Washington Post Examines Chinese Organization Providing Art Therapy, Education to Children Affected by HIV/AIDS

The Washington Post on Sunday examined the Hong Kong-based Chi Heng Foundation -- a Chinese not-for-profit foundation launched in 1998 that provides art therapy and educational assistance to children affected by HIV/AIDS. The organization will open an exhibit in Leesburg, Va., on Jan. 27 that includes a collection of paintings, drawings and essays. The collection, titled "Living Dreams in a Dying Village," was created by children affected by the HIV epidemic in rural China. Chung To, chair and founder of the Chi Heng Foundation, said that the programs aim to keep children affected by HIV/AIDS in school by covering fees for children with at least one parent living with HIV/AIDS or having died from AIDS-related causes. Currently, the Chinese government provides educational aid only for children who have lost both parents to HIV/AIDS. The New China News Agency estimates that there are about 76,000 AIDS orphans in China, and the number is expected nearly to quadruple by 2010, Chung said (Feldmeier, Washington Post, 1/22).