Bringing hope and friendship to the 'left-behind' children of Yunnan

Cao Fahui lives in Tengchong, a village in Yunnan province. It is on the border of China and Myanmar, poor and remote, and is home mainly to Lisu people, an ethnic minority group.

Cao's parents, who make their living growing corn and vegetables, have both been in poor health recently.

The family stays in a house built of bamboo strips, which cannot take much rain or wind, and because it is dark and gloomy, Cao often has to do her homework in the yard. Yet she is still the best student in her class, with excellent grades.

The conditions of many rural households in such remote mountainous areas of China are similar, leaving students such as Cao with little knowledge of the outside world, let alone the chance of traveling or making more friends.

Across China there are also many "left-behind" children living in rural villages who have been abandoned by their parents as they leave home in search of work in cities.

Many of these children lack not only the security of a family, but also adequate medical care or education.

And so it is with this in mind that China Daily has decided to join with the China Youth Development Foundation and the Good Seed Charity Fund, under the sponsorship of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, to support a week-long trip to Beijing next week for 30 students from such impoverished areas of Yunnan.

The awardees have been selected based on academic performance and on their family's finances. They will visit places of interests including the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the National Stadium, the Water Cube, the Beijing Aquarium and the National Museum of China.

It is hoped that their visit to the capital will help raise awareness of the plight of many impoverished children like them across the country, whose intellectual growth is being held back by their circumstances.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn