All Photos Half the Sky's purpose is to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for the babies and children in China who still wait to be adopted and for those who will spend their childhoods in orphanages. Half the Sky establishes and operates four key programs for orphaned children to help ensure that every child, no matter how humble her beginnings, has a caring adult in her life...and a chance for a bright future.

Focus Areas:	Children, Education
Countries Served:	China

Description of Services:
For babies, Half the Sky trains and supervises caring nannies, who provide the stimulation, bonding and affection that are essential to a healthy start...For young children, HTS trains and supervises preschool teachers to provide an innovative curriculum designed to give young children the self-confidence, basic skills, and love of learning that will help them to successfully move on to primary school...For children whose medical and developmental challenges preclude them from finding adoptive families, HTS provides permanent , loving foster care...For older children, HTS provides individualized learning opportunities tailored to their interests, talents, and aspirations.
History:
Half the Sky Foundation was created in 1998 by a small group of parents who had adopted from China who had limited resources and the huge dream of providing one-on-one, nurturing care to every children living in a Chinese institution. In the last decade, thanks to more than 20,000 generous grassroots, corporate, and foundation supporters and its effective programs, Half the Sky is now a global NGO with offices in Beijing, Hong Kong and Berkeley, California.
Accomplishments & Progress:
Thanks to an extraordinary partnership with China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, Half the Sky is now taking part in the Blue Sky Program, a government initiative to dramatically upgrade care for orphaned children. Bringing "Blue Skies" to tens of thousands more children is a monumental and exciting challenge. After a decade of providing nurturing care to thousands of institutionalized children, Half the Sky now has the opportunity to come so much closer to its goal of providing one-one, nurturing care to every institutionalized child in China.