Observations from One Champion of AIDS Orphans

By HU JIA

Wu Minglian (right) with AIDS orphans.

ON December 1, 2003, the CCTV program News Research aired a special feature on AIDS orphans at the Love and Care Family AIDS orphanage. The public attention this raised brought large social donations for the orphanage and signaled greater public efforts to help AIDS orphans.

Early in 2000, some of our volunteer workers produced a radio program broadcast on Beijing People's Radio on AIDS orphans. Its aim was to invite donations. On December 1, International AIDS Day, the same year residents of various districts of Beijing took bundles of clothing and commodities to a collection center near the Yonghegong Lamasery. Several young women from international companies had volunteered to help organize and send on these donations. It may have been our fault that one 80-year-old woman had walked around for a long time carrying a big pack trying to find the collection center. We apologized and offered her a seat, but all she wanted was assurance that her donations would reach the orphans. This we were able to give her.

Winter is a particularly bad time for AIDS patients. They are most likely to fall critically ill or die at this time, leaving still more AIDS orphans. The majority of AIDS victims in Henan were infected with the deadly virus after selling blood to feed their families. On succumbing to AIDS they are unable to work, and have no money to see the doctor, so their household is poorer than ever. But the cruelest aspect of their situation is the discrimination they must face.

Prior to Christmas 2002 a record eight days of snow fell and expressways had to be closed. We still managed to send 1,000 bundles of clothing donations to Houyang Village and Shilipu Village, Shangcai County, Henan Province.

The children smiled in surprise and delight when they saw the bundles; this was the first indication they had ever seen of the many people in Beijing that care about them.

In autumn of 2002, Ms Wu Minglian flew to Beijing from San Francisco, bringing with her 3,000 US dollars collected from the local Chinese community. On October 26, we went to Henan from Shanghai, and in Zhengzhou City met Zhao Zhen, an AIDS patient from Sui County. We were able to offer 10,000 yuan to pay a semester's tuition for 25 AIDS orphans. Early next morning, Zhao Zhen took the money with him on the five-hour bus journey home. The whole AIDS organization met him at the bus station and were delighted to hear that more children could go to school for another semester. Going to school is what makes  the children happiest. Along with the money to attend school we had also given them hope.

Several patients and orphans were there to meet us at Wenlou Village, Shangcai County the next day. Four were girls attending middle school, and one other was a six-year-old boy. The girls were generally withdrawn, but we encouraged them to talk about their goals. One said she would like to be a doctor. She had chosen this profession after witnessing her parents' suffering. We were heartsore that circumstances might not allow her to continue her education and carry on to medical school.

The consciousness of AIDS orphans is dominated by separation and death, and also harsh discrimination. They are all too familiar with hopelessness and despair. We want to do more to help them have a better life!