EDUCATION / CHILD - TIBET

Tibet strives to develop children's undertakings

13:06, June 06, 2012

Tibetan kids dance to celebrate International Children's Day at a local kindergarten in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on May 30, 30, 2012. [Photo/China Tibet Online]
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has stepped up efforts to protect children's rights and interests, greatly improving their living and developing conditions, according to local authorities.

In recent years, Tibet has given priority to education and carried out the “three-guarantee educational policy” in rural areas, according to Tibet Women and Children Working Committee.

Under the three-guarantee policy, rural students can enjoy free eating, lodging and educational fee from primary school to senior high school.

Tibet will also strive to push forward preschool bilingual education during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).

In addition, Tibet has established women and children healthcare institutions at prefectural and county levels in recent years.

The mortality rate of new-born babies and kids under five had decreased from 35.28% and 57.2% in 2000 to 20.69% and 28.15% in 2010 respectively, and the immunization coverage rate exceeded 93%, according to the data released by Tibet Women and Children Working Committee.

Meanwhile, Tibet has set up 49 cultural centers, 239 cultural stations and 4 public libraries to optimize the social environment for children's development.

Source： Tibet.cn

HEALTH - KOREA

Sick girl gets new lease on life after 7-organ transplant

FEBRUARY 17, 2012 08:03

“I’d like to eat hamburgers to the fullest as my friends.” This is the wish of Cho Eun-seo, a 7-year-old girl who could not digest food well until a few weeks ago. She used to vomit most of the food she ate. As she absorbed just 30 percent of the food that she did not vomit, she needed injections to get supplemental nutrients. She also suffered from chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome, a rare disease that afflicts just 10 people in Korea. Just 87 percent of patients survive for a year and 70 percent for four years. The only cure is an organ transplant. Cho, however, had to get transplants for seven organs: liver, pancreas, small intestine, stomach, duodenum, large intestine and spleen. Astonishingly, the young girl has received all of the organs she needs. A team of doctors led by Kim Dae-yeon at Asan Medical Center in Seoul said Thursday that they transplanted seven organs of a brain-dead donor to Cho on Oct. 12 last year. The donor is known to have been a six-year-old brain cancer patient who was pronounced brain dead due to increased cerebral pressure. Kim registered Cho with the Korean Network for Organ Sharing two years ago and prepared for the multiple organ transplant surgery that requires removing almost all of the organs from Cho’s abdominal cavity. The operation took nine hours because it required the removal of nearly all abdominal organs and their replacement with new ones simultaneously. As no hospital in Korea had transplanted more than three organs at the same time, so the prospects of the operation were murky. Cho began eating food through her mouth two weeks after the transplant. One month later, she weaned from nutrient injections and began getting nutrients from meals. She was transferred to a general ward in December last year, and will leave the hospital around Feb. 20. “Due to problems related to blood type and organ size, organ transplants for children is much more difficult than that for adults and the success rate is very low,” Kim said, adding, “Fortunately, the donor’s organs were similar to those of Cho. So the transplant was successful.” Cho’s mother said, “She recovered her laughter while practicing eating food. This is like a dream,” adding, “I thank the medical team for going to great lengths to perform this difficult surgery.” Kim said, “The surgery has given hope to those suffering from rare diseases with low survival rates that they can make a complete recovery,” adding, “It is most glad to me that Cho can return to kindergarten and school.”

CHINA / WORLD - CHILDS

Young and innocent

Updated: 2012-06-04 10:51

 

A woman from the Turkana tribe carries a baby on her back at the Lake Turkana Festival in Loiyangalani, Northern Kenya. Carl De Souza / Agence France-Presse

A boy drinks from a water tap in a 'new town' in Koidu, which suffered some of the worst ravages of Sierra Leone's war in the 1990s. Issouf Sanogo / Agence France-Presse

An Afghan woman hugs her child in the old section of Kabul. Their war-torn country still faces poverty, unemployment and lack of infrastructures. Aref Karimi / Agence France-Presse

A group of kindergarten children cheers up in front of camera before their Children's Day performance in Bozhou, Anhui province. Zhang Yanlin / for China Daily

Appreciate the beautiful faces of children on this page as China Daily Sunday edition remembers them in a very special way.

China, like many other countries, celebrated International Children's Day on June 1, which was a holiday for school children. Various activities were held across the country ranging from toy fairs to drawing contests and camping. The occasion is celebrated on various days in different countries. It is observed not only as a day of celebrations, but also as a day devoted to promoting the welfare of children throughout the world. Even in the most desperate corners, people have shown astonishing determination and nurtured high aspirations for children.

Above: A boy slides down in to a swimming pool as the sun shines in the northern German city of Hameln. Left: Children dressed in traditional costumes perform a dance as part of a Folklore Festival in Oldtown Vilnius in Lithuania.