More help awaits left-behind children

Provided to China Daily

Today, with more children being registered by their families for government assistance, the program is set to travel to Kunshan in Jiangsu province, Haining in Zhejiang province, Luoning in Shenzhen, Guangdong province and another 46 cities.

Mei Hongfang is one such social worker, who visits Panpan every week to play with her. "I've also helped Panpan apply for the minimum insurance for children with more than 100 yuan per month," Mei said. "The villagers do not know about rules on children's welfare."

These child welfare officials are picked by local civil affairs bureaus from communities within which they live, and they help families identify the needs of children and offer counsel on available assistance. They fetch birth certificates and residence identification papers that help grandparents enroll children in schools and get them vaccinated at healthcare facilities.

Additionally, "barefoot" workers identify vulnerabilities in children and the protection they may need.

Mei visits more than 10 children in the county every week. Xiao Yun is another child who gets Mei's special attention. After being orphaned two years ago, his personality had changed. "He didn't want to talk and always kept to himself," Mei said.

She befriended Xiao Yun and helped him apply for orphan grants of 7,200 yuan per year. "He talks more and gets along well with other kids," she said.

There are several government policies to promote basic rights of children in China, said Wang Zhenyao, dean of Beijing Normal University's China Philanthropy Research Institute. However, children in poverty-stricken areas or those living away from their parents often lack the knowledge to access social services.