Aid centers launched to shelter waifs
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-23 10:26

Xiao Mei, 7, is fascinated with a brand-new, remote-control toy car at a game room in an aid center at southwestern city of Chengdu. She, nevertheless, still does not know worrying her mental patient mother, whom she got lost two months ago.

Since then. She has been roaming in streets purposelessly, without knowing where she could get food to feed herself. Fortunately, she was picked up by the center a few days later.

China has more than 130 such aid centers nationwide, which have so far cost the country some 150 million yuan (18.75 million U.S. dollars). They are designated especially to shelter the homeless children.

Incomplete statistics provided by the related authority show those emergency centers have helped approximately 240,000 waifs from Aug. 2003 to late 2005.

As one of China's most successful aid center, the one in Chengdu has provides those ill-fate kids with table tennis, TV, Internet access, neat and tidy bedrooms, shower baths and other hygienic facilities.

In a joint effort to promote the work of these centers, officials from a number of central government departments met here late last week to explore more supportive financial and policy measures to that end.

According to a source with the meeting, ministries of civil affairs, public security and finance as well as local authorities at and above the city levels should form their own waif aid centers by the end of 2006.