XI'AN, China (UCAN) -- Parents of mentally handicapped children are becoming more assertive and demanding better professional care for their youngsters, according to nuns working with such families in Shaanxi province.

Ever since Franciscan Missionaries of Mary began this special ministry in 2001, the Religious women say they have noticed a change in how people of the province regard the mentally challenged in their society.

The sisters run Xi'an Boai (universal love) Kindergarten, a government-registered daycare center for mentally challenged children aged 6-12. It is based at a former minor seminary in Xi'an, Shaanxi's capital, 900 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

Sister Lu Zhiwei, the Kindergarten's principal, recently told UCA News that operating the school has become ever more challenging. "In the past, we had no experience in handling these children," she said, "but parents were content, as long as we served the children with a loving heart and kept them safe. Today, parents expect much more and insist that we become more professional."

All seven nuns serving the kindergarten's 17 children are certified teachers in child education, but they lack special education qualifications for the mentally challenged, Sister Lu noted. She also said there are no such training programs available in the region. "All we can do is take relevant short-term courses, whenever available, to enhance our knowledge and skills," she said.

Sister Lu explained that today's parents are eager to find a well-managed school for their mentally challenged children but usually are minimally committed toward the school and only sometimes attend school outings. Most parents, she said, must rush to work after bringing the children to school.

Parents living outside Xi'an city have asked to have their children admitted to the kindergarten, Sister Lu said. She also said most parents now dare to admit their problem publicly, so as to seek and offer support to each other.

The nun recalled that most people simply neglected the mentally challenged in the past, so some parents kept their children at home all day to avoid being discriminated against, even after the children had grown up.

Though discrimination now is much less, Sister Lu added, many mentally challenged children, especially in rural areas, receive no special education.

Boai Kindergarten has two classes that teach basic living skills and general education to the children, depending on the extent of their disability.

As the new school year was about to start this September, the nuns were planning to accept three new students and add another class, particularly to teach the children how to live in the community and acquire certain skills.

Sister Gao Pusong, the teaching supervisor, told UCA News that since some of the children must be taught on a one-on-one basis, the kindergarten cannot admit too many new students at the beginning of any school year. She also said that the work has boosted the nuns' own solidarity. "We used to argue about minor matters," she admitted, "but the kindergarten has increased our spirit of cooperation because he must cooperate to do what is best for the school."

Two other members of her community serve at the Xi'an branch of the Huiling Community Services for People with Disabilities, not a Church organization. Sister Gao said: "The experience of our sisters in Huiling helps enrich our knowledge. We are very happy the government has let us register our service." Even so, according to the Religious women, the government provides no subsidy, nor is the public at large offering any donations.

As a result, the sisters say they can barely cover expenses, even after they raised monthly school fees to 330 yuan (US$40) in early 2004, the third increase since the school began. Nonetheless, the kindergarten continues to waive school fees for children of families that have financial difficulties.

There are 208 Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Shaanxi province. The motherhouse of the province is in Sanyuan, 36 kilometers north of Xi'an.

According to a survey of the China Disabled Person's Federation in 1987, there were more 10 million mentally challenged people in China, 5.39 million of them younger than 14. According to estimates based on that survey, China now has around 11.8 million mentally challenged people.

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http://www.ucanews.com/2004/09/02/nuns-serving-mentally-challenged-children-help-change-social-attitudes/?key=huiling