Meet Lana

We thought it would be fun to introduce a few of the grown-up faces around Butterfly Home. This is Lana.

As you can see, Lana is heaps of fun, and she really enjoys her work!

Lana was born in Scotland, but grew up in a village in Germany. She went to primary school in Germany, and then to boarding school in Scotland as a teenager. After school, she stayed in Scotland to study Psychology, and to do a Masters degree.

So how did all this lead to Butterfly Home?  Well, Lana came to this country to study language and to teach English. Once she had settled in, she started to look around for volunteer work which might utilize her excellent qualifications. After a first visit to Butterfly Home, she was inspired to do a cycle to raise funds. Now 10 or maybe even15 km might be a good start you would think....but no! Lana and her friend Neil decided to cycle 750km. They did an amazing job: cycled the whole way without serious injuries, enjoyed some incredible experiences, raised a lot of money and promoted awareness across the country. You can read about their incredible journey here:

http://cyclingforbutterflies.com/follow

Now Lana is spending a year at Butterfly Home as a volunteer administrator. She is committing the same energy level she had for cycling to her many roles at the home. She acts as a liason for our volunteers: arranging travel, accommodation, registration and other details, as well as giving them orientation tours and help with interpretation. She has duties in administration, writing reports and supporting Lyn and Suisie in the office. Most importantly, she assesses the children's development and emotional health, setting goals, and making plans for thier therapies. Lana also makes lifebooks for our children before adoption - such an important treasure for kids going through a lot of change.

This is what Lana has to say about her  work here: " Since in BCH, for the first time I have found a job where I can be in it with my whole body and mind. I love going to work and even find myself in the BCH on my days off. Although the Butterfly Home works in devastating circumstances, there are more happy days then sad. Seeing and making the babies laugh is incredible. Every child has their individual illness which they take on very well with their cute personality. For some of them the conditions of their illness or also living in a hospice environment causes their development to be behind. I am interested in how to help the children develop better. My first developmental class at uni was about attachment and how much more vital love is than food. I believe the children survive because of the loving environment they are in."

We are so thrilled to have Lana with us, and thankful for her very valuable input. We hope that her time here continues to be incredible, and that she will take away some precious memories. We know for sure that our children and the things she has seen here will be forever in her heart. And hopefully, Lana's story will inspire others to volunteer. There are wonderful organizations all over the world, and we need all the help we can get. Requirements are simple: a bit of courage, a bit of common sense and loads of compassion. And you just might find you are amazed by how much you recieve when your heart is taken up with giving.