Students hoping to facilitate the adoption of Chinese orphans are starting a Northwestern chapter of China Care, an organization founded by a Harvard student that is spreading to universities nationwide.
A conference at Harvard last February inspired Weinberg sophomore Kuan Huang, who was born in China, to bring the organization back to NU.
“Every Chinese person knows about the orphan problem,” Huang said. “But now it’s time to do something about it.”
The chapter will focus on facilitating the adoption process for local families, as well as establishing a mentoring program and playgroup for adopted children, Huang said. Huang and his co-founder, Weinberg sophomore Ya Chin Chang, held a recruitment meeting Wednesday that attracted a crowd of nearly 40 interested participants.
Girls, especially those who are disabled, are frequently put up for adoption because of China’s policy limiting families from having more than one child, said Harvard junior Matt Dalio, the founder of China Care.
Dalio saw the consequences of this firsthand when at age 16 when he took his first trip to China. There he met his goddaughter, Grace, who has a skin disorder.
When he learned that a family in Wisconsin wanted to adopt Grace but did not have enough money to complete the process, Dalio decided to begin fund-raising.
“It’s a beautiful story,” Dalio said of Grace’s eventual adoption. It was Grace’s story that led to the birth of his China Care foundation.
“Realizing the power I had at 16, I knew China Care could become a vehicle to empower others,” Dalio said. “There are so many simple things that could be done — $500 can fix a cleft lip and make a child adoptable.”
Now Grace fits in perfectly with her adoptive family, Dalio said.
“I could not imagine a girl who loves her family more,” he said. “She has a sparkling personality.”
Dalio continued to make his impact over the next few years, most recently saving the life of a young orphan over spring break by taking her out of the orphanage. He helped China Care branch out to other universities across the United States.
Now at NU, China Care will begin most of its programming in Evanston next fall, said Huang, who plans to spend this summer at a Chinese orphanage. Until then, the group is focusing on getting its name out and helping people understand China Care’s mission. In the fall the group wants to aid the adoption process and also to help Chinese children acclimate to their new homes.
“We’re trying to help the children that everyone overlooks,” Chang said. “Around (ages) nine or 10, many adopted children start to have identity problems. We hope to have a strong network set up before they reach this age to help with adjustment.”
While McCormick freshman Frank Zou didn’t attend the meeting about China Care, he understood the concerns about identity. He moved to the United States from China with his family when he was six and said he could relate to the difficulty of fitting in that newly adopted children may have.
“When I first came here, it was hard to adjust. I didn’t know any English,” Zou said. “It took a while to adjust, but within a few months I was able to assimilate.”
“There’s so much potential at Northwestern for students to realize their impact,” Dalio said, encouraging the new branch of China Care.
Reach Laura Schocker at [email protected].
