Protecting, respecting, loving and serving Life!
It is true that love knows no word “impossible,” for it deems “all things possible…”
– St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the “Little Flower”
Recognizing the precious dignity of each and every individual person, China Little Flower works to build a Culture of Life by reaching out to those who are rejected, abandoned, deemed as useless, and have no voice. Whether by direct care, support, advocacy or education, we seek to show the value of each human life and build a culture that protects, respects, loves and serves Life!
The human person is made to give and to receive love.
Our modern, material lives move in fast-forward and unfortunately many of us do not look backward and reflect until we are old, and it is too late to realize what is truly important. Sometimes it takes us a long time to figure out that the best parts of our lives are when we love and care for others, when we live beyond ourselves.
All life is precious!
How can we not marvel at the unique differences between persons! Every voice sounds different, every face is unique; from a great distance you can identify an individual person just by the way they walk. Human history teaches us that if not every life is viewed as precious, then no life is precious. A Culture of Life is one that says, “Let me help you!” “You matter.” “You don’t have to face these challenges alone.”
China is a huge and vibrant nation with a vast population. China Little Flower blossomed out of a deep love of this immense nation and her beautiful, resilient people. From ancient times, Chinese culture has emphasized the collective, the group. There are more than one billion people in China, and we recognize that each (one) has a unique set of feelings, fears, hopes and dreams. China Little Flower’s purpose is to serve those within society who need a little extra care – the abandoned, the disabled, the fragile, the broken. We want them to know that they do not have to face life’s challenges alone. While we often help provide for an individual’s physical needs – things such as food, clothing, medical care, and education–our goal is not just to provide goods or basic human services. We seek to offer hope and healing to the whole person. We do this by making sure each person we serve is loved, cherished and respected.
Our Story
A young American couple living in the far northeast of China in 1995 began the work of China Little Flower. Wanting to help special needs babies in the local orphanage (called a “social welfare institute” in China), they fostered the first baby in their home and then sought Chinese families to foster additional children. As the work developed, it became clear that some children’s medical needs were too complex to care for in ordinary foster families. Care homes were established where children could receive intensive, 24/7, specialized care. Many of the children would eventually be adopted into forever families, but for the ones who were not adopted China Little Flower innovated group educational foster homes so that these children, too, could have families, receive an education tailored to their specific needs, and grow into independent adults. Fast forward nearly three decades and China Little Flower is still caring for children using the models, processes and systems developed from those earliest days. Since 1995, thousands of lives have been touched!
From Support to Success
The success of China Little Flower can be attributed in part to our close and effective cooperation with many relevant authorities in China. Also, from the beginning, we have been joined by devoted local staff who share our vision. Over the many years, the hard work of caring for those in need has been done by just these ordinary—but extraordinary–Chinese people. The foreigners involved with China Little Flower were simply the catalyst, the inspiration, and the rest has been done by our many friends in China. China Little Flower will forever be grateful to the many dedicated caregivers and those in authority whose support and approval makes this work possible.
Our Namesake
The Little Flower Herself
China Little Flower takes its name from St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as the “Little Flower.” For the young American couple, the task before them seemed daunting and unlikely to succeed; yet their hearts burned with such a desire to do something to help. They entrusted their efforts to the “Little Flower” for her intercession.
