Children orphaned by HIV/AIDS

Most children affected by HIV/AIDS did not know 30 November 2003 was a special day for them.  On that day a group of AIDS orphans came to Beijing to speak with senior government officials about the problems facing them and other children like them.

These children have become known as OVC: orphans and other vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. The orphans who came to speak with leaders in Beijing did so following a report that uncovered problems in the level of care being provided for AIDS orphans. On 30 November, those problems were voiced by the children themselves. This was new, attracting the attention of high-level decision-makers, and a national OVC policy began to take shape.

One of the children at the meeting was Ar Xiang, a girl who had lost her father to AIDS. Ar Xiang's mother disappeared soon after her father died, and she went to live with her aunt.  Due to a lack of money, she began school three years later than most children her age.  She worried that her aunt could no longer afford her school fees, and that she would have to miss out on her education.  Ar Xiang wanted to become a doctor. Her hope, she said, was to find a cure for AIDS.

Today, along with about 300 other AIDS orphans, Ar Xiang no longer worries about school fees. The China-UNICEF OVC care project handles that for them. She also feels encouraged and happy because a group of women from her village comes to see her often, encouraging her to draw, write, sing and dance. She is now able to express herself easily. 

Another AIDS orphan who spoke at the Beijing meeting was Masan. AIDS had claimed her father, and along with her sister and brother she had gone to live in her grandfather's house.  She was frightened and intensely shy, unable or unwilling to speak with strangers. Each day after school she fed the animals and cooked for her family.  She missed her parents and was unable to speak with her grandfather, who was deaf.

In the past year, Masan has become a different person.  She smiles now, and her shyness has faded. She talks of her trip to Beijing, about meeting the big officers, about Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall.  Asked about her future plans, Masan says she wants to be a traveler, so she can see the beauty of the world. 

These success stories stem from UNICEF's collaboration with the government. The China-UNICEF OVC care project delivers not only financial resources to fund children's education, but also the love, support, and encouragement of adults which children need to become confident and strong. With UNICEF's help, China's AIDS orphans can envision a better future and begin to grasp it with their own hands.