AIDS: agony hidden in the depths of the mountains
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Many children were orphaned after the death of their parents.
Yiguayi and Yigushigan (not their real names ) lived in Muzhaluo Village of Zhaojue County. Their father died in 2005 and their mother was a drug addict in the rehabilitation center.
This 13-year-old sister and eight-year-old brother were living in a seven-square-meter adobe house in which cracks began appearing on the walls. There was no furniture in the room and they had to do their homework in their neighbors' houses.
When winter came and it was snowing outside, the children were still wearing single layer coats and worn-out shoes. "When it was too cold, we run in the yard to warm ourselves," said the girl.
When asked if they miss their mom, Jihuayi would shed tears. "At those times I sing the song 'girl without mom' and weep in a corner," she said.
However, measures have been taken to help those affected by the deadly disease in Liangshan.
Ten hospitals offer methadone replacement therapy to addicts and 64 such outlets were set up. Also, impoverished people were exempted from the costs. To date, 4,839 people have received medical treatment for drug rehabilitation.
Further, local doctors were trained to be "supervisors" for those infected with the disease. A total of 6,366 doctors were involved in the training.
Cooperating with some non-governmental organizations such as UNICEF, the prefecture launched training for affected people, including AIDS orphans. "They could learn some skills so as to live a better life on their own," Xu Wenqing said.
In Butuo County the infection rate, at 7 percent, is among the highest in China, said Li Xu, an official with the Health Bureau of Liangshan Prefecture. To date, 23 girls received trainings and have become employed.
Low-income subsidies were given to these orphans. A total of 1,771 orphans in Butuo received 126,000 yuan.
However, Xu Wenqing noted that more orphans were not eligible to enjoy the subsidy, as they were not registered after birth.
"In the past, some people in Liangshan attached little importance to education and didn't think a Hukou, or household registration, was necessary," she said.
An example was 15-year-old Ayijizha (not his real name) from the Bingdi Village of Jinyang County, whose parents were both dead from AIDS. UNICEF gave him two sheep and he now lives on money made selling wool. He grew vegetables and chopped firewood, but didn't go to school. The house left by his parents was almost empty. The only thing eye-catching was a wooden frame with photos of the boy with his parents on the wall, when the family was still complete.
Another problem was lack of funds.
Xu said that the civil affairs bureau of Jinyang County had only some 3,000 yuan a year for AIDS prevention and control.
"Local officials had wanted to go door-to-door in villages to get some detailed information, but as the roads were rugged, the sum of money was even not enough for fuel fees," she said.
The UNICEF program officer who had been to Liangshan several times became sad when talking about the situation in the prefecture. "This disease is still spreading and the situation of the infected people was really worse than you can imagine."
While she was calling for more concern for the people in the depth of the mountains in Liangshan, Qubisuobu was worried about his family.
When Xinhua reporters visited him, a funeral in his village had just ended and several men dressed in black went out of a shanty, slowly and quietly.
Qubisuobu said it was another person who had died from AIDS.
"I know my days are numbered, but who would take care of my wife and children after I die?" asked the man bitterly.
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