Please join us for an evening of classical music to support the Little Red Scarf.

A nonprofit organization providing surgery for children with congenital heart disease in rural China

Sunday, June 8th, 7:30pm
Foothill Covenant Church
1555 Oak Avenue
Los Altos, CA 94024

Strings, piano, french horn, and vocal performance by students of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and San Francisco Conservatory of Music

RSVP: www.tfishfund.org/rsvp.html
For more information, please make an online donation: http://www.tfishfund.org/lrs.html

Partners
East Villagers Nonprofit Community www.eastvillagers.org
Transparent Fish Fund www.tfishfund.org
Ping & Amy Chao Family Foundation www.chaofoundation.org 

May 8th 2014, SANTA MONICA, CA -- Transparent Fish Fund and the Chao Foundation sponsored One Heart Worldwide's Annual Grateful Heart Gala by providing a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for all donations up to $500. The sold-out event included a live band and silent auction, and was hosted by celebrity guest emcee Carrie-Anne Moss. All proceeds went towards One-Heart's unique programs dedicated towards preventing the deaths of mothers and infants in remote rural communities around the world. 

This is our second year working with One-Heart World Wide. Last year we donated a total of $50,000 that went to neonatal programs in Mexico and Nepal. Their life-saving programs were initially established in the late 1990’s in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and in the last ten years, they have been able to decrease unattended home births from 85% to 20%, mostly by ensuring the presence of a skilled attendant at delivery. They also work closely with local communities and health providers to develop a culturally appropriate "Network of Safety" around mothers and infants. Based on their years of experience, One Heart has developed an effective, replicable, and sustainable model to reduce preventable deaths related to pregnancy and delivery among vulnerable rural populations. 

Little Red Scarf is in Lanzhou, Gansu province and provides financial support and encouragement to children suffering from congenital heart disease. In addition, they provide families with post-operative care and help the children sustain a healthy lifestyle.

The operation on March 5th was cancelled, because Hong Yan got a high fever. The next morning, she also had flu symptoms. The doctor gave her an infusion treatment and the operation was delayed one week.  

The family worried, because the flu made the situation even more difficult for Hong Yan. We were depressed and did not know what to do. The child had a high fever and her whole face became quite purple.

Her temperature became normal on March 10. A week later Hong Yan’s sickness was getting better. The doctor said if her temperature could stay normal, she could have the operation on Wednesday. 

Hong Yan did well and her temperature stayed normal for 4 days. The operation was arranged for March 12. Hong Yan became nervous and was crying for her mother. When we arrived at the door of the operating room we could not help being nervous, too.

After a while, her mother walked out and Hong Yan was sent to the operating room. 

Little Red Scarf is in Lanzhou, Gansu province and provides financial support and encouragement to children suffering from congenital heart disease. In addition, they provide families with post-operative care and help the children sustain a healthy lifestyle.

On the morning of February 25, our staff and Hong Yan’s mother checked into the hospital with Hong Yan. Her condition shocked the doctor who could not believe his small patient was too weak to stand for even 2 minutes.  The doctor wasn't sure if he should do the operation and was waiting for the results to come out. 

Before the operation, Hong Yan had to squat. The doctor explained she had a serious shortage of oxygen, so she had to keep squatting to relieve her lungs. The squat position helps relieve the burden of the heart and provides self-protection.

For Hong Yan, squatting was safest.

We are excited to be spending this Mother's Day weekend supporting One Heart World-Wide in their Annual Grateful Heart Gala. We hope everyone can join us in helping reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Nepal and Mexico. 

Buy tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grateful-heart-gala-in-los-angeles-tickets-10397347747

(via One Heart News Release) We are happy to announce the support of our partners at the Transparent Fish Fund and the Chao Foundation for this year’s Grateful Heart Gala in Los Angeles! The Transparent Fish Fund will be matching event donations up to $500 at our May 9th Gala! Funds raised will go to our programs in Nepal, where we are working to reduce high maternal and newborn mortality rates in remote regions. We aim to increase access to maternal and newborn care by training skilled providers, upgrading birthing centers, providing necessary equipment, and leading awareness-raising campaigns in remote communities. Together, One Heart World-Wide and TFish can do more to save the lives of women and newborns who needlessly perish in pregnancy and childbirth.

Little Red Scarf is in Lanzhou, Gansu province and provides financial support and encouragement to children suffering from congenital heart disease. In addition, they provide families with post-operative care and help the children sustain a healthy lifestyle.

The name Hao Yang reminds me of a boy who likes singing loudly and dancing in the hospital corridor. It also reminds me of a boy who has been fighting an illness for 4 months. In 2011, little Hao Yan accepted surgery in Beijing with the support of Little Red Scarf. He survived the post-operation complications. His mother and older brother took him for a re-examination in Lanzhou last year. The results were good though he was thin, which was a relief for the family. His father could go to work. 

It has been 3 years since the surgery. How’s Hao Yang? Does he go to school? How’s the recovery of the wound? With these questions, we were on the way to visit Hao Yang.

Hao Yang is over 6. In order to go to a better school, he and his mother moved to the county to live with his grandmother. Little Hao Yang is in Grade 1 and he is very polite. He looked stronger and taller than when we saw him last time.  When we asked him if he still remembered us, he nodded firmly. He was shy and did not sing songs, but recited what he had learned at school for us.

Hao Yang’s brother is 1 year older than him. They are good friends. The older brother took good care of Hao Yang and never quarreled with him. They go to school and back together and do homework and play together.

When we were talking with his mother they did their homework. Hao Yang is the strongest spiritual pillar of the family. Though they still live in a shabby house, the grandmother always encourages the family to stay close together. She says no matter what, every difficulty can be overcome together. 

Original article written by Aiju Chang, translated by Maggie Li, and edited by Yanyan Zhang

Xingzhi Migrant Art School is a non-profit organization that offers art lessons for the children of migrant workers who otherwise would not have this opportunity. This update was written by Director Gu, the founder of and a teacher at the Art School in Beijing.

Zhang Zhengwei is 15 and is in Grade 6. He is 1.7 meters taller but he is not able to speak clearly. His father is a rubbish collector and supports the whole family of 4. His mother is mentally disordered because one of her sons died in a car accident. He has a younger sister who is in Grade 1.

Teacher Gu noticed him in an art class. He was tall and was about to finish primary school. His family was so poor he was about to drop out of school to help his father collect rubbish. Teacher Gu decided to teach him life skills to give him a brighter future. Gu asked him if he liked art. He nodded excitedly. Thus, Zhang Zhengwei became one of the members of Xingzhi. Boys like him, for he can play basketball with them. His classmates care deeply for him. He always helps people as much as he can. He will be integrated into the family of Xingzhi soon. Teacher Gu cares about his life. He would ask him what he ate when he went beck home. The answer was always noodles, steamed bread or pickles. He seldom ate meat. Teacher Gu often bought food for him. Sometimes, Gu brought one more portion for him from home.

In one year, Zhang Zhengwei made quick progress under the instruction of Teacher Gu. He developed confidence and accomplished his goals. Most children in migrant families are not able to go to middle school let alone college. Some of them follow their parents and work for other people. Some of them have nothing to do or go back home and find someone to marry. They work in the bottom level of society like their parents.

Seeing his progress, Teacher Gu encouraged him to create his own work. Gu asked him to collect rubbish with his father and sketch their lives in his workbook. Step by step, Teacher Gu taught him about artistic realism. Then he asked Zhang Zhengwei to enlarge his drawings onto bigger paper. The picture was so big Zhang put it on the blackboard. Soon, he will complete the realistic picture named Rubbish Collecting. 


Original article written by Xiaochen Gu, translated by Maggie Li, Edited by Yanyan Zhang

Warm Love Home works with people with disabilities in the rural areas in China by means of online chat groups. The online chat groups give them courage and respond for their needs.

I live in a small village in Guizhou. My name is Lu Apple. I am congenitally disabled. One month after I was born, my parents found that my body was different from other babies. They took me to the hospital and the doctor told my parents that I had congenital rickets that could not be cured. The doctor said I might have to stay in bed for the rest of my life or die young. 

When I came back from the hospital, I weighed only 3 kg. It was Christmas Eve and we ate apples. My mum told the family I would be the apple of the family, which is where I got my nickname. My father found a job in a coal mining company. He earned 25RMB a day for digging coal. He worked hard to pay off the debts. It was not easy to find a job at that time. I began to grow teeth when I was 3 months old. My bones grew longer, but could not grow bigger or stronger. I am 24 now, but my arms and legs are as slim as a child's.

When I was 2, I could not even sit up. My mom always had to carry me on her back. I could finally sit up when I was 6, but I could not eat on my own. My mum, brother and sister had to feed me until I was 8. Then I could eat on my own by holding a spoon with 2 hands. My brain grew well and I memorized everything I saw. My sister taught me some words when she came back from school. I also learned myself from my sister’s textbooks. When I was 9, I learned math. I was different from other children. They could walk and jump and play everywhere. They could make friends and have a lot of schoolmates. I had nothing. I had to stay in the bed every day. I wondered when I could run, jump, play and go to school like them. Why could I not walk like a normal child?

I still remember one day when my mother helped me wash. I asked my mum why I could not walk, jump and play as other children. Why could they go to school and make friends? My mother said after a long silence, “Dear child, you are an apple bitten by God, so you are different. God will guard you and give you a bright future. ” I asked my mother what God was. Why did he bite me instead of other children? What does a bright future look like? Mum told me, “God is an immortal person living in heaven. He likes the sun and shines every day. God bit you because you are too lovely. God is busy every day. When He is not busy, He will come and visit you.” I asked my mother, “Is this true? Is there a God living in heaven? What does God look like?” Mum said, “Yes, this is true. God likes good children. He does not like children who like crying, so you should be cheerful and wait for God’s visit. ” I said, “I believe in what you havetold me, so I will be happy every day and wait for God’s visit.”

Original article written by Haizhen Wang, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang  

April 28th 2014, SAN JOSE, CA -- Congratulations to Sahaya International for a successful charity art show held last Friday at San Jose Evergreen Community Center. Our Executive Director Nancy Nguyen was there to present our partnering organization with a $20,000 sponsorship from Chao Foundation and Transparent Fish Fund. This grant contributed to the construction of a bridge and 17 homes in rural Vietnam. The Charity Art Show featured work from a number of local artists, and even a few pieces from children. All artwork was donated and proceeds from this event went towards providing scholarships for students who cannot afford schooling in Vietnam. 

Sahaya International is a US 501(c)3 organization that helps relieve poverty in rural Vietnam by providing adequate homes and scholarships for impoverished families, specifically in the province of Kien Giang, that is located in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. In 2013, Sahaya International in collaboration with Transparent Fish Fund has reached a milestone of a total of 65 homes built for struggling families.