Originally, there were only three children with special needs, as known as the ‘Living Spring’s three jewels,’ in the Living Spring Children’s Home. During the time when the Foundation was expanding in 2010–12, the number of children with special needs increased. As the children with special needs require different types of care, living with the ordinary children would not be beneficial to those with special needs. The Home would like to find a house especially for them, but we could not find a good one in the village at first. Six months later, through a friend’s referral we found a newly-built house for rent in the village, which was amazingly seen in one of our cohorts’ dream. The house was new and with three storeys. In addition, the rent was affordable. The Home rented the house without obstacles. After renovation, it has become the ‘Joy Home’ and started operating since 2013.

This is the overall view of the Joy Home. Our cohort dreamed of a modern-style house side by side an old house with pitched tiled roof. Never imagine that this situation really exists in the village!

Life in the Joy Home

The responsibility of guardianship in the Joy Home is taken by a ‘parent’ and a ‘big brother’ raised by the Home. Every morning, the kids wash up and dress up after waking up, then they have breakfast together.

Bedroom: There are dolls on every bed which sleep with the children. The kids’ clothes and belongings are stored in the drawers hidden in the little stairs.

Every kid has their own washbasin, cup and toothbrush. They clean themselves every morning and night at the basin on the balcony and they tidy up the stuff after that.

This is the canteen shared by both the Joy Home and the Kindness Home.

Let’s celebrate the children’s birthday!

Even though children with special needs may not be able to cook and wash dishes like other kids, they can clean the canteen and tidy things up after the meals and bring the utensils back to the Big Dorm.

We train children hanging their clothes up on the rooftop everyday.

In the Joy Home, the kids attend ‘Life Skills Workshop,’ such as leaning to walk the stairs carefully.