Half the Sky- Caring for Orphans in China

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New Book: Wish You Happy Forever

Meet Jenny Bowen, Founder and CEO of Half the Sky Foundation,

and author of a new book, "Wish You Happy Forever"

 

Friday, March 28, 20147:00 PMTHE BOOK CELLAR
4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave,  Chicago, IL 60625

About the Author

 

Jenny Bowen, a former screenwriter and filmmaker, is the founder and CEO of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization dedicated to reimagining care for orphaned Chinese children. Bowen received the American Chamber of Commerce's Women of Influence Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007 and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2008.

 
In the summer of 1998, Jenny Bowen looked out her kitchen window onto her garden, and her life changed forever. Her three-year-old daughter Maya, whom she and her husband had adopted months earlier from an orphanage in China, had transformed from a vacant-eyed, sickly little girl into a joyous being thriving in an environment where she knew she was loved. Watching her daughter play, Bowen was overcome with the desire to help the orphaned children she couldn't bring home. And that's when Half the Sky Foundation was born.

Wish You Happy Forever tells the story of China's momentous progress in its treatment of orphaned and abandoned children. When Bowen began Half the Sky in 1998 determined to bring a caring adult into the life of every orphaned child, it seemed impossible that China would allow a foreigner to work inside government orphanages, let alone try to bring meaningful change. Inevitably, the pathway to collaboration was fraught with challenges: Bowen had to find ways to lead her organization past closed doors and naysayers, bureaucratic roadblocks and reluctant government officials, as well as natural disasters and flustered board members to realize her vision for a loving, more nurturing approach to child welfare in China. But despite the oceans and ideas that divide us, in the end, all of us want only good for our children. Now the Chinese government not only trusts but partners with Half the Sky to make life better for the children in its care.

To this day, Bowen is the only Westerner working with the Chinese government to transform its entire child welfare system from the inside, and Half the Sky, with fifty-two children's centers throughout the country, has helped more than a hundred thousand children. Bowen's beautifully written memoir, Wish You Happy Forever, teaches us that saving a child's life can transcend language and cultural barriers, and that, above all else, a determined dreamer with a loving presence speaks at the greatest volume.

For more information visit http://harperone.hc.com/wishyouhappyforever/.

 

 

Cinderella Moon was inspired by Richard and Jenny Bowan's Chinese daughters and is dedicated to Half the Sky, and organization founded by Jenny, that serves orphans in China. 

 

This gorgeous film – a fairytale for the whole family – brings to life the world's first telling of the Cinderella story.
The movie has played to sold-out film festival audiences and received ecstatic reviews..."Magical. Sheer entertainment. A richly told girl-power fantasy guaranteed to enchant tots and parents alike." – Variety

If you have adopted from China, you will want to experience this wonderful and little-known part of our children's heritage. 

For a limited time only, you can buy Cinderella Moon only in the Half the Sky store at a discounted price.

Watch the opening scene (in Chinese with subtitles) here:

Watch the English (dubbed) version here.

A Really Cool Opportunity for Children Adopted from China

The following message is from Jenny Bowen, Founder and CEO of Half The Sky, an organization that supports orphans in China.




The national training program that will finally allow Half the Sky to bring a caring adult into the life of every orphaned child will officially launch on Children’s Day, June 1. It will be called The Rainbow Program. This Children’s Day, we ask for voices instead of money.

We told you that great things are about to happen for China’s orphans. Now we call all adopted children who began their lives in China to join us in celebration at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing!

On June 1st, Half the Sky and orphaned children from welfare institutions all over China will come together to celebrate a remarkable new era by singing together – “Let the World Be Filled with Love.” Through the magic of the internet, we invite all Chinese adoptees around the world to join us onstage!

Simply visit our website (www.halfthesky.org) and follow the directions to download a singalong video. Then videotape your child or children listening to playback through earphones and singing along. When you have a video ready to submit, email us at children@halfthesky.org and we’ll tell you how. We will take all the individual videos and bring them together into one incredible film that will be projected behind a live children’s chorus. You can be sure that we’ll make a DVD of this extraordinary event available to all who participate.

It is not important to sing the words perfectly – children who know no Mandarin at all can participate. What is important is that our children – wherever they are in the world – have the opportunity to stand behind their little sisters and brothers in China as we celebrate this dream come true.

There’s no time to waste. Our deadline for submission is midnight on May 15!

Come truly be a part of our One Big Family.

With love and gratitude,



Jenny Bowen, Founder and CEO