When OneSky began working in China in 1998, over six million young children, mostly healthy baby girls, were living with substandard care and poor conditions in crowded child welfare institutions. A shift in China’s family planning policy, economic growth and improvements to the social welfare system have led to a significant decrease in the number of children now living in institutions.

Unfortunately, 98% of children in Chinese orphanages today have severe medical conditions or special needs. These children often face debilitating medical problems and are at risk for long-term cognitive and emotional damage because they spend their days with little stimulation or individual attention.

OneSky’s work began as a pilot program in two Chinese welfare institutions, ensuring children living there had the quality care they needed to thrive. Over the years, we have scaled our program nationwide, transforming the standard of care in more than one thousand institutions across the country, reaching more than 300,000 children. OneSky’s Families First Program advances children’s development, raises their quality of life, and increases the percentage of children placed into families or family-like care.

We also provide specialized training for caregivers who work with medically fragile children from more than 300 welfare institutions. These children, in need of life-transforming medical care, travel to China Care Homes and are cared for by OneSky-trained caregivers while receiving medical treatment from one of the leading hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. More than 4,600 children with medical conditions have been served in our China Care Homes.