Seventy-two AIDS orphans from 12 counties in Jilin,
Henan,
Sichuan,
Shanxi
and Yunnan
provinces Tuesday started a six-day summer camp called "Together We
Grow Up."
The children, whose parents have all died from AIDS-related
illnesses, will visit sites like the Summer Palace in Beijing.
They will also meet Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut in
space.
The aim of the camp is to arouse public awareness about the
plight of AIDS orphans, said sources with the China Work Committee
for the Care of Next Generation.
These particular orphans have had a lot of help from others, but
their carers say it is still not enough.
These children said they had received support from society, but
had no idea how they were going to survive in the future.
The Chinese government is considering awarding hand-outs to
families who adopt AIDS orphans, sources with CCTV said
Tuesday.
Related departments are considering drafting a policy on
compensation, said Li Qimin, an official with China Work Committee
for the Care of Next Generation.
The rise in the number of AIDS patients means the number of
orphans will reach some 260,000 in China by 2010, said experts from
the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Official statistics show China has an estimated 840,000 HIV
carriers and about 80,000 AIDS patients.
It is estimated that living and treatment costs for child
victims will approach 1 billion yuan (US$ 96 million) by 2010.
There is still no special funding to help AIDS orphans in
China.
(China Daily August 11, 2004)