The Story of David Gotts

http://cuqldfreeblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/story-of-david-gotts.html

(full version with photos and pictures)

The Story of David Gotts – Founder of the International China Concern -- A White English with a China Heart

David & Hung and the ICC Logo Signifying the ICC's China Heart

Originally from the UK, David became a Christian at the age of 16 years old. After becoming a Christian and being involved in his local church, he sensed God calling him into a full time ministry position. David left the UK in 1990 to join Youth With A Mission Discipleship Training in Hong Kong. It was during this time that God called him to minister to the people of China.

So, at the age of 19 David Gotts gave up his job as a junior banker in England, donned his back pack, and travelled to China with a fairly ambiguous aim – to help those in need. And he did. A visit to an orphanage in Nanning南寧 with a friend enabled him to see first hand the conditions in which many disabled and abandoned babies and children lived. What shocked him was an euthanasia安樂死room where sicked babies were left to die without any treatment. They do not worth it as according to the social value of Chinese over born disabled children which are being abandoned by their parents in large proportion. This surreal personal experience torn open the heart of David to have mercy on the most helpless marginalized people group in China.

David questioned God – ‘Is this the way it should be? Who will come and make a difference?’ God challenged him. ‘David, I’ve shown this to you. You can make a difference.’

Many of us would have simply been disturbed and frustrated, but David chose to do something about what he’d seen. He had no skills or training but chose to make a difference, in his own small way, to the lives of these children. He first went to Taiwan to study Mandarin for two years. Then, he toured around the world to share his vision and seek for partners and co-workers. In 1993 David established International China Concern國際關心中國慈惠協會(ICC). His vision - to establish and model great care for the disabled and abandoned. ICC began with teams of volunteers that traveled to China for a few weeks to simply love and care for those in need.

David was amazed at the speed at which others ’caught the vision’. Offers of help came from across the world. He remembers with pride how a group of Australian’s offered their time free of charge to renovate the first children’s home.

HengYang babies room & Hengyang office's head Kyla (far right) from Brisbane

ICC went on to establish two joint venture care centres in Changsha長沙 and Hengyang衡陽 in Hunan Province湖南省 and established training programmes for Chinese social welfare employees across the nation. An agreement between Hunan Provincial government and ICC has opened the door to train hundreds to care for and rehabilitate children with disabilities. ICC has also recently entered into a joint venture with the government of Henan Province河南省 to expand the work into the city of Sanmenxia. 三門峽

Changsha Vocational Training Centre

In China, there is a move to work in partnership with organisations such as ICC to improve the conditions in which the abandoned live. Permission was granted in 2004 to develop community based residential care or group homes. ICC plans to establish many more in the future, and will also offer support services to families with special needs children and young adults.

Changsha Group homes established in residential estates one for boys & one for girls.

As a supporter of ICC for six consecutive years, I did have first hand experience visiting the orphanages and other community projects in Changsha and Hengyang three times in 2010. I could spot the great difference between the ICC run and Chinese Government run orphanages. It is no exageration to say the contrast is as if it was heaven versus hell. There are laughter noises of fun activities in ICC but dead silence in the Government run section. Some other simple examples such as , babies under ICC’s care have a carer ratio of 1 to 5 while the Government run section is 1 to 20 or more. Babies wear disposable diaper in ICC’s care but wear make shift diaper in shred clothes wrapped up with plastic shopping bag or nothing in the Government’s care.

In 2007, ICC started the first annual fund raising walkathon. The idea is to have at least 600 persons each walking 10km then the collective distance walked being 6000km will cover the length of the Great Wall. In Chinese saying, it symbolizes the spirit of collaboration on a common cause. So since 2007, every year, more or less on the same day in September, people of all races in several cities in Canada, America, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, England, Netherland and Belgium will walk for the love to make a difference for the life of those disabled abandoned children giving them love, hope and opportunity to lead a dignified new life in the society.

Walk On the Great Wall Team, sleeping out door over night on the Wall

Last year, three members from Christ’s Family Church of Action Love team joined the second Walk On the Wall team to visit the Changsha and Hengyang projects before walking on the Great Wall on the 25th September, 2010. The team of 16 was composed of representatives from Australia, Canada, England and together with two orphans Yang Heng Bing,Yang Xian Xin and their Australian carer. We had developed such a good rapport with the two kids that we ended up becoming one of their long terms supporting families.

Yang Xian Xin陽建新, Hung, David, Yang Heng Bing陽衡冰 & Dolly

As an Australian Chinese, I do feel the burden to appeal and mobilize for more supports from our Chinese ethnic community groups. Currently, the professional groups serving on a faith mission basis are in great majority westerners though more Asian Chinese are picking up to fill the gap. I do pray and hope that this year, more Chinese appearance can be seen in the Walk the Wall event scheduled on the 10th of September. The walking route is as shown in the map below.
It can easily be a great day of fun for the CU Alunmi. We can walk with the CU banner along the Brisbane river to show solidarity in support of the meaningful cause for compatriot Chinese children. A BBQ will be served at the end of the walk as a token of appreciation of this international joint efforts. This multcultural participation will also boost the image of Chinese University Alumni as a social care and concern group not living any more in our own ivory tower. Please register as a member of the CU QLD Alumni Team in order to get insurance coverage for the walk.

CFCOAL team starting and ending both at the Capt. Burke Park, Kangaroo Point with BBQ served.
From Left 4th: Rex Hills Qld Head; Middle David Gotts Current CEO; Far Right Jannene Wall Next CEO The Link to the ICC Web Page is http://chinaconcern.org/

The link to the Walk the Wall web page is http://www.walkthewall.org/
The link to my fund raising web page is https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1282&AID=1611&PID=219955