MBL Introduction English Version

www.mothersbridge.org
Page 1 of 8
THE MOTHERS’ BRIDGE OF LOVE
M B L
The Three Bridges
Between Birth and Adoptive Cultures
Between China and The West
Between Poor and Rich
The Mothers' Bridge of Love (MBL) - 母爱桥
母爱桥 MBL-国际慈善机构
Mothers'BridgeOfLove
The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL), Charity Registration Number 1105543, was founded in the UK in 2004
by Xinran, an acclaimed author of The Good Women of China, Sky Burial, China Witness and Message
From An Unknown Chinese Mother and one of the Guardian 2011 World Top 100 Women. Xinran’s books
have been translated and published in 31 countries all over the world. MBL is 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. Meanwhile, MBL is encouraging people who can
speak Chinese or who have interests in China and Chinese culture to join in MBL Volunteer Team to provide
language, culture and information support to different organizations in order to reduce the language/culture
barriers, build up understanding and make a better and safer society.
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org
www.mothersbridge.org
Page 2 of 8
A Bridge between Birth and Adoptive Cultures
A) MBL Social Events for adoptive families in the UK
 A Chinese New Year Kids Event in 2005 at Whiteleys Shopping Centre, in which more than one
hundred families were involved.
 A Summer Event at Kensington Gardens in 2006, with a performance by Chinese children and art
games for kids.
 MBL once organized the UK tour of “East - West Children’s Art Troupe” from BaiXia Children’s
Palace, Nanjing. This tour attracted great media attentions in the UK and was highly regarded by
the UK audience.
 MBL has been participating at CACH (Children Adopted from China) Reunion many times since 2006,
and carried out plenty of Chinese culture related workshops for adoptive families and Chinese
adoptees.
B)


MBL’s culture support to adoptive families
MBL Children’s Journal and MBL columns on magazines in Britain and China are aiming to serve
as a bridge for sharing mothers’ love between adoptive families and Chinese families. The MBL
book for adoptive families, Motherbridge of Love, came 3rd on TIME Magazine’s “Top 10
Children’s Books of 2007” list.
MBL helps adoptive families to connect with their adopted children’s Chinese biological parents,
and to assist these families in knowing more about their adopted children’s hometown and
biological relatives.
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org
www.mothersbridge.org
Page 3 of 8
A Bridge between China and the West
A)



B)


Volunteer Activities and Training sessions
MBL regularly provides voluntary culture and language support to British Council, London Book Fair,
V&A Museum and other organisations/societies in the UK.
MBL set up volunteer training session, and organise talk events and workshops for university
students regarding to Chinese history and Chinese culture.
MBL has been supporting organizations and student societies for many politics, economics, culture,
and art related events in China and the UK.
Invites Western/Chinese academics and experts to China/West
Open Eyes to Today’s China programme: MBL Co-organised more than 50 western publishers, literary
agents and to engage in cultural dialogues and debates with over 500 Chinese writers, professors, and
publishers in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and Nanjing between 2004 and 2006.
MBL regularly invited western/Chinese academics, writers, artists, and educators…etc. to give talks,
lectures, and workshops to organizations and university students in China/West.
C) Culture Exchange Programme support worldwide
 MBL successful held two charitable Chinese arts exhibitions in London in 2006.
 MBL organised a Moon Festival Celebration event at Shanghai Blues Restaurant in London in 2007,
at which more than 250 business and media representatives were present.
 MBL supported culture exchange programme such as TEDx and Seven Sisters in China Forum.
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org
www.mothersbridge.org
Page 4 of 8
A Bridge between Poor and Rich
A)
Support Chinese Orphans and Disabled Children
MBL has successfully supported more than 10 disabled orphans, helped them not only with their
medical treatments and living costs, but also MBL volunteers in China often visited them and
helped them to plan for the future by offering life skills training and courses such as English and
computer studies.
B)
MBL Children’s Library Project
MBL has supported 3 primary schools for children in Tibetan and Muslim areas and migrant workers’
children in China since 2004, and also has set up 14 children’s libraries mainly in poor countryside in
China.
C)
BaiXia Children’s Palace, Nanjing, China
After several successful events, MBL has established BaiXia Children’s Palace as a base for
series of culture exchange programme for Chinese orphans, disabled children, overseas
Chinese children, and adoptive families.
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org
www.mothersbridge.org
Page 5 of 8
MBL Through the Eyes of the International Media…
TIME Magazine
--The MBL book for adoptive families, ‘Mother's Bridge of Love’, came 3rd on TIME Magazine’s “Top 10 Children’s
Books of 2007” list
BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour
--“Adoptive families in the UK with Chinese children from China could benefit from this charity (MBL).”
Guardian
--“MBL helps Chinese children who are growing up in poverty…”
China Central Television (CCTV)
--“MBL is the first international charity founded by Chinese and working with China for
overseas Chinese children.”
Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Australia
--“The
or
put
aim
up
of
mothersbridge.org
is
to reach
out
and
show
children
--
orphaned
in China
for international adoption -- that they can still be loved by a mother.”
FadiaFaqir, The Durham Literature Festival
--“MBL is a charitable organisation founded to help to build bridges between China and the west, helping each
to reach a better understanding of the other.”
Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding – SACU
--“MBL is striving to introduce an authentic China to the West and to disseminate information to people in China
about the lives of adopted Chinese children and of Overseas Chinese in the West.”
Women of China
--“The organization (MBL) is trying to reach out to Chinese children in all corners of the world.”
Foreign Correspondents Club, Shanghai
--“MBL is a charitable organisation set up as a cultural bridge between the East and the West.”
That’s Beijing Magazine
--“An organization (MBL) that helps adopted Chinese children to connect with their birth culture and history.”
City Weekend, China
--“MBL aims to show adopted Chinese girls how much a mother’s love means to them, no matter where the love
come from, be it birth or adoptive mother, from China or rest of the world.”
Guardian UK
-- Xinran (Founder of MBL), World Top 100 Woman
“We celebrate the centenary of International Women's Day, with a list of the top 100 social, economic, artistic
and political achievers”
Timeout Beijing
-- Xinran (Founder of MBL) was one of Time Out Beijing heroes 2008.
Financial Times Magazine
-- Xinran (Founder of MBL), the Chinese radio show host turned author, recounts in her new book, “Message
from an Unknown Chinese Mother”, an incident from Shandong province in 1989, when she was present at the
birth of a granddaughter to the village headman.
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org
www.mothersbridge.org
Page 6 of 8
MBL Founder: Ms Xinran Xue
--- An acclaimed author of The Good Women of China, Sky
Burial, China Witness and Message From An Unknown Chinese
Mother... One of the Guardian 2011 World Top 100 Women.
MBL Trustees and Former CEOs
Mr Toby Eady
--- The President of Toby Eady Associates
Mr Jeremy Gordon
---Director of China Business Services
Ms Ching-He Huang
--- Chinese writer, food entrepreneur and TV chef
Ms Emily Buchanan
--- BBC correspondent, Mother of two adopted Chinese daughters
Ms Christina Lamb
--- Foreign Correspondent of the Sunday Times and author
Ms Meiyee Lim
---Co MBL founder, General Manager
Ms Wendy Wu
--- Former Executive Director
MBL legal adviser
--- Mr Wilfrid Vernor Miles
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org
www.mothersbridge.org
Page 7 of 8
Sharing Chinese Culture Helping Chinese Children
For Office Use Only:
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MBL Membership Form
Charity Registration No.1105543
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□ I do not want to be included in the MBL mailing list and receive related information.
Optional: MBL welcomes any additional information you would like to share with us, such as information about your child e.g. place of birth or adoption etc. You can
write to us and send it back with this form or write to us via email.
Yes! I would like to be a member of MBL for 12 months ( please tick appropriate box )
University Student
Member
□ £30 (£2.5 per month)
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□ £60 (£5 per month)
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□ £1200 (£100 per month)
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□ $1920 ($160 per month)
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the UK Inland Revenue. So if you want your donation to go further, Gift Aid it. Just tick here. It’s that simple.
□ All donations I’ve made to MBL after 6 April 2000 and all donations I make in the future until I notify you
To qualify for Gift Aid, you must be a UK tax payer. What you pay in income tax or capital gains tax must at least equal the amount we will claim in the tax year.
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IBAN No.: GB08MIDL40060711453130
Your support will improve the lives of Chinese children
from country to country, village to village…
Thank You – XIE XIE !
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org
www.mothersbridge.org
Page 8 of 8
IBAN No.: GB08MIDL40060711453130
UK Charity Registration No. 1105543
Head Office: 9 Orme Court, London W2 4RL
headoffice@mothersbridge.org