Saving AIDS Orphans in China

Here in the United States, it can be hard to imagine that there are kids in the world who have nothing, not even an adult to take care of them. But in many parts of the developing world, orphans are as common as rain. The nonprofit group Half the Sky works extensively in rural China to help orphaned children. Among their projects, they work with the Chinese government to bring early intervention to kids in dozens of state-run orphanges, where kids are fed and clothed, but don't get much, to say the least, in the way of human touch or interpersonal development.

In Henan Province, where Half the Sky is very active, the group cares for many of the children there who lost parents to AIDS when, years ago, a company that paid poor farmers cash for blood plasma failed to use clean equipment and in the process infected thousands with the deadly virus.

According to the Half the Sky website, they are working in "partnership with the Henan Province Bureau of Social Welfare, to provide permanent family care to 225 orphaned children living in villages across the province."

The partnership has even "converted a government orphanage for children orphaned by AIDS into single family homes as a pilot project to provide permanent family care to 48 children in one hard-hit township."

A huge donation from The Chia Family Foundation has enabled Half the Sky to pay school fees for  more than 130 of these orphaned kids. Many had been forced out of school, not only for lack of the tuition fees that public schools in China charge all students, but also try to support themselves "as migrant workers or field hands. They are now attending high schools, vocational schools, colleges and universities."

Half the Sky has a variety of programs to support on their website, and every penny of your donation goes to pay for programs as it is an all-volunteer organization.

Photo courtesy of Half The Sky.