Focus on orphans and abandoned children in China 
CCTV.COM (05.13 2003 15:25)
In some western countries,western parents are seen walking in the street, hand in hand with Asian children錛 How did these children, once orphans, become members of western countries?How does the government care for these orphans?
China has an enormous population: almost 1錛 billion, among which more than 300 million are children under the age of sixteen錛 This accounts for about one fifth of the world's child population錛
We all know children are the future of society錛 They need to be loved and taken care of by their parents錛 Due to various reasons, however, many children are orphaned and not able to enjoy parental love錛 How to care for them and help them grow as healthily as normal kids? This is a question that China is trying to answer, making significant progress in this complex issue, yet aware that many challenges still lie ahead錛
Despite China's imperfect social security system by the end of the year 2000, there were 39,000 social welfare organizations, among which 126 are children's welfare organizations including nine SOS villages錛 They can be found in cities and small towns all across China錛 As many as 50,000 orphans have already been adopted by these organizations錛
Due to governmental and NGO aid, many children welfare houses are equipped with comparatively high-tech medical facilities to provide needed medical care錛
The Chinese Civil Administration and Child Welfare Bureau have conducted research on how to care for orphans and handicapped children錛 Their work policy has been focused mainly on four areas:
1) managing the day-to-day care of child welfare centers where orphans are being raised
2)fundraising activities
3) establishing foster homes and
4) facilitating adoptions錛
Inhouse care by the child welfare institutions has always been important錛 All the orphaned or disabled children who are still in the welfare organizations or those who have already entered the society have already received inhouse care, which has taken on a collective£caring style characterized by "supporting materially", "teaching intellectually" and "treating medically"錛
Most of the children who came to the childcare centers were seriously ill or congenitally disabled錛 The child welfare institutions attach great importance to the healthy recovery of the children and do their best to give them the best possible treatment錛 For those seriously ill or disabled the welfare institutions send them to local hospitals for medical treatment錛
At the welfare institutions children without any disabilities all receive compulsory education just like average school children at their age錛 For those physically or mentally handicapped it is the institutions obligation to send them to special schools for education錛 In addition the government has set up more than 30 special schools for orphans catering to their special needs錛
In 1989 the government set up a special educational fund for these children錛 In 2001 the sum of this fund was 34,000,000 RMB, among which the operation fund for the special classes is one and a half million錛
The ill or disabled children who were abandoned are nursed back to health from the welfare houses錛 Many of them grew up here before they return to society錛
The earthquake taking place in Tangshan in 1976 has caused a tremendous loss錛 More than 4,000 children were left alone in this world overnight錛 How to take care of these children錛 This became a great concern of the government錛 In order to ensure that the orphans receive a proper education the government built five orphan schools in Shijiazhuan, Xingtai, and Tangshan, adopting more than 2,000 of them錛 Their living expenses are also covered by the government錛 98 of the orphans have received educational at a level above junior high school and 100 of the graduates are employed錛
Editor:Guan
