In this narrative, 11-year-old Adam* shares his story. After being abandoned at birth and suffering a painful loss, Adam was passed on to relatives who could not afford his care. Because of Adam’s past he is considered “un-adoptable” by Chinese standards and is among thousands of orphans left out of the government’s orphan count.
This “un-adoptable” status means Adam and his family did not qualify for government assistance, so they sought help from a World Orphans training center in Beijing.
For the first time in his life, Adam is pursuing an education, eats three healthy meals a day and is part of a stable and loving family.
ADAM’S STORY:
Where did I come from? I don’t know. I was abandoned when I was born. A kind farmer from a nearby county adopted me and gave me his name.
My foster father treated me like his own son. When I was 5 years old, I had a fever in the night. He tried to lower my temperature down but it didn’t work. I still had high fever by 3 a.m.
My father took me and ran to a nearest clinic. He knocked on the door for a long time and begged them to treat me. I was put on infusion for three hours. He waited there without his coat on as he left home in a rush and did not have time to put on his coat. It was in the winter and was very cold. The next day he got sick too.
When I was 6 years old, a sudden car accident took his life away from me.
Afterwards, I lived with my foster father’s brother. My uncle and aunt gave me a second home. My aunt love me like a mom and made me feel the warmth of being at home. They are not rich and had to support me with extra living cost.
In November of 2009, I came to (a World Orphans home)*.
Since then I have a third home. I am happy living here and proud of being here. I can have delicious food and warm clothes. I also go to school in a shuttle bus. They provide me with everything including the school supplies.
(My housefather) and the teachers here take good care of us and they want to train us to be good citizens in the future. Even my (foster) parents didn’t think about it. Because of their sacrifice I can start the way toward success today. I promise to study hard and try my best to reach my goal.
* name and details changed to protect the identities of those involved