The largest union of Chinese churches in Hong Kong have been pouring out their resources to help the AIDS orphans in mainland China.
In 2007, Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union (HKCCCU) donated one million HKD to Chinese Foundation for Prevent of STD and AIDS (CFPSA). Last month, they’ve passed a resolution to give another $900,000 RMB, which will go towards 300 Chinese AIDS orphans.
On September 28, 2007, HKCCCU and its former Treasure donated 1.5 million HKD, so a total of 3.8 million HKD was donated by various religious groups to CFPSA at the Beijing People’s Hall. This fund was used to assist 3,000 AIDS orphans and those affected with HIV from eight provinces throughout China, such as Yunnan, Hainan, Sichuan, Shinjang Uyghur, etc.
Since then, HKCCCU continued to show concern and care towards the AIDS orphans in mainland. In May of 2008, the HKCCCU’s Vice Secretary Tsik Pak-Sun and General Secretary Rev. Luk Hang Chuen and ten others formed a visitation team of twelve people to visit the AIDS orphans.
While half of the visitation team was over 50 year old, they’ve had to travel through bumpy roads and, literally, had to carry each other in order to arrive at their destination which was a village located in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefectures in Sichuan Province.
Upon their arrival, the Chinese church leaders from Hong Kong delivered rice, oil, food, and candies to the families who’ve been taking care of the AIDS orphans. They’ve asked of the children’s family lives and learning situations and encouraged them to never give up and to face life courageously.
At their 20th anniversary celebration, CFPSA gave a special thanks to HKCCCU for their support towards the foundation and their care shown to the AIDS orphans in China at the Beijing People’s Hall on Nov. 28, 2009.
Earlier this year, HKCCCU passed a resolution to donate another $900,000 RMB to support this particular venue, which will benefit yet another 300 AIDS orphans and they will each receive $3,000 RMB.
Quoting James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,” HKCCCU Secretary General Luk wrote in a letter to member churches that God favors those who look after orphans and widows, so he hopes that more people can come to care for the AIDS orphans in China.
Rapid Spread, a Million with AIDS
According to statistics from a China-based United Nation’s organization, China has around 840,000 people who are HIV positive and 240,000 people who have died from AIDS, totaling a million people.
World Health Organization (WHO) stated that although the percentage of those affected with AIDS in China is still relatively low when compared to the overall population, the number of those with AIDS is ranked second in Asia and 14th in the world.
Experts have speculated on the trend of the spread of AIDS in China and found that it is spreading from high-risk people groups to normal people groups. In areas with higher AIDS mortality rates, large numbers of AIDS orphans were left behind, so some were sent to orphanages and others sent to their grandparents.
The majority of the AIDS orphans live is extreme poverty, where they lack nutrition, education, and face severe stigmatization from the society at large, thus the support and assistance from all sectors of the society is quintessential.
