The Good Rock Foundation was established in 1997 when the founder Jacqui Shurr & her husband adopted their daughter Abigail from China's Xinjiang province. Abigails Chinese name 'Yan' means Rock & her birthday was Good Friday, hence the inspiration for our Foundations's name!.
The Good Rock Foundation began with one child, Abigail remains Jacqui's inspiration today to reach the children in China's orphanages, to make a difference ...... one child at a time.
Why We Are Needed
We are a humanitarian aid foundation which believes that every child is precious & deserves to have a life of hope & opportunity. China's special situation & a cultural preference for boys leads to abandonment of girl children & those with disabilities.
Our reputation & positive relationships in China place us in an excellent position to champion these children & bring a positive change beginning with this generation. We are working with China's social services to improve child welfare policy.
China is now experiencing a rapid economic growth however there remains a deficit in social welfare for the disadvantaged such as the children we are reaching. Xinjiang is highlighted as one of China's poverty provinces & the economic boon's of recent years are slow to reach many parts of this remote region. In response to actual needs our vision is to continue to extend a helping hand to more unreached children in orphanages.
We work in the belief that what is needed are tools to enhance the opportunities for the children & their carers 'Give a man a fish & you fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish & you feed him for life' (Chinese proverb).
What We Do
FOSTER CARE: We are passionate about foster care as we see the many benefits the children enjoy. Their health & development improves, they learn to become attached to others, trust & show affection.We are confident that foster care is the positive long term solution for China's orphaned and abandoned children. In 2002 foster care was formally endorsed by China's Ministry of Social Welfare & Civil Affairs. Our international standard foster care guidelines helps ensure quality care by well supported foster families.
SPREAD THEIR WINGS: Is our pioneer project for the disabled children who are growing to adulthood. We are creating community centres where the young people can engage in life skills training, socialise and become connected and contributing members of community. Our research shows that we have to be realistic & creative about the future of disabled children in foster care. We are addressing the special needs of these young people with solutions in adult foster care and group homes. We believe that this issue is one of the most vital to be faced by China's orphananges & those of us who work alongside them.
THERAPY CENTRES: Many of our children have special needs. We equip therapy centres in small orphanages & the villages where our children are in foster care. This means that the children receive regular mobility training & their foster parents are trained and encouraged to bring the children on at home so that they learnt the skills they need for future mobility & independence.
MEDICAL ATTENTION: A number of children in our care have been born with profound disabilities or are in need of urgent medical care. Where possible we arrange for the children to receive medical attention locally or arrange for specialist care in one of China's specialist centre's of excellence.
NEW ORPHANAGE PROJECTS: As resources allow, we expand our foster care & therapy projects with orphanages. Promoting our child sponsorship programme helps us help more children so please consider spreading the word about Good Rock.
COUNT ME IN: Many orphaned or abandoned children have already reached their teens. Without our help their prospects would not reach beyond a life of drudgery in a menial job. We help fund their further education for college, university or provide opportunities for vocational skills. All of which translates to hope & opportunity. In Sept 2006 a total of 85 young people will have benefitted from our education programme
BLOOMING BABIES: Good early nutrition is vital for every child's growth and development. Enriched baby and toddler milk is expensive in China and beyond the budget of many orphanages. Our support makes the difference.
IMPROVED ORPHANAGE CONDITIONS: We provide child care training, aid for the special needs children, better nutrition & daily necessities for all. Our projects are in co-operation with local government - we don't take the responsibility from them & we require them to match funding in many of our projects.
A GIFT FROM CHINA: Beautiful arts, crafts & textiles are available from A Gift From China in Canton. All profits from the store go towards orphan relief. You can take a look at www.chinagift.co.uk