China
China is undergoing huge changes. The standard of living has risen impressively over the past 30 years. Yet there are widening gaps between rich and poor, and urban and rural areas.
The expansion of urbanisation and the increasing number of migrant workers means that hundreds of millions of children are either left behind at home or migrate with their parents to urban areas. In addition, street children, children with disabilities and children affected by HIV and AIDS also lack care and protection.
- We’re improving education for 370,070 children
- We’re supporting 11,841 children affected by HIV and AIDS
- We’re providing a safe space for 31,702 children
- We’re improving the health of 24,943 children
- We’re helping 70,000 children caught up in emergencies
Save the Children in China
We helped people affected by severe floods in China in the 1930s and provided food and shelter to victims of the war with Japan.
Now we run projects in more than ten provinces and regions, focusing on ensuring that all children can attend school and get a good quality education; protecting children from harm; improving children and women’s health; preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS; responding to emergencies; and assisting in long-term reconstruction work.
We’re improving the quality of education
In the poorest areas, many schools have no resources other than desks and chairs, and offer only a limited curriculum.
In Yunnan, where we’ve worked with local schools since 2000, local education authorities this year took over full responsibility and funding for three of our county-level project offices. It’s mainly teachers from Yunnan, trained by us, who are in turn training teachers throughout the provinces where we work. Through this work, we’ve improved the quality of education for 63,000 children over the past year.
We’re providing safe places for children
Some 22.9 million children are left behind in the rural areas while their parents have migrated to the cities. Normally they stay with relatives, but too many are poorly cared for and some are abused. A further 20 million children have migrated to the cities with their parents, but unless they are registered there they are unable to go to school or get medical care.
We’ve set up children’s activity centres in villages, poor communities and schools. The centres provide safe places for children to play, learn and socialise.
We’re saving children’s lives
A child born in the remote areas in the west of the country is still much more likely to die before the age of five than a child born in the industrialised east. In cities, babies born to parents who have migrated from the countryside are also far more likely to die, often because they can’t afford medical care.
In Tibet, we’re already helping villages and schools improve their water supply and sanitation, and we’re running workshops promoting healthy behaviour, such as always washing hands before eating or after using the toilet.
Over the next five years, we want to improve the health of 200,000 children under five, 280,000 10—17-year-olds and 91,000 pregnant women.
We’re helping disabled children realise their rights
According to official statistics, there are more than 3.8 million disabled children in China under the age of 14.
We’re working with the Disabled People’s Federation and other disability groups to advocate for disabled children’s rights. We supported the establishment of a local NGO, Rights into Action, which provides rehabilitation training and services for children and youth with disabilities, especially children with cerebral palsy, mental handicap and autism.
We’re responding to children’s needs in emergencies
An earthquake hit Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, in May 2008. It happened at
2.28pm on a school day — 7,000 schools collapsed, and thousands of children and teachers were killed. Millions of children had their education interrupted. Our response team was on the ground within 48 hours, conducting an assessment and working with government partners to help children and their communities.
To help children get back to school as quickly as possible, we’ve distributed educational supplies to 62,910 students and 811 teachers in 26 primary and middle schools and 42 kindergartens.
To respond to the needs of children affected by the earthquake in Sichuan, we’ve developed a two-year plan to help get their lives back to normal. In the next stage, we will launch projects in more remote areas, rebuilding kindergartens and providing education for preschool-aged children.
Relief materials for Tibetan children
We took immediate action to help children affected by an earthquake in Damshung County, in Tibet, in October 2008. We distributed 329 sets of winter clothes to Geda township primary school, as well as vegetables, other groceries, pencils, washbasins, etc. We also carried out a training workshop on risk reduction for 20 teachers.
Find out more
- Download the full China country brief (PDF 123KB).
- Read 12 year old Hongjiao's experiences of education in China.
China related articles
- Wednesday 21 May 2008 Chinese earthquake: Child quake survivors desperate for support
- As panicked people abandon buildings following prediction of a second major earthquake, Save the Children sends in an international team to advise on dealing with stress.
- Thursday 15 May 2008 Save the Children calls for safe places for children in China
- As China reports 14,866 dead - with the figure set to rise - Save the Children calls for safe places for children and their families to take cover.
- Tuesday 13 May 2008 Children main victims in China earthquake
- The number of deaths from China's earthquake yesterday is reported at 11,921 with almost 7,000 hospitalised and 60,000 unable to be reached. The numbers are likely to climb once communications are restored.
- Tuesday 13 May 2008 Number of victims mount in aftermath of an earthquake measuring 7.8 in south-west China
- In China, at 3pm their time yesterday, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the richter scale hit the Wenchuan county in Sichuan Province. Xinhua agency is quoting 5,000 dead and thousands more injured.
- Wednesday 11 June 2008 China one month on: Children in quake zone need ongoing help to recover
- The three million children affected by the Sichuan earthquake one month ago will need support for years to come to recover from the aftermath of the disaster.
