Why We Can't Stop Now - Winter, 2008
A note from Half the Sky founder, Jenny Bowen -
There are stories I could tell you – of storms, earthquakes and more - about why this year has been particularly tough for Half the Sky. There are things I could say about why we are afraid for the future of our programs as we watch the world struggle with economic woes. But you already know.
I want to tell you, instead, about some truly great things that have happened this year. I want to tell you why - no matter how difficult the times - we can’t stop now.
If you’re an old friend of Half the Sky, you might remember sad-faced little BaoBao. Back in 2004, when Half the Sky first brought its programs to Xinyang, her orphanage, I wrote,
“I place on my lap one little girl of about 3 who has mysteriously lost both of her feet. Both of them cut off. No one seems to know why. She allows me to hold her close. Not tense or fearful—just unaccustomed to this sort of intimacy. 
She gazes at me with a sort of foggy curiosity. I whisper that things are going to get better for her. I promise.”
And so they did. After we arranged for BaoBao to be fitted with prosthetic feet, she thrived in our Little Sisters Preschool. She made friends and played dress-up and painted pictures. Along with her colors and numbers and songs, BaoBao learned that she is important and that she is loved. This fall, BaoBao received the best gift of all - a family of her very own. BaoBao doesn’t need Half the Sky any more.
But just last week, in an orphanage in southern China, I met a child I’ll call DanLu. 
DanLu is only 2 years-old. She was riding with her father when they were in a motorcycle accident. It took several days for DanLu’s parents to bring her for medical care. When they finally did, her leg had to be amputated. Last month, her parents abandoned her at the hospital. Like BaoBao, DanLu needs a second chance at life. Half the Sky can give her that.
In the spring of 2005, Half the Sky was putting the finishing touches on a new preschool and infant nurture center in Haikou. 
Our trainings for new teachers and nannies was just wrapping up. The children were already beginning to respond to this new and exciting attention. Then someone mentioned that there were a few more little ones we hadn’t seen. Children not well enough to participate. All children can participate, we told the director. We were taken to a room not yet seen. Six small children languished in their cribs. One of them was a child I’ll call 
XiaoWan.
Three special nannies volunteered to work with the six who’d been left behind. They were devoted to their charges, refusing to let special needs stand in the way. Today, all six are in the Little Sisters Program at Haikou. And that HTS miracle has happened yet again. Little XiaoWan will soon have a family of her own! Soon she won’t need Half the Sky.
But what about FuTing of Ningxia...a girl whose body is locked in a wheelchair but who dreams of learning? 
At 15, her time to get an education, to start a life, is running out.
What will happen to JiaLi…a tiny child with a severe heart defect who has just arrived at an orphanage in Inner Mongolia? When that heart is healing, who will hold her?
I know that, for many of us, this is a difficult time. We’ve received regretful phone calls and emails from some of you who have to cancel child sponsorships and other monthly donation commitments. We’ve seen two corporate sponsors fall away. We’ve already pared our plans for the coming year down to the bare minimum to keep our programs alive. But we must keep going.
Yes, times are hard for all of us right now.
But, no matter how tough things are at your house or mine, they’re tougher for DanLu, FuTing and JiaLi. We can’t stop now. We must continue this work that so profoundly changes young lives. We must not close our doors on any child.
But why - you may wonder - do we have to take on so much when China seems to have so much? I can’t speak for China, of course…. But I have seen with my own eyes that children who are abandoned, who have lost a mom and dad who will fight for them – are simply the first to be hurt when times are hard and the last to benefit when times are good. It isn’t fair; but it is so.
In this, our tenth year, when Half the Sky finally has the opportunity for which we all have worked so hard – the chance to impact the life of every single orphaned child in China – we have also been confronted with our greatest challenges.
But you have always been there when we needed you most.
Now we need you more than ever. Now, when some of our donors can no longer manage even a small donation, won’t you do the best you can to help Half the Sky keep its life-changing programs alive?
Please. We have 4,600 children in our programs right now. Less than half of them have a sponsor. Next year, we hope to add 600 more children. We just can’t do it without your help.
This year we failed to meet our goals in one fund drive and had to cancel another because of disaster. But we can’t stop trying to reach every child who needs to know what love feels like. Because we CAN do this, we must try.
If you are a child sponsor, please renew your sponsorship this year. If you’ve considered sponsoring a child, now’s the time! 2,700 children need your help right now!
How about a Big Sisters sponsorship to help give older kids a chance?
Or, if you can manage, give our children wings by becoming a HTS Guardian or HTS Angel. If you can’t do it alone, how about asking friends or family to join together?
This year, your gift of any size will mean more than ever. You can count on that. Now is the moment - please do what you can do for the many beautiful children who do not know that they matter in this world. Help them know the gift of loving care. With your help, we can make thousands of miracles happen. It’s in your hands.
With special thanks in these hard times,
Jenny Bowen
Founder and Executive Director, Half the Sky