SHANGHAI - On Christmas Eve, 1994, Nancy and Brooks Robertson adopted their daughter Grace in Shanghai, China. That night when they met their child for the first time, Nancy saw all of the children in her daughter's eyes. Like thousands of other adoptive parents they were moved by the plight of the orphaned and disadvantaged children in China. This experience led the Robertsons and a handful of supportive families to look for ways to improve the lives of the children, most of whom will never be adopted. In 1997 The Grace Children's Foundation was born.

In the People's Republic of China there is no clear statistic on the number of children living in state or privately-run orphanages but what is clear is that the number is incalculable. The great majority of these children are girls and nearly all of them have pressing needs. Few possess anything but the most basic clothing. Almost none have had a formal education or any prospect of it. Many have wide-ranging but treatable medical problems.

These children typically leave the orphanages in adolescence but basic services and materials and vital links to their communities elude them. Without formal schooling or the crucial anchor of family they face slim prospects for acceptance by society and little chance for even the most basic employment. These are the children who wait.