Hu appeals for more care for orphans
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-06-01 06:31
President Hu Jintao yesterday spent some time with disabled youngsters and
orphans on the eve of Children's Day while Premier Wen Jiabao also spoke with
students.
President Hu chats to an
intellectually-challenged (cerebral palsy) girl and her teacher at Beijing
Children's Welfare Institute yesterday, on the eve of International
Children's Day. Hu taught children to make zongzi, traditional glutinous
rice dumplings wrapped leaves prepared for the Dragon Boat Festival. "They
are the weakest and neediest group in society. They need the most care and
love," he said. [Xinhua] |
At the Beijing
Children's Welfare Institute, Hu taught children to make zongzi — glutinous rice
dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and eaten to celebrate the Dragon Boat
Festival. In a classroom for handicapped kids, he was greeted with a paper-cut
flower made by eight-year-old Nan Nan, a mentally-challenged girl who is
learning how to talk and walk.
Holding her, Hu said the government should improve facilities to assist
disabled children and orphans. "They are the weakest and neediest group in
society," he said. "They need the most care and love."
The president thanked institute teachers for their contributions to the
development of special education. He also visited Xisibei Kindergarten and urged
school teachers to teach the kids to love, study and become builders of the
country.
Meanwhile, Wen was busy with pupils in a Beijing elementary school. He sent
an e-mail greeting to children in Tibet thousands of kilometers away. At Shijia
Elementary School, Wen was greeted with applause from more than 400 pupils from
10 urban and rural primary schools around the capital.
Ding Yawen tied a red scarf — symbol of the children's organization Young
Pioneers — around Wen's neck. In a computer class, Wen wrote greetings to pupils
at No. 3 Elementary School in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, and sent an e-mail,
saying, "Study hard, grow up healthy and contribute to the country."
Marking the Dragon Boat Festival, Wen also made zongzi with the children. He
watched an exquisite student performance and urged them to always study hard and
prepare for the country's massive modernization drive. "It depends on us and you
to achieve modernization and common prosperity in both urban and rural regions.
But ultimately, it is up to you."
Also, the country wants to provide free medical treatment to 30,000
handicapped orphans within three years. The "Tomorrow Plan," funded by the
Ministry of Civil Affairs, a three-year project that started in 2004, aims to
give 30,000 handicapped orphans free operations. There are approximately 66,000
orphans and abandoned babies living in welfare homes nationwide. About half of
them are disabled.
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