China's Oasis. Love, hope, and opportunity for the hidden children of China
In 1992, David Gotts visited a Chinese welfare centre and was shocked by the condition of the children. He was just 22.
International China Concern (ICC) was born that day, as he held a dying baby in his arms. They called her Rose.
It took the death of tiny baby Rose for a young man to demonstrate that every single life has value, even those of fragile, disabled children. She seemed insignificant but her life mattered, and sharing her story means she will never be forgotten. Hundreds of hidden children have received love, hope and opportunity - and indeed survive - because of Rose’s short life, and that number grows daily.
This moving story spans twenty-five years of caring for abandoned children with disabilities in China. It is a story of a young man who demonstrated that every single life matters; even that of the fragile, disabled, seemingly insignificant children themselves, who will capture your heart from the very first pages.
The book tells the story of the rapidly developing Chinese economy as seen from the grassroots. It is a manual of how to start a NGO and a toolbox for doing business in China. The opening of Oasis House in 1997, not only have the conditions, buildings, facilities and management been greatly upgraded, but attitudes towards disability have dramatically changed for the positive.
ICC was the first foreign organisation to formally partner with the Chinese Government welfare system and Today the Chinese Government is able to showcase ICC’s methods of providing wholistic long-term care as a benchmark for the treatment of abandoned and disabled children. ICC has been at the forefront of this incredible and ongoing reform.
ICC has moved from ¨merely¨ saving lives to helping babies, children, and young adults to live, play, study, and work independently - often through adoption. Rose will never be forgotten; and from her seemingly insignificant life, hundreds of lost children have (and still do) receive love, hope and opportunity.
As David says, ¨It is an adventure story of following Jesus into places we didn’t want to go.¨ Thousands of staff and volunteers have been impacted by ICC and have made an impact to ICC in a journey of faith and practical assistance. And it all starts with Rose.
The book is an instant draw for those interested in mission and compassion, in building an enterprise, as well as those looking for a grassroots guide to doing business in China.
China’s Oasis will move and inspire you as you meet those who dedicated their lives to serving the hidden children of China.
