Along with its social development, China has begun to adopt
various methods for taking care of disabled orphans. Instead of
living in social welfare institutions, more and more abandoned
children find temporary boarding families and are put under the
care of neighborhood communities.
While?living standards?are rising, an increasing
number of people pay?closer attention to the welfare
of?disabled orphans -- they need to grow up to be healthy,
both physically and psychologically.
According to statistics, more orphans have been adopted in
recent years. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has adopted a policy to
encourage families to take foster children so as to help them grow
up in a?caring home and a normal social community. Many
examples show that orphans who grow up with? foster families
find it easier to enter?society and begin their own social
lives. They generally have less psychological stress.
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the focus of the new
welfare work policy is to improve?orphanage services and
further improve the quality of? orphans' lives, and not just
for their survival. To complete the work,? foster family
offices and relevant offices will be set up to provide support to
families who have adopted disabled children.?
Statistics show most?abandoned children want to grow up
with a family.
Are foster children satisfied with their foster lives? A report
on the research of the management measures of foster children,
which was published by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, shows that
most foster families are taking good care of their foster
children.
Zen Fanlin, an official who took part in the research, said that
most interviewed foster children feel happy with their foster
families. When?asked whether they would like to go back to
live in an orphanage, they all expressed their wish to always live
with?foster parents.
The research also shows that foster families provide better
living conditions and more study opportunities for the children.
Disabled orphans who grow up in foster families can get along well
with family members of different generations, making it easier for
them to integrate with?society.
China now has 178 state-sponsored orphanages, in addition to the
many welfare-house-related children departments. In total, there
are more than 600 organizations offering direct help to handicapped
orphans, taking care of more than 54,000 children. Many families
who have disabled children?also benefit from these
organizations by receiving aid for?children's rehabilitation
and vocational training.
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(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan January 28, 2004)