Below please find a list of the most common questions people ask about Starfish Children's Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you decide who adopts you babies?

This is the most often asked question.  I am sorry to say, I have no power to make decisions about who adopts the children.  This is only done by the CCAA in Beijing .  I have no idea at which of the 200 different adoptions agencies the dossiers are going to land up.  Once the dossiers are handed over to the CCAA I will not know anything until the children have been matched.  I cannot give you any information which will make it easier to adopt any one child, it is against the law.

Where do the children come from?

The babies come from the government orphanages in Shaanxi , the province I live in.  I try to select babies that are in need of medical care.   I have sort of specialized in spina bifida, heart and cleft palette babies.

Why are you not called an orphanage?

In China , only the government has the right to call themselves an orphanage.  All other places who take orphans into their homes will be known as foster homes.

What do you need?

Please visit our Needed Items page to view small things that we are always in need of.  The needs change from time to time.  Please let me know when you decide to buy an item so that we do not get more than what we need.  Some of the needs are very specific but if you have something similar or second hands it will be good too.

Are a tax free foundation?

Yes, finally! We received our non-profit 501 (3) (c) status in April 2007. Your donations are now fully tax-deductible.

How can we send boxes to you?

The contents of the box and the postage is tax deductible.  Please keep the receipts for tax purposes once you do mail things.  I have a lot of trouble with missing boxes and I feel so sad when this happens.  Most of the trouble has been with the local mail system.  It is really hard to find missing boxes without a tracking number.  I would recommend you use UPS or FedEx.  They have numbers we can track and have many different shipping rates.  The cheapest being surface mail which is slow but reliable.  Let me know so I can look out for them.

The other method people use is for visitors to China to mail boxes from the international airport post offices.  I would highly recommend that you insure the box.  See the attached instructions in English and Chinese .( This is the Post Office help ) Email the number they provide to me and I will let you know as soon as the box arrives.

Do you need anything personally?

That is hard for me to know what to ask for and I have often been reprimanded for not allowing people the chance to offer their help to me too.  You can come write and ask if I can come up with a list. Most of the time it is likely to include some Mexican food, a magazine or book and some catalogues especially for children's rooms.  I also like decorating idea books.  I am living in hope for that building we are going to have for the babies.