Currently, China has 573,000 orphans, including 202,000 children who are in need of care and financial assistance from the government and the public.

Most of the 202,000 orphans stay with their relatives or grandparents who are in financial distress, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The survey showed that 495,000, or 86.3 percent of the 573,000 Chinese orphans, live in rural areas, 69,000 stay in orphanages or home for the aged, 53,000 live on government subsidies for low-income families and etc.

Meanwhile, orphans suffering from HIV/AIDS have received financial assistance from the government or non-governmental organizations.

Some experts have proposed that more favorable policies have to be adopted for helping the needy children such as exemption of school charges until their graduation from high school and establishment of a special fund by the government to aid these children.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2005)