Page 5 - 2013 Annual Report

HEALING This past year 75 HOMES Care for the Most Vulnerable precious babies received care in our specialized homes. Medically fragile children who are orphaned and in institutional settings often become diagnosed with “failure to thrive.” Our healing homes take in babies born with Children came to medical needs and provide them with special- ized care in a loving, warm environment. our healing homes from 10 Chinese provinces. In 2013 LWB operated four healing centers in China: • The Heartbridge Healing Home, in part- nership with the New Hope Foundation, which cared for 31 extremely fragile ba- bies, many in critical condition. • The Starbridge Healing Home, helping babies with a wide variety of medical needs. • The True Children’s Healing Home, with an emphasis on babies born with anal atresia. • The Anhui Healing Home, which cared for babies born with cleft, prematurity, and congenital heart defects. Almost one million babies per year in China are born with a birth defect. Data from China’s Ministry of Public Health indicate that the rate of birth defects has risen almost 70 percent since 2006. 5 LWB 2013 ANNUAL REPORT