Through the efforts of 18 year old Matt Dalio, we are becoming aware of a tragedy in China: thousands of disabled and disfigured babies, who might otherwise be healthy if they had access to medical services in the United States, are being abandoned to understaffed and underfunded orphanages. This is the direct result of China's one child per family policy. In China, if a child is born with questionable ability to support his or her parents in their elder years, she or he is abandoned, sometimes left in dumpsters, so the family can try again for a healthy child.

Matt Dalio has created China Care Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing volunteers for the orphanages who will provide attachment experiences with these infants and toddlers, as well as surgeons from the United States who will operate on these children and make them whole and healthy for adoption purposes, both within China and in the United States.

Matt is a remarkable young man whose work is being taken up by other young people. There are China Care Clubs in action at Harvard, Brown, Yale and several private secondary schools. This is a mission project for churches who are looking for ways their young people can deepen their involvement with children in another part of the world.

It is my plan, for my sixtieth year, to be in China for a time working with these children. As a neonatal and pediatric nurse (before becoming a psychotherapist), I know the importance to the whole world family of intervening before the hardships these babies face in an unforgiving world have taken hold of their hearts. At some point in the near future, I'll begin to raise funds for my own trip to Bejing.

In the meantime, there is a lot that can be done from our homes and armchairs here. If you know cardiac or maxillo-facial surgeons who would be willing to donate time to operate on these children, put them in touch with China Care Foundation. If you know of a community group or organization that would be willing to host a fund raiser or buy toys and infant swings that would stimulate them, contact me at Rogers McKay, and we will help you take on that task.

Most of all, please go to www.chinacare.org and watch the video of Matt with these babies. it will move you to tears and, perhaps, get you moving into action on their behalf! In this country of great blessings, we all too often forget how full our lives are, and that we have a spiritual responsibility to give something back to other members of the One Family of Earth.

With grateful hearts, we thank you for paying attention...and for moving into action to change the lives of these small members of our family.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Meredith Jordan,