China Orphans: Woman in Beijing provides home for abandoned children

World
Europe

02:28

Thousands of children are abandoned in China every year. But one woman has made it her mission to help as many as she can. CGTN's Frances Kuo has her story.

It's play time and big smiles beam from these little ones.

LU LIJING FOUNDER, "DEW DROPS LITTLE FLOWER" "To me, it's simple, no politics. I just work with children."

Lu Lijing -- nicknamed "Lily" -- founded this special place in Beijing in 2006. It's called "Dew Drops Little Flower" -- A non-profit organization that helps abandoned children who are sick and have disabilities.

LU LIJING FOUNDER, "DEW DROPS LITTLE FLOWER" "They smiled, they made you feel relaxed, no pressure. And then gradually, I wanted to learn more, and wanted to do more."

And she has -- big time. Twelve years since she started the organization, Lily and a group of volunteers have cared for more than two-thousand young orphans.

REBEKAH BODDEN VOLUNTEER "I think that Lily has lots of stories of children she has helped, and took care of them, took a chance on them."

Including one abandoned boy -- who suffered from heart defects and other conditions.

LU LIJING FOUNDER, "DEW DROPS LITTLE FLOWER" "On one side, it seemed impossible for him. There were too many things going on. But on the other side, he has the most cute, clear eyes, just looking at you. It seemed like he was saying 'Help me!' So that was the very struggling part."

Lily didn't give up on him. Now the three-year-old boy has a healthy life -- with his adopted family in the US. But not all orphans have such a happy ending.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, there were 460-thousand orphans in the country at the end of 2016. Many of them have health problems and disabilities.

Lily doesn't have children of her own, but this is her family.

REBEKAH BODDEN VOLUNTEER "She's invested so much in all of these children, and she is that mother figure. And I think also to us as a staff and a team, we all look up to her and even though she might not be our 'mother', per say, we all kind of see her that way."

FRANCES KUO, CGTN.