Yu Guodeng, 15, felt his life has been back to normal for the
first time since his father and mother died of AIDS. "When flowers
and trees bathe in sunlight, they are full of vitality," he
wrote.
As an AIDS-orphaned kid in Yingjiang County, southwest China's
Yunnan
Province, Yang, living with his elderly brother, dropped out of
school after his mother's death in 2003. His father already died in
2000. He worked as a construction worker for 10-odd-yuan (US$1.25)
a day. "I often worried that I would have no launch when having
breakfast."
"I lost parents and have no chance to go to school, it's all
darkness ahead of me," that's how he described his feelings then.
But fortunately, with a program sponsored by the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF), he resumed junior high school years soon
after.
With the program support, he gets 100 yuan (US$12.5) as living
expense, 20 yuan (US$2.5) for medical care monthly and 320 yuan
(US$40) as tuition for every school year. His life is turning back
to normal.
In the small county bordering Myanmar, there are 123
AIDS-orphaned children like Yu. Many of their parents were infected
through drug taking or unsafe sex, as the region is not far off
"Golden Triangle", the world's second largest drug production
base.
The kids, left behind, most live in homes of their grandparents
or uncles or aunts.
Starting from 2003, UNICEF, together with local women's
federation and Yunnan AIDS prevention and control office, initiated
a program to offer care to these kids and support for the families
that adopt them to ensure they live a life like other children.
With the support of UNICEF and local officials, Yu hoped he
could enter a Beijing university and become a charitarian to help
more people in the future.
But, social discrimination poses a psychological problem the
kids have to face, said Xu Wenqing, UNICEF China AIDS program
officer.
Zuo Pingsai, who was enrolled in the Yingjiang No.1 Middle
School, best senior high school in Yingjiang, this year, was afraid
to let her new schoolmates to know her parents died of the
epidemic. "I'm afraid if they know, they'll bully me or not play or
talk with me."
In order to help them relieve psychological pressure, local
women's federation organizes get-together activities for them twice
every month, in the forms of drawing, making handicraft or an
outing, which are designed to help them rebuild
self-confidence.
"Their life was in dismay and nobody wanted to talk with them,
but the program enables more to care about them," said Yang
Linzhen, a local women's federation official.
China had reported more than 120,000 HIV-infected cases by June,
this year and over 7,000 died. As AIDS keeps spreading, the issue
of AIDS-orphaned children will become more serious, "we need the
whole society to work together," said Xu.
(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2005)