With the renovations at the Lighthouse underway, we asked Portia Zang, our newly appointed FPP Lighthouse Project Manager, to share with us some of the projects the team has started working on.

FPP Lighthouse Project

“FPP is working with the government to expand services to families who are in need of assistance. The new Cross Care Team #3 will provide support specifically to vulnerable families. The Lighthouse will have a range of programmes to serve the needs of these FPP families.”

Cross Care Team #3 is made up of professionals who have been working for many years at the Changsha Care Centre before joining the FPP team.

“We started conducting family home visits in September this year. I feel that the families are more receptive to our support on our second visit,” says Portia, who is monitoring the progress of each family case.

Cross Care Team #3 first FPP Lighthouse Team meeting with Karen Norman (left), ICC International Project Liaison and Portia (2nd from left), FPP Lighthouse Manager

Report from the Cross Care Team #3
Weiwei’s Story

Because Weiwei’s parents have intellectual disabilities, the little boy is mostly cared for by his grandparents and relatives. Weiwei was able to attend a preschool group for a few months and has since shown a lot of improvement. But as time went on, they’ve found his autistic tendencies are becoming more obvious.

FPP Social Worker, Liu Jing, noted on their first home visit: “The first time I saw Weiwei he snuggled into his great aunt’s arms, and he seemed very well behaved. The family was concerned that he might have a speech problem and he wasn’t progressing as well as he should.”

After the initial home assessment, the Cross Care Team was able to understand more about Weiwei and his family’s needs. The team will be equipping the family with educational tools to help them raise Weiwei. His family is also eager to connect with other FPP families at future FPP events.

“I believe we can help them,” says FPP social worker Liu Jing. “With love from his family and with professional guidance from our team, there’s a lot we can do for him.”

Brand New Space for the FPP Children

The Cross Care Team #3 will be moving to the Lighthouse to support families who are in dire situations like Weiwei and his family. The plan is for the 1st floor of the Lighthouse to serve as a vocational training centre for young people, and the 2nd floor will be assigned to FPP services with specific rooms for special education and therapy sessions. Computer and music rooms will be on the 3rd floor available for public use.

Create Social Impact

“We hope that with this new space we can bless more families and continue to bring ICC’s love to them.” Portia feels that her hopes and dreams rest on the fact that she believes FPP’s mission ultimately will bring change to society.

“It is difficult to imagine the struggles the families raising children with disabilities are going through. We hope that FPP’s services and public outreach programmes will help bring together communities, support the needs of people living with disabilities and help build a better society.”

Join us as a Family Partner to keep vulnerable families together!