Twelve orphans whose parents died of AIDS visit the Tian'anmen Square and the Great Hall of the People August 10, 2004.

An opening ceremony of the summer camp for AIDS orphans was held on Tuesday in the Great Hall of the People.

The summer camp was sponsored by China Youth Concern Committee (CYCC), UNICEF and Chinese Foundation for the Prevention of STD and AIDS (CFPSA).

Gu Xiulian, vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) said at the opening ceremony that AIDS orphans, children who lost their parents at a young age to AIDS, belong to the world's most vulnerable social group and need more care and help from society.

"The summer camp aims to eliminate social bias against the AIDS orphans and to mobilize the whole society to take care of them," said Li Qimin, an official with the CYCC.

The 72 AIDS orphans, aged from 9 to 16, came from five provinces of Shanxi, Jilin, Sichuan, Henan and Yunnan. None are carriers of HIV.

"I am so happy to be here! This is my first time in Beijing. I want to visit everywhere in the city," said 13-year-old Cheng Xingxu, one of the summer camp participants, who lived with his uncle after his parents died four years ago.

He said his school tuition has been waived and local government gives him 160 yuan (about 19.3 US dollars) a month to him as subsidy.

Dr. Christian Voumard, UNICEF representative to China said that China has greatly protected these children's development and education rights in the past ten years. This summer camp could be regarded as a solemn commitment made by Chinese government to take care of AIDS orphans.

The orphans will be taken to the city's tourism destinations for sightseeing and to theater for seeing children operas during the five-day-long summer camp.

Despite strides in AIDS education, biases persist.

The summer camp's organizing committee was refused by nearly 40 hotels, schools and rest houses in the past two months before finding accommodation for the orphans.

According to a prediction of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China will have 138,000 to 260,000 children who have been orphaned by parents who dyed of AIDS.

Source: Xinhua