Thanks to the support of the Barker community, 30 infants and toddlers in GuangXi Province, China, no longer have to sleep on mats the floor.
Barker friends and families raised funds to purchase 30 new cribs, bedding, and mattresses so the children will now have a warm, safe place to sleep.
Barker’s Director of International Programs, Tina Ji (pictured at left with a child from the orphanage), recently traveled to China and was on hand to see the set-up of the cribs. Tina reported that the children in the orphanage were in good spirits and quite active when she visited. The caretakers take the children on two outings per month, offering them the opportunity to get out and explore the world a bit. And apparently the cribs are helping to make the babies much stronger as they practice pulling themselves up on the sides of the cribs!
In addition to individual donations, Barker also held a Lunar New Year fundraiser to raise money for the cribs. All proceeds from ticket purchases were used to purchase the cribs, bedding and mattresses. Over 125 supporters rang in the Year of the Sheep, celebrated the culture of many Barker children, and supported this important effort to provide cribs for babies and children in need.
For more information on this and all of Barker’s fundraising efforts, please contact Heather Gleason, hgleason [at] barkerfoundation.org. For information on Barker’s international programs, including adoption from China, please contact Tina Ji, tji [at] barkerfoundation.org
New Cribs purchased by the Barker Community
Classroom at Hezhou