Society
Families reborn after children killed in quake
By Shan Juan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-07 07:02
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Women who lost children in Sichuan quake get help with next pregnancy
BEIJING - By the end of this month, about 2,200 babies will have been born into families who lost their children in the massive earthquake that jolted Sichuan province in May 2008, family planning authorities said.
 A hostess talks to 11-month-old Jiang Yuejia and her mother at a charity event on Thursday. Jiang is one of 2,106 babies born into families who lost their children in the massive Sichuan earthquake in May 2008. ? |
"It was the greatest blessing to have the new baby. He helped save our marriage and bring back hope for life," said Li Juan, holding her 14-month-old boy, at a charity event held by the Chinese Red Cross Foundation in Beijing on Thursday.
A native of Pengzhou, Sichuan, Li lost her 5-year-old son in the quake two years ago.
"I'll tell my boy in the future that he used to have an elder brother," she said, with tears in her eyes.
"With a service card distributed by local family planning officials, I received several services like consultations before pregnancy, medical examinations during the pregnancy, delivery at quality hospitals and follow-up doctor visits, all for free," said Li Chaorong, 32, who gave birth to a baby girl last year.
"My relationship with my husband became strained after our only son was killed in the tremor," said the mother, who still lives in a makeshift house in a remote village of Pengzhou.
"Now, I feel content with her coming to us," she said, expressing gratitude to local family-planning workers.
"They traveled long distances to our makeshift house many times, bringing consolation and guidance to help me get pregnant again," she said.
"It's really a project of hope for us," said Li, who arrived in Beijing by plane with her husband and daughter on Thursday for the charity event on behalf of all families with similar stories in Sichuan.
The visit is the first time the entire family of three has come to the capital, she said.
By the end of April, some 3,140 women in the area who lost children in the May 12 quake had become pregnant.
"For those who were older than 35 - a more difficult age for pregnancies - assisted reproductive technology was also provided by local quality institutions, also free of charge," said Li Zeying, vice-chairperson of the Sichuan provincial women's federation.
More than 100 million yuan ($14.6 million) was allocated by central and local governments for the project, official statistics show.
