for his two older sisters, luckily now Eli has two fabulous sisters and parents who adore him! Eli has now grown into a caring young boy full of fun and joy! The Poff family have generously given HMHY a donation that has gone towards the special needs of the disabled children and newborn babies. Their very generous donations have prevented unnecessary deaths in the severely disabled babies.

 

Julia was abandoned in 2008 when she was a few days old, now she has been adopted by a childless Chinese couple in the City of Quzhou.

 

FanFan

Without a doubt Fang Fang (now FanFan) has the MOST beautiful big eyes in the world. When she was abandoned just weeks old everyone wanted to hold the beautiful little angel that was FanFan. She was such a lovely little child who smiled whenever anyone held her or played with her in her cot. She has been adopted by a wonderful American family, The Berry's and we want to thank them for keeping FanFan in our life through the photos and updates they send to us.

 

Yuan Li

Yuan Li is the most recent child to be adopted from the orphanage. She arrived at the orphanage a day old and was instantly cared for by HMHY volunteer Ceri above, Ceri visited Yuan Li every day and would hold YuanLi until she drifted off to sleep after feeding. Yuan Li is a joy to be around, while shy she is loving and caring to others and was always known as the most gentlest of children. She loved being picked up and shown the sky, a walk outside or meeting other volunteers. Yuan Li has been adopted by Judi Beggs who donated homemade cookies to the children at the orphanage and the deaf school. The cookies were the best thing TaoTao had ever tasted, he announced to the volunteers! Judi made a very generous donation to HMHY and that money will go on 6 months worth of diapers for the babies and older children, the donations were also being used towards outings for the older children when the weather gets warmer.

 

2009

Hui Hui is the last child of the group of children he was brought in with as a baby. He is currently up for adoption.

Hui Hui (centre in Ben's arms, surrounded by Rachel, Eli and MingXian.

Hui Hui at Christmas with HMHY Student Volunteers

Hui Hui with Yvonne, the student volunteer who adores him:

If you would like to donate to HMHY Quzhou Volunteers, the only charity whose donations go towards the children and not through the leaders please contact Ben on quzhouvolunteers@googlemail.com

 

****

HMHY Co-Ordinators

Ben

Elinor

Rachel

 

Student Co-Ordinators

Eliza, Sissi, Jackie

Renovations

These renovations were designed by Elinor who is an artist. The painting was done by Elinor, Ben and her students. The furniture was designed by Elinor and created by a local Quzhou carpenter.

The kitchen              The bedroomThe bedsRags to riches

New Clothes  and old bedding         

 

 http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/before%26after

 http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/before%26aftervolunteerwork

 

The Children

Before, all the children were bed bound, they never interacted with anyone nor each other except for crying if they wanted some food, the children shared cots with eachother which caused a cramped, smelly and miserable life. The children were scared of other people and the only way they knew how to communicate was by hitting. Now, we interact with every child, no matter how disabled they are.

 

 http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/before%26afterchildreninteraction

 

Chinese Press & related articles

HMHY is a regular in the press, has been on Quzhou TV 5 times, in Quzhou Daily News 4 times and 2 of the articles can be accessed here: 

Both texts are in Chinese but can be translated in English via google.com:

http://news.qz828.com/system/2007/07/02/010017270.shtml

http://news.qz828.com/system/2007/06/27/010016391.shtml

 

http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/chinesepress

Foreign teacher blogs:

http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/145715.html

 

HMHY Quzhou Volunteers

Click here to read our introductions & success stories!

http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/volunteerintroductions

http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/before%26after%27volunteering%27

 

Fundraising

HMHY Quzhou Volunteers have been fundraising for over 3 years but we always need help if you would like to get together with your church, social group or friends and fundraise some funds towards an ongoing supply of nappies, baby food, cleft lip bottles and feeders, and outings for the children then please contact us. Due to problems at the orphanage we do not advise sending any donations directly there nor can we accept big boxed donations as we all live on the university campus.

 

The owner of an American website has made it clear they do not like us and opt to direct families adopting from Quzhou to use American charities instead of us. Therefore we can not be responsible for making sure your donations through American charities or your adoption agency actually get to the children - none in the past have and do not just take HMHY's word for it, you can email us for many different witness comments from Worldwide volunteers who have seen the true reality. Or you can just look at the before and after photos.  We appreciate that the orphanage leaders have allowed us to continue our work for the children even though we have never paid or given them anything directly, instead we help parents who will adopt from the orphanage with weekly updates through photos of their children, we translate documents for free and we help the leaders form friendship bonds with the adoptive parents.

Fundraisers

 Smiles

http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/socialwelfareinstitute

 

Volunteering with HMHY

If you're interested in volunteering with HMHY, many people from Australia, USA and Europe have. We can help with sorting out your accomodation at a basic or comfortable level, and a timetable where you can volunteer during your own free time or during a schedualed day. Scott and his family volunteered with HMHY in 2008 and Julia, a then young high school student came over during her Easter Holidays in 2007. You can read her story here:

http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/europeanvolunteers

Chinese HMHY volunteers visit Europe

http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/europeholidays

 

 

For 2009 Updates on HMHY please go to

http://abcquzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/

***

 HMHY's Third Year EVENTS 2007 - 2008

http://quzhouvolunteers.googlepages.com/3yearhmhy

 

 Thomas (middle picture) is wondering when on earth the renovations will be finished so he can enjoy his new bed!