Feature: Fostering a spirit of family, homeliness for less fortunate kids

Xinhua

8th July 2022

Feature: Fostering a spirit of family, homeliness for less fortunate kids

When Cao Guozheng told Wang Bingneng that orphans and children with disabilities were fostered in his village for a monthly remuneration of only 316 yuan (around 47 U.S. dollars), Wang could not believe his ears and thought Cao was playing a trick.

In 2000, the Ministry of Civil Affairs called for the development of family foster care, prompting Cao, the then Party chief of Kunming Municipal Children's Home in southwest China's Yunnan Province, and his colleagues to begin searching for a suitable place to pilot foster parenting.

At that time, the child welfare center had only about five staff members. But, the number of orphans and children with disabilities in the welfare center exceeded 700, adding excessive stress to the institution and its staff.

"It is only family foster care that can take the pressure off the child welfare home, and most importantly it can provide orphans with a home environment, which makes a complete difference to their future growth," Wu Fashun, a staffer of the welfare home, said.

"In addition, rural areas are more suitable for foster care than cities because of the abundance of housing and workforce," Wu added.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2022-07/08/content_78313386.htm