For this issue, we have a special interview with one of our longest-serving volunteers, Karen Norman. Originally from Australia, Karen has been living in China for the last two decades. As she reflects on her time with ICC, Karen openly shares her experience, her work with the children and the local staff, and her vision for the future.

How The Journey Started

In January 2000, there was an opportunity to join ICC to visit China on a short term trip. Being a nurse, Karen had already booked her annual leave 18 months in advance. It turned out that the travel dates were the exact dates she had booked for her holiday, and the funds she needed for this short term trip poured in as she shared with others about her upcoming adventure.

During her brief time in China, Karen was moved by what she saw at the government welfare centre. “Everything changed for me. I saw children who didn’t have very much at all and the difference that a short two-week trip could make in their lives.”

After a couple more short-term trips with ICC, her heart was set to serve in China. “In January 2002, I made the move halfway across the world to live and work as a long-term volunteer in China.”

“At that time, I thought I would stay in China for five years, and now 20 years later, I am still here!”

Reaching Out To The Vulnerable

Serving as a volunteer in a foreign country can be very challenging. In the early years, Karen felt the experience helped her understand her purpose of being in China. Like Ruth in the Bible, she had the responsibility of “gleaning” the field. Sometimes it might be listening to the local staff who needed a heart-to-heart talk or covering the responsibilities of another staff member when they had to leave unexpectedly.

“It’s amazing how ICC has gone through so many incredible challenges…ICC had managed not only to keep doing what they’re doing but to evolve and to move forward and to create new things, like branching out into Family Partners and supporting families back when it started as Community Outreach Programme in 2008.”

For Karen, she felt the work of ICC stood out because “it’s the ones who are not considered valuable in a society that ICC has gone around and loved and cared for, and given that love, hope and opportunity.”

She has witnessed the children and young people flourish under ICC’s programme. “We have had the privilege of seeing children growing up and becoming more independent. Some have got jobs, others receive vocational training, and others have moved out of our project. Some of our young people now live in the community and have become part of the wider society.”

Growing With The ICC Family

Karen has seen the Changsha city continue to develop, and there are now better living conditions and support for children with disabilities. However, there’s still a lot of work to do. She sees that ICC’s mission is to reach out to the children and help build a community of supporters walking alongside them.

She remembered seeing the local staff’s dedication to the children when the pandemic first started in 2020. They volunteered to stay with the children in the centre during the lockdown while giving up precious time with their own families to care for the children.

“I saw the staff had grown in confidence. For many when they first started it was just a job, but the children have now become part of their family.”

And her vision for the future of ICC?

“I would love to see strong local leadership and staff who work with confidence. I want to see us reaching out to more families because I believe that our Family Partners Programme is the area we are expanding in. And there are so many families out there that are yet to be reached.”