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Training eases nurses' fear on AIDS orphans
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-01 17:17
"We were very scared," said Feng Liqing, a nurse at the Lincang
children welfare facility in southwest China's Yunnan Province, a major region
hit by HIV/AIDS in China, while recalling what had happened last summer.
When nurses at the children welfare facility received an orphan from civil
affairs officials one summer day, they were very scared-- the kid was found to
be HIV positive.
The same fear can be found elsewhere in many of China's welfare facilities
today. To address this problem, the China Charity Federation organized this week
a first-ever training seminar on HIV/AIDS knowledge for over 100 staffers at
children welfare facilities.
"This seminar is to equip them with HIV/AIDS knowledge and to help them treat
children affected by HIV/AIDS the same as other kids," said Liu Hongwei, a
federation official.
As the HIV infected rate continues to rise, the number of AIDS-caused orphans
grows as well. According to statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Health, the
number of such children stands beyond 80,000, all living under stigma and
discrimination.
A survey done by a professional health organization in China expects the
number to grow to up to 200,000 by 2010.
Some 20,000 such children now live in welfare facilities or adoption centers,
whose staff generally lack knowledge about AIDS, self-protection and child
education.
According to Feng, who also participated in the seminar, in the end the
welfare facility set aside one room for the kid alone and hired three village
women to take care of him around the clock. The kid was strictly secluded from
other kids. "Children often fight and the danger always exists," she said.
Although she knows some basics about the epidemic, she was worried about
accidents like minor cuts that often occur in child care.
"The staffers fail to take care of the children out of fear. We hope to help
them overcome fear through the training program," said Liu.
The training program includes basic knowledge on AIDS diagnosis,treatment and
prevention, psychological treatment for the children and tips for staffers as
well as relevant state policies.
After days of study, Feng Liqing said she learned a lot to share with her
peers. "I think they will change quite a bit," she said.
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