A group of children were performing in a shabby classroom in a village in central China's Henan Province, singing and dancing, while the audience were clapping to encourage them to do a better job.

 

It seems nothing special for Chinese who are enjoying the traditional Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival. But what's special is that all the children are victims of AIDS, and the audience are volunteers from the Beijing Orchid Communication Center, a well-known charity body that takes care of this kind of poor kids.

 

So far, the center has taken care of more than 500 such children, with financial support from domestic and foreign donors, Li Dan, head of the non-government body, was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying today.

 

"These children need encouragement and you must stand behind them," said Wu Wei, a staff of the center. "Be proud of the way they are looking at you. Never give them up."

 

Like the center, many Chinese charity organizations take the Spring Festival as a best opportunity to show their love and care fore the needy. Government-backed semi-official charity groups are the mainstay.

 

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Huzhou City of Zhejiang Province, and Guangzhou City of Guangdong Province, these charity bodies distributed food, clothing and other daily necessities to poverty-stricken families in different ways.

 

Nevertheless, according to observers, charitable undertakings are at an initial stage in China, the largest developing country in the world, where charity groups lack funds and donors have called for adequate policy support.

 

Under such circumstances, many of the organizations can only afford charitable activities in festivals, rather than doing the job on a routine basis.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2006)