Skoll Entrepreneur(s): Jenny Bowen
Change(s) Addressed: Economic & Social Equity

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DESCRIPTION:

Jenny and Richard Bowen adopted a toddler from an orphanage in China in 1997. Their daughter, Maya, had many of the sad effects of institutionalization. At almost age two, she could not walk, she had no language and she was emotionally shutdown. With Jenny’s constant nurturing and care, in a year, Maya was interacting like a normal child. To Jenny, this transformation was “a miracle that made perfect sense.” Jenny made a commitment to try to bring nurturing care to the thousands of Chinese orphans who remain in institutions, and so started HTS in 1998.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS OF 2010

• Half the Sky added a fifth core program to its work in 2009, providing surgeries and care for medically fragile orphaned children from all over China. New purpose-designed facilities opened in Beijing and 129 children, who might have perished otherwise, received treatment. Government partners and children’s hospitals will replicate this new model throughout China.
• HTS increased numbers directly enrolled in programs to 6,000 children at any one time in 45 cities in 21 of the 31 provinces and municipalities of China. 68% of all provinces now operate HTS programs and 100% of provinces will operate HTS model training centers by 2012.
• HTS has impacted 35,000 children since year 2000 and is on track to reach 100,000+ children by 2012. The figures are increasing exponentially as training rolls out from our model training center network. In 2009, we expanded into 4 new provinces for 11 Blue Sky model training centers. Since 2008, we have trained 19% of all Blue Sky Welfare Institutions in China and are on track to train 100% by the end of year 2012.