Children in Hardship: Shine like a diamond

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Editor’s note: In order to protect the privacy of the minors, pseudonyms are used for the children's names.

- I emptied my pockets, with no regrets after I saw these two children.

Who are they?

They belong to a group called "children in hardship," which generally refers to children who grow up in poverty and thus have limited access to medical treatment or education, who have difficulty in receiving rehabilitation and nursing due to their disabilities, and who are subject to abuse, abandonment, or accidental injuries for lack of or improper family custody.

On June 16, 2016, the Chinese State Council issued a guideline on taking better care of these children. The rules stress ensuring subsistence, basic medical care, schooling, custody and other forms of assistance for children in hardship. According to official estimates, there are millions of these children, but so far there are no exact official figures.

CGTN reporters took a trip to Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province, to meet two of these "children in hardship."

Childhood trauma

Xiaoyu, an eight-year-old girl who lives with her mother and grandmother, has a childhood that's different from most. Xiaoyu’s mother is deaf and divorced from her father, who is also disabled, when Xiaoyu was only five years old. After the separation, Xiaoyu’s grandmother decided to move the whole family to Changsha to give her a better life. Her grandmother spent her life savings to buy a small house of 30 square meters, accommodating the three-person family.

Xiaoyu’s mother works at KFC, and her grandmother has a monthly pension of 2,000 yuan (312 US dollars). This meager pay is the only source to support all aspects of their lives.

In the rural area of the same city lives a 12-year-old boy named Xiaojie, also with his mother and grandmother. But Xiaojie’s life seems to be tougher. His parents divorced when he was six, and the boy moved to live with his father. A few months later, his father disappeared after driving Xiaojie to school. His grandmother is now his only family.

Xiaojie learns how to type on a keyboard during Information Technology class. /CGTN Photo

Xiaojie’s grandmother is not well educated. The only income they have is from selling seeds and the her part-time job. Xiaojie’s mother is working in the city, but she only spends time with Xiaojie a few days out of the year.

Their worries

Xiaoyu’s grandmother could not help crying when talking about her concerns. She worries how her daughter and granddaughter will live if she passes away. She worries about who could help with Xiaoyu’s studies in the future. She worries that her daughter and granddaughter won't be able to communicate with each other.

Xiaojie’s grandmother worries even more. Last year, a major flood raged across Hunan Province, damaging farmland, and leaving her family with only 6,000 yuan (936 US dollars) this year. The family is barely making ends meet.

Xiaoyu during a reading class, which helps her improve her reading skills. /CGTN Photo

However, she worries more about Xiaojie’s future than his financial situation. Possibly because of a lack of familial stability and support, Xiaojie is not doing well academically, especially in math and English. Just like Xiaoyu’s grandmother, Xiaojie’s grandmother worries how Xiaojie can live after she passes away.

Their dreams

Xiaoyu studies hard, and she is in charge of publicity work in her class. Her dream is to have her own room, rather than live with her mother and grandmother in a poky house.

For Xiaojie, his dream is very different from those of his peers. While others his age dream of being scientists, astronauts, doctors, or soldiers, Xiaojie wants to be a security guard. We were really curious as to why. “Because I am strong and tall,” said Xiaojie. “But more importantly, I want to protect my grandmother, I do not want anyone to bully her.”

What they need

On November 30, 2016, Hunan Province also issued a guideline on taking better care of “children in hardship.”

Since 2011, the Hunan provincial government has pledged 2.1 billion yuan (327.3 million US dollars) to secure the basic living costs, medical treatment, education and employment needs of “children in hardship” in the province.

All of these children are living in poverty, but simply offering them money is far from enough. Tong Lihua, director of Beijing Juvenile Legal Aid and Research Centre, indicated that joint efforts from the government and the rest of society are essential for children in hardship.

He said that we should fully invigorate social organizations and solve the problems of “children in hardship” through the power of community. Meanwhile, promoting child protection services, establishing and perfecting monitoring guidance, psychological counseling, legal services, social integration and guiding family relations are indispensable parts of this initiative.

Before we left the two kids, we repeatedly told them to be strong, and optimistic. We know that all so-called "children in hardship," not only Xiaojie and Xiaoyu, have the ability to turn their lives around, but they could all use a little help. Their futures are bright, and they have it in them to shine like diamonds.

(CGTN's Huang Yichang, Zhong Jianli, Zhou Jing, and Li Qian also contributed to the story.)