China Sets Up First Public Foundation for Children with Cerebral Palsy

The Brain Rehabilitation Fund was established by the China Population Welfare Foundation (CPWF) in May, 2011. The CPWF will cooperate with the Shanxi Cerebral Palsy Hospital, which specializes in treating the brain disease with therapies such as acupuncture and massage. The fund aims to relieve the burden on family caregivers by providing financial assistance and training so parents are able to provide effective therapy at home. In addition, the fund hopes to reduce the incidence of cerebral palsy by publicizing preventative measures to thwart the disease. More than 6 million suffer from cerebral palsy in China, among them more than two million children, said Guo Xinzhi, vice-president of the Shanxi Federation of the Disabled. "A family needs to spend more than 500,000 yuan to treat a child with this disease," Guo said. "As 70 percent of the children with cerebral palsy are from poor, mountainous areas, more than 25.6 percent of families are unable to afford medical care!"