Ｈｅｌｐｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ Ｌｅａｓｔ Ｆｏｒｔｕｎａｔｅ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ Ｎｅｘｔ Ｇｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ

ＢＡＩ　ＸＩＡＯＷＥＩ

TO the casual passer-by, Sancha in Datong County, Shanxi Province, looks like any other northern village. But a closer look reveals each household here comprises two foster children, cared for by a community of nannies. The oldest foster mother is aged over 80, the youngest is 24. Presently the village is home to 260 orphans, but since 1968 Sancha has taken care of more than 1,000 orphans or abandoned children from the Datong Social Welfare Institute. Many suffer from congenital conditions such as cerebral palsy.

Providing a Supportive Environment

Jin Xianmei started working as a nanny in her early 20s. At just over 50 she has taken care of more than 35 orphans. Her own three sons are married and have moved out, so she now lives with her little foster son. She plans to build a house and find a wife for the boy if he cannot go to college. “He is like my own son,” she says with a smile.

Other nannies have also built houses for those formerly in their care, and prepared weddings for the boys. “They often use their own savings – sometimes its money they have set aside for their old age,” says Jin Baoli, director of the Datong Social Welfare Institute.

Each child in the village receives an allowance of between RMB 260 and 300 a month, and an annual clothing allowance of RMB 100. The institute also provides tuition fees for those going to school. “We guarantee them a good education,” says Jin Baoli. “Although education fees make up at least half the cost of taking care of a child, many go to college and one even got a masters degree.”

Some children only stay in Sancha a short time, as the Welfare Institute aims to place orphans with a family looking to adopt a child. There is an administrative center in the village, where families can apply to raise an orphan. Applicants are required to be physically healthy, generous and economically comfortable. Parents with older offspring of their own are more easily approved, as it is thought the children can help to take care of their foster siblings. If its discovered families mistreat a child they lose the right to be foster parents.

Even if children only stay a short time at Sancha, providing a warm, family-like environment for young orphans is vital to the childrens development. Social research shows that crime rates amongst orphans generally are high, as the youths frequently suffer psychological problems resulting from a lack of family support. There are no criminal records amongst the 1,000 orphans brought up in Sancha, a testament to the hard work and care of the nannies.

Extra Care

Although many parents adopt children from the Datong Welfare Institute, they usually take those who are healthy or can be successfully treated. The children left usually suffer from severe physical or intellectual disabilities. Rehabilitation services are thus central to the villages activities.

The institute has to pay all medical and rehabilitation expenses, but as Director Jin explains, “We never have enough to cover all the children. Mothers come to me sometimes, but the little money we have has to go to those most in need.” For children with permanent disabilities or incurable conditions, the aim is to get them to a point where they can take care of themselves in daily life. “If they cannot, the institute is open to them for their whole lives and we will take care of them to their last days,” Jin states firmly.

Xiaohao is one child who will probably spend his life in Sancha. Seeing strangers in the village, the four-year-old smiles dazzlingly and waves his arms about. “He is greeting you,” his nanny exclaims. Xiaohao suffers from cerebral palsy. His nanny and aunt often play run-and-turn with him on the bed. He can cover the two meters between the two adults, but his walking posture is not stable. Xiaohaos center of gravity is too far forward, his knees cannot bend, and his upper limbs cannot swing. His nanny hurriedly stretches out to support him before he falls down. “Come, call mom, call mom!” she says. Xiaohao opens his mouth, then closes it. At last he manages to murmur “mom.” Compared to normal kids, he is behind in his physical development, as well as his language skills. But after a year of support and training, Xiaohao can now walk and call for his foster parents. His nanny has been told the congenital condition cannot be cured, but Xiaohao should be able to take care of himself after further treatment and training.

Xiaohaos foster mother has two sons of her own. They moved out after marriage. “They like playing with Xiaohao and his brother,” she says. “I dont have a spare room, so the four of them sleep in the same bed if my sons stay at home for a night or two.” Some 90 percent of the children in Sancha suffer from various medical conditions. Of the 260 orphans living in the village at present, over 180 are cerebral palsy sufferers.

Helping Kids to Help Themselves

In 2007, the Welfare Institute cooperated with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation on a program to help intellectually handicapped children develop. The program aims to provide timely medical treatment and training so affected children can improve their ability to take care of themselves and adapt to living in society.

Four-year-old Xiaogui was diagnosed with cerebral palsy three years ago. His mother Ms. Zhang brings him to the Recovery Training Center at the Welfare Institute every day. “Today he will practice how to string beads, and grasp a spoon,” his mother explains.

The training center can receive about 40 children a day. “The room is too crowded for all children suffering cerebral palsy,” says Ding, a teacher in the center. “We divide them into groups, and select a parent as leader.”

“Xiaogui improved a lot after five training courses, although he didnt get through them smoothly,” says Ding. “He sometimes gets fidgety during the training sessions of two to three hours, or forgets what he has just learnt. We have to repeat the exercises many times, and ask his mother to do the same at home.”

The institute has made a detailed training schedule for every child. Xiaogui, for example, is undergoing a three-step plan. The first involves improving the muscle strength of his right limbs by pushing against walls and grasping different objects. In the second, he will receive grasping training to improve the dexterity of his right hand. In the last step, Xiaogui will learn how to count from 1 to 10 and recognize some simple characters like “da” (big) or “xiao” (small).

“Parental assistance is very important, so we also have to provide training for them,” says Ding.” Of the 40 children who have received intensive training through the program, 34 have shown obvious improvement. Families from within China or abroad have also adopted five of the youths.

Whether they are young orphans who can go on to lead normal lives, or children requiring permanent special care, the work of the Welfare Institute and other similar organizations is vital. Without these groups, many children would never receive the love, attention and support they need to grow into happy, productive members of society.