On September 9, 2007, a workshop dedicated to "left-behind" children was convened in Zhengzhou, inside China's Henan Province. During the workshop, participants from Henan introduced their firsthand experiences on how to guide, look after and nurture children that are left behind by parents working far away in big cities.
In all of China, Henan is the largest contributor of migrant workers. Therefore, it is home to the largest number of "left-behind" children. In order to properly address the social and psychological problems that these children face, a special work group, consisting of 15 governmental departments, was set up in Henan. A variety of projects are now in full swing to provide loving care and necessary aid to these children.
Currently, Henan boasts 570 training centers to teach the guardians of "left-behind" children how to raise them properly. In rural areas, 400-odd demonstration schools dedicated to instructing guardians have been set up at various levels. Moreover, since grandparents always traditionally tend to spoil their grandchildren, 2,930 special schools are now available to teach elders how to bring up children properly.
The success of Henan participants' methodology for tending to "left-behind" children has evolved and been widely accepted nationwide.
China's economic progress in recent years has caused an increasing number of surplus rural laborers to flock to big cities seeking jobs. Their children, as a result, are left behind and have to live with other family members or even by themselves. In the future, efforts must be made to foster a nurturing environment so these children can grow up with sufficient care and education. This in turn will exert a favorable impact on the construction of a harmonious society.
(China.org.cn by Chen Xia September 12, 2007)
