From August?12 to 17, 86 families in Beijing will
temporarily adopt 86 orphans of AIDS victims from around China, in
a bid to discourage discrimination and provide the orphans with
warmth and compassion.
The activity, called the "Second Summer Camp for Orphans of AIDS
Victims," is being jointly launched by the China Youth Concern
Committee (CYCC) and the Beijing Huaxia Charity Foundation, a
non-government organization.
"After we inform the public of collecting families that are
willing to live with AIDS orphans for two days, we received more
than 270 families' applications, which is really a surprise," said
Li Guoqiang, an official with CYCC said.
The 86 volunteer families cover a wide range of social strata,
from movie stars to high ranking officials, from retirees to
on-the-job teachers, from entrepreneurs to army soldiers. "They are
all wealthy and warm-hearted enough to accept these disadvantaged
children," Li said, "Revealing an encouraging strength in the
society to take care of AIDS orphans."
An estimated 76,000 children in China were orphaned by HIV/AIDS,
with at least one parent dying, according to figures from China
disease control center. Experts said that the number is expected to
grow to 260,000 in the year of 2010.
The disease touches every aspect of children's lives, not just
their health.
Experts said these kids are suffering from social bias against
HIV victims, some have been kicked out of schools or turned away
even from orphanages.
"The emotional toll alone can be devastating as children suffer
from isolation, loss of self-esteem and depression," Christian
Voumard, UNICEF's China representative, told a seminar on a
previous occasion.
But the situation has been improving.
Not only have Chinese leaders and high-ranking officials shaken
hands with HIV/AIDS patients and eaten meals with them in front of
news cameras, many folk activities have also revealed burgeoning
efforts to undermine the disease's bad public image.
In the summer camp last year, CYCC spent two months finding a
place for the orphans to stay. They were refused by nearly 40
hotels and institutions in Beijing, whose owners feared that
receiving them would negatively affect their businesses. This year,
however, not only hotels offered AIDS orphans preferential prices,
but tourist spots they will visit all exempted them from ticket
fees, the CYCC official Li Qimin told Xinhua.
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(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2005)