Background Building Bridges… Xinran, a columnist for the Guardian Newspaper and author of The Good Women of China and Sky Burial founded a charity in 2004 called The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL). In August of 2004 MBL received its United Kingdom charity registration number (1105543). We are reaching out to Chinese children in all corners of the world: those who have been raised abroad, those who have been adopted by Western families, and those living in China, often in destitute conditions. MBL is also striving to introduce an authentic China to the West as well as disseminate information about adopted Chinese children’s lives and the lives of overseas Chinese in the West to people in China. By creating a bridge of understanding between China and the West and between adoptive culture and birth culture, MBL ultimately wants to help bridge the huge poverty gap, which still exists in many parts of China. Our head office is based in London, where we deal with communication, fundraising, and the management and coordination of our projects worldwide. Our cultural centre is located in Beijing, and it is there that our website and children’s journal are designed and published. MBL also has an events office in Nanjing that includes an Art and Music centre, (Nanjing Baixia District Children’s Palace) where children can learn about those particular aspects of Chinese culture. We are also coordinating a travel assistance program out of Nanjing, which will allow Chinese children who have grown up abroad and their parents to become more familiar with the real China, the countryside, where most of the adopted children were born. MBL is also in the process of expanding and plans to open offices in Shanghai, Australia and North America. As a charity, we believe strongly in developing projects which can help us both achieve our mission and create solid sources of income for MBL. Currently, our three main projects are: the Support Chinese Children Project, which we have used to help disabled children in China; our Children’s Journal Project, which we plan to sell in more than 27 countries around the world as a cultural and educational tool; and our Art Exhibitions Project, which takes place in London. The exhibitions are an opportunity to promote young Chinese talents, Chinese culture in the West, and to create funds for MBL. Throughout the year we hold four cultural events for children and their families, each an occasion to celebrate the diversity of both Western and Chinese cultures. Thank you for taking the time to learn about MBL. Please visit our web site at www.motherbridge.org and feel free to contact us at headoffice@motherbridge.org.
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