The 18-year-old Beijing middle school student was nervous but
determined as she traveled from the nation's capital to an AIDS
orphanage in the village of Shaodian not far from Henan Province earlier this month.
Chi Heyan soon realized that her angst was misplaced as she
quickly developed a deep emotional connection with a 14-year-old
resident of the orphanage.
When Chi saw the younger girl flush with excitement at her
arrival she knew they would get along just fine.
The orphan, who will remain unidentified to protect her privacy,
lost both her parents to AIDS after they contracted HIV after
selling their blood in the 1990's.
She has cried a river of tears in the two years she has lived at
the orphanage called Sunshine Home.
On this day, however, the visit from another teenager brings a
grin that stretches into a pretty smile which can be seen even in
her eyes. She immediately latches on to her peer who has come all
the way from the big city.
Four other Beijing middle school students have come to see first
hand what has happened to the children of the hundreds of victims
of China's tainted-blood tragedy. The China Children's Press and
Publishing Group (CCPPG) has organized the tour for the Beijing
teens who will write about their experience in a nationally
circulated student newspaper.
Liang Hongsong, who heads the Sunshine Home, says it was built
in 2003 and is now home to 41 AIDS orphans. There are seven other
Sunshine Homes in the area. In the 1990's hundreds of people were
infected with HIV after selling their blood at unsanitary blood
clinics in the region.
Almost as soon as they arrive, young Chi Heyan is led away by
the younger girl on a tour of her room, which she shares with two
other girls, then off to the garden where she shows off a bit.
"Look, this is eggplant and that is pepper. Guess what's coming up
in that row?" she asks with a smile.
Chi has brought her new friend a couple books and a fan with a
funny frog cartoon.
"She is a lovely girl, and I don't see any difference between
her and I," said Chi. The two girls both like to sing and adore the
same pop star.
Chu Rui, director of the Activity Department of the publishing
group was glad to see the budding friendship between the two teens.
Every year Chu leads young people from Beijing to the Sunshine Home
under the "Children Heart and Red Ribbon" program. It's the third
time the publisher has sponsored such a visit to Henan's
AIDS-stricken villages.
Chu hopes the visits will build a bridge between the privileged
urban children and their AIDS-affected rural peers.
"Few urban kids have a chance to see what AIDS is about with
their own eyes. Once they do, they gain a deep understanding and
they spread the word to their friends back home," she said, adding
that peer-to-peer sharing of experiences is more effective than a
mass media campaign in raising awareness of young people.
Chi Heyan admits she had her trepidations about meeting people
who had been so deeply affected by the deadly disease. She says she
tried to keep her trip a secret but it was leaked to her
schoolmates who immediately showed their own prejudices.
She overheard someone from another class say they wouldn't play
with her after she returned because they thought she would be
infected with AIDS.
Before her trip to Henan Chi spent a whole evening surfing the
Internet to find out more about AIDS and HIV. None of the children
at Sunshine Home are infected with HIV so Chi knew she didn't have
to worry about her new friend. "She's healthy and can't harm us.
She's the one who needs our help."
Chi says she will not only write about her experiences for the
student newspaper but will share them in a face-to-face meeting
with her classmates.
Another Beijing teen on the tour, 17-year-old Li Xiang, also
developed strong views about what should be done to help not only
those infected but also those who have been affected by AIDS.
He thought the tour was like giving alms to the poor and that it
was not enough. Li now hopes to change the views of society and
call on their help to support the victims of AIDS.
Lu Geng, vice director of the local Youth League Committee hopes
the AIDS-affected children will also benefit from the visits of the
city kids so they can "shake off the shadow" of their tragic past
to lead happier and successful lives.
According to research conducted by the Caring for the Younger
Generation Committee in 2004, 67,000 children throughout China have
lost at least one parent from AIDS. It also estimates that more
than a million people have been directly affected by a relative or
close friend who is carrying the HIV virus or is suffering or has
died from AIDS. In the three years since the launch of the
"Children's Heart and Red Ribbon", 15 urban teens have seen what
AIDS leaves behind during their visits to the Sunshine Home
orphanages.
Although organizer Chu Rui says the writings of the young people
have reached tens of thousands of children, she, too, admits it
only scratches the surface of the need to raise awareness. "We
still have a long way to go," she says. As the afternoon winds down
and the city kids are about to get on the bus and return to
Beijing, the children from the Sunshine Home are lined up to see
them off. Chi Heyan's new friend whispers a request. "Can you give
me a photo of yourself?" she's asked. "Of course," says Chi as she
gives her new friend -- perhaps a lifelong friend -- the picture
and a big hug.
(Xinhua News Agency June 19, 2006)