Currently, China has 573,000 orphans, including 202,000 children
who are in need of care and financial assistance from the
government and the public.
Most of the 202,000 orphans stay with their relatives or
grandparents who are in financial distress, according to a recent
survey by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The survey showed that 495,000, or 86.3 percent of the 573,000
Chinese orphans, live in rural areas, 69,000 stay in orphanages or
home for the aged, 53,000 live on government subsidies for
low-income families and etc.
Meanwhile, orphans suffering from HIV/AIDS have received
financial assistance from the government or non-governmental
organizations.
Some experts have proposed that more favorable policies have to
be adopted for helping the needy children such as exemption of
school charges until their graduation from high school and
establishment of a special fund by the government to aid these
children.
(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2005)