Wu Zaihui never knew her real mother. The 14-year-old grew up
with her foster father and grandmother who were never able to give
her maternal love despite their efforts to make her happy.
But her life changed greatly five years ago, when Wang Aihua, a
procurator in her home city of Zaozhuang, in east China's Shandong Province, offered to act as her
mother, finance her schooling and answer all the questions that
arise when a girl enters puberty.
Wang, whose own daughter is two years younger than Wu, remembers
their traumatic first meeting.
"Her clothes were so messy that I couldn't tell what color they
were after I washed them twice. I cooked her some spareribs, but
she didn't know how to eat them," she said.
What worried Wang most was the girl's timid, introverted
personality. "She rarely said anything, and when she did, her voice
was always hushed. She never looked you in the eye."
Wang has since spent many holidays and weekends with the girl,
taking her to parks, helping her with her schoolwork and teaching
her how to dance and get along with people.
Her efforts have paid off, helping Wu shake off her inferiority
complex -- she is now a top student and class rep at her
school.
"She's always ready to help her peers, too," said Wang. "My
daughter has also learned from me to be frugal, wash her own
clothes and care for others."
In Zaozhuang, a city with some 3.6 million people, at least
10,000 orphans have found "acting mothers" under a program run by
the local women's federation, said Wang Zonglan, chairwoman of the
federation.
The program to keep orphans in school and offer them maternal
care operates in other cities, including Jinan, Yantai, Changchun,
Shenyang and Anshan, said Wang.
The volunteers are requested to finance the kids through primary
and secondary school, visit or write them frequently and stay in
touch with their teachers, said Wang, adding that "many acting
mothers say these motherless children are ideal partners for their
own kids who are often lonely and self-centered as the only child
at home.,"
Besides acting mothers, she said the volunteer team had expanded
to include acting fathers. "Even some newly-wed couples and college
students have signed up to give a helping hand to the needy
children."
A survey by All-China Women's Federation showed that 60 percent
of China's school dropouts had lost one or both parents before they
quit school; 70 percent of them suffered psychological handicaps
such as autism, anxiety, apathy or an inferiority complex.
Moreover, they were eight times more likely to commit a crime
than those who grew up in a normal family environment.
"Kinship, motherly affection in particular, is essential in
keeping these children healthy and away from juvenile delinquency,"
said Quan Chaolu, a professor of psychology at elite Shandong
Normal University.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2006)