Area History
Bordering Kazakhstan in northwestern Xinjiang province, Tacheng is an ancient city that once served as an important commercial town on the northern Silk Road. It remains a center for trade with Central Asia and also the agricultural hub for the region. In addition to food production and processing, its primary industries include utilities and textiles
The Tacheng area is home to 22 minority groups including the Uyger, Hui, Kazak, Mongol, and even a Russian minority group. Our work serves an area covering 300,000 square kilometers, including the cities of Tacheng and Wusu and five counties (Emin, Yumin, Shawan, Hebukesaier, and Tuoli). This entire region had no center to care for orphans before we partnered with the local government to build a social welfare institute.
Program History
After developing a relationship with New Day Foster Home by sending Xinjiang orphans to Beijing for surgeries, the Xinjiang Civil Affairs bureau invited representatives from New Day Foster Home to visit Xinjiang for a five city tour of orphanages and social welfare programs throughout the province in December 2004.
During this trip, Mrs. Zhang, the director of the welfare section of Xinjiang Civil Affairs introduced us to the Tacheng situation. Mrs. Zhang at that time oversaw all the work with orphans going on throughout Xinjiang Autonomous Region, and she was particularly concerned about Tacheng and the surrounding region lacking a suitable facility to care for orphans. We were immediately impressed with Director Zhang¡¯s integrity, leadership ability, and genuine concern.
After visiting Tacheng and seeing the need, we knew we wanted to help. We found the local civil affairs staff to be very willing to work together and keen to develop a long-term relationship, so we knew this was a relationship we wanted to nurture. The local government donated six abandoned buildings on 9 acres of land to the project. Partnering with the orphanage, we helped renovate and rebuild until it was a place of healing and hope.
We named the project ¡°Rebuilding the Ruins,¡± for rebuilding this facility created a place where severely handicapped children will receive fulltime quality care. Those children who are not as handicapped are adopted or live with foster families. But the center benefits them, as well, for it provides a place to provide physical therapy, medical care, and training for the foster families.
