One hundred and fifty children from poverty-stricken areas in
western China got the chance to tour Beijing on Thursday, through
the efforts of the Charity Program for China's Children's Safe and
Healthy Growth.
Their seven-day tour of the city is aimed at teaching them the
culture of the country's capital and experiencing the daily lives
of their urban counterparts.
The children are from 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous
regions in the country's west, including Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai,
Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, Chongqing Municipality and
the Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous
regions.
They can also continue their schooling thanks to the assistance of
the program, which was initiated by the China Children and
Teenagers' Fund in May 2000 to help children avoid dropping out
of school, prevent illness and stay away from crime.
Thirteen-year-old Zhang Kuanhua from the Jianhe Wenquan Hope School
in Guizhou Province expressed her gratitude to the program: "My
family is very poor and my dad and mom work in the fields, and they
forced me to drop out of school several times. This program helps
me complete my primary schooling."
He
Jiaojiao, from a primary school in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous
Region, also faces difficulties. Her parents died after she was
born and she is being raised by her 65-year-old grandmother, who
supports her schooling by collecting garbage.
"I
will get good marks in school, and I think that is what I can do to
thank those good people helping me," said the 10-year-old girl,
adding that her dream of going to Beijing has finally come
true.
Statistics reveal that at least 2 million children of school age
are forced to drop out of school due to poverty and the majority of
them live in western provinces, municipalities and autonomous
regions. More than 70 percent of children in the western part of
the country also suffer from malnutrition.
More efforts from all circles of society should be made to care and
support these children to ensure their healthy growth, said Gu
Xiulian, vice chairwoman of the All-China Women's Federation and
deputy-director of the China Children and Teenagers' Fund.
A
fund of 130.91 million yuan (US$15.77 million) will be used to
provide financial assistance for children's primary education in
western China, she added.
(China
Daily August 17, 2002)