Jane Pauley touches on the story of Jenny and Richard Bowen in her book Your Life Calling and their quest to rescue adopted girls in China. The Bowens, who were empty nesters, had adopted a child from China where girls are often abandoned because of the one child per family law. What the Bowens found when they arrived was orphanages with two or three babies in each crib and none of them made a sound. Apart from feeding and changing soiled diapers, they were ignored and thus the babies no longer made an attempt to get attention by crying. Maya, whom they eventually adopted, was left by a bus station when she was only one. It took six months for their adopted daughter to respond to them, even though Jenny kept her with her constantly by sitting her on her lap while she worked. They came to a decision to help more children and in 1998 the Half the Sky Foundation was formed. Half the Sky is from a Chinese saying "Women hold up half the sky."Since then, Centers have blossomed throughout China giving these children love and care.
All the children who are held and loved will know how to love others. Spread these virtues through the world, nothing more need be done.
Chinese quotation
300 B.C.
