Accompanied by her grandfather, 12-year-old orphan Fan Wenyu from Xiajin County, in east China's Shandong Province, withdrew from her bank account 300 yuan (U.S. $48), which was provided by the Spring Bud Project as part of their financial-assistance program to help underprivileged children.

"My family is very poor. Both my wife and myself are too old to make money for the family. The financial aid offered by the local government has helped us a lot," said the grandfather Fan Shiqiu emotionally.

The financial aid provided to children like Fan Wenyu is from the Spring Bud Project, sponsored by the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation (CCTF). The Spring Bud Project provides financial assistance to Xiajin County’s impoverished children with the help of the local government, especially those who are orphans. Fan Wenyu's father died of illness, and her mother left home to get remarried, leaving Fan with her grandfather, who raised her by himself. When the women's federation of Xiajin County learned about the child's difficult circumstances, it included Fan on their list of children to receive financial assistance, covered by the Spring Bud Project. Every year, Fan can receive anywhere from 300 yuan to 500 yuan (U.S. $48 to $80) from the local government.

However, the small sum of money can hardly cover Fan's living expenses. In consideration of this, the local women's federation asked the local authority of civil affairs to offer additional assistance to underprivileged children like Fan on a regular basis. The federation conducted an investigation on all the orphans and children from single-parent families in the county and provided the list of names to the local authority of civil affairs. The federation also took concrete measures to ensure that all financial-assistance payments were given to children in need and were used exclusively to cover their living expenses.

According to the local women's federation, a total of 45 orphans and 202 other impoverished children from single-parent families have each received financial assistance of about 600 to 1,000 yuan (U.S. $96 to $160) per month from the local government.

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)