China Geeks helping Chinese children find home

Our friends at ChinaGeeks.org have recently started an ambitious new project that I have been meaning to find the time to write about for a couple weeks now. Check out this video for an introduction to “Finding Home”, a documentary that will explore on a personal level the terrible practice of kidnapping and selling children in China:

The film needs all our of help to be made. If you have any means to, please consider donating what you can. Here is a note from the documentary’s director, well-known China blogger (and one time Lost Laowai contributor), Charlie Custer:

The kidnapping and selling of children is a serious problem in China, and has been for decades. Many children are tricked or otherwise stolen away from their parents, and then sold to other families, into lives begging on the streets or, in the case of some girls, into marriage or prostitution. We want to make a documentary about these children and their families in the hopes that we can bring more attention to this crucially important issue. We’re calling it “Finding Home”, and we’re really excited about it. But we can’t do it without your help.

Click here to learn more about this project or to make a pledge to donate.

Your donation will help us pay for expenses including additional equipment and train and bus tickets, so that we can ensure we’re 100% prepared to capture these childrens’ stories. We’ve already started research and are working with volunteers from a local Beijing charity so that every child we find who may have been kidnapped will also be reported domestically, and spread through a nationwide network of volunteers dedicated to searching for justice and for the child’s real family.

We’re funding our project through Kickstarter, a cool website that allows donors to receive rewards based on how much they give. Anyone who donates a dollar will get their name in the credits of the film, those who donate $15 or more will get access to production diaries, $50 or more gets behind-the-scenes and uncut footage plus a DVD of the film, $250 or more gets the chance to actually ask the people we’re interviewing questions, etc. (there are way more levels and choices). If you’ve used Amazon or have a credit card, you’ll be able to make a pledge easily. If our project reaches or surpasses its $5,000 goal, we get funded. If not, your money is returned to you, so there’s no risk of throwing your money away on an underfunded project. [Ed. Note: Due to an out-pouring of support, the project has already surpassed its minimum goal for funding, but understandably, the minimum amount is just that and every dollar more offers that much more assurance that the project will be a success]

Your gift would mean a lot to us, and to the children and families we’re hoping this film will help. If you really can’t afford to donate, please help us by sending this link to friends and family who you think might be interested. Together we can make this film, and make a real difference in the lives of some of these children.

Thank you so much for you time. We hope you can make a pledge and become a part of Finding Home today!
Yours,

Charlie Custer / 葛亚辉 and the rest of the ChinaGeeks staff

Also be sure to check out ChinaGeeks most recent documentary, Kedong County, and follow Charlie and the film on ChinaGeeks.org or on Twitter @chinageeks.