China's Children Fund/ Christian Children Fund/ ChildFund International [1938- ]

Submitted by Aldi on

China’s Children Fund was founded in 1938 in the USA by Presbyterian minister J. Calvitt Clarke to aid Chinese children displaced by the second Sino-Japanese War. Post 1949, when the Communists came to power and expelled all missionaries, the organisation expanded to other countries. The name was changed in 1951 to Christian Children's Fund.

Modern times:  In June 2002, Christian Children's Fund and 11 other international child sponsorship organizations founded a worldwide network called ChildFund International.

Today ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that provides assistance to children facing poverty and other challenges in 24 countries, including the United States.  ChildFund's headquarters are located in Richmond, Virginia, USA.   Individual sponsors contribute funds on a monthly basis. Sponsor funds are combined to benefit entire communities.

Sources:   Wikipedia.

 

Type
Other
Status
Active
Date organisation created
(Day & Month are approximate.)

Comments

In Hong Kong, China’s Children Fund was involved from the beginning of the Fanling Babies' Home in 1940, supporting 21 children.

After the War it was found that the Fanling Home roof was eaten through by white ants and in a dangerous state.  The owner wanted to sell the house but the asking price of HK$95,000 was quite beyond the Home's resources.

Rev Verent Mills, Regional Director of China’s Children Fund stepped in and offered to buy the house and pay for the repairs and permit superintendent Mildred Dibden to stay there rent free.  CCF bought the house for $28,000, renovated it at a cost of $45,000 of which a government grant covered $15,000, and also undertook to support half the children going forward.  A committee on which CCF was represented was also part of the deal.  The work was finished by autumn 1947.

After Mildred Dibden left in 1950, China’s Children Fund took over the running of the Home with missionary nurse Lucy Clay in charge.  They began a policy of offering out the children for adoption to Christian homes in Hong Kong, USA, UK, Canada and New Zealand.  An info brochure of 1963 says 41 babies were admitted to the Home that year and 41 were adopted.

Source:

The Yip Family of Amah Rock by Jill Doggett