NGO to make short film on children of HIV-positive people

According to China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, by the end of October 2015, there were 575,000 HIV/AIDS people in the country. Some 177,000 have died of the disease so far.

In the 1990s, tens of thousands of impoverished farmers from places such as Henan made a living by selling blood illegally. Many were infected with the virus because of safety problems.

The NGO, founded in 1998, funds the education and living expenses of young people with at least one HIV-positive parent or parents who have died of AIDS, and also offers counseling programs and vocational training to them.

"I hope education changes their destiny and they can be optimistic about life and integrate into society. They shouldn't feel ashamed or inferior because of the disease in their families," To says.

It's not easy to find a spouse when such children reach a marriageable age because it takes a long time to fight social stigma.

"Most such young people are healthy, but their parents are HIV-positive. Even if a boyfriend or girlfriend accepts that, their families are likely to oppose a marriage," he says.

The NGO started to offer matchmaking services in recent years and 26 infected couples were married.

With medical intervention to block mother-to-infant transmission of the virus, 16 females have given birth to healthy babies.