TIANJIN: At the tender age of 7, Shang Fulin barely survived a fire that scarred his face and left his hands malformed.

Bravely, Shang has undergone eight major operations, including skin transplants and plastic surgery on his face.

Despite the odds and roadblocks, Shang has built up a pleasant and outgoing personality and learned to battle physical and mental adversity for the past six years.

He and his parents say they owe many thanks to the local scouting association for the help it has provided to them and to boys and girls whose childhoods are overshadowed by mishaps ranging from illnesses and poverty to the loss of parents.

Shang's scout group was founded in 1997 in Hexi District, North China's Tianjin municipality, 120 kilometres from Beijing. It is the country's first non-governmental organization to foster the mental well-being of disadvantaged children.

Despite all the pain he has had to endure, Shang has learned to swim, paint and play chess during his scouting experience, and encouraged his peers to be as strong and optimistic toward life as he is.

The scouts can be a necessary supplement to school education, said sources with the local education authority.

"These children need special care and support from society, but above all, they need to be strong," said an official.

"We're strong and full of sunshine," the children sang each time they gathered for gymnastics, summer and winter camps and voluntary services at communities.

To date, the association has set up 40 branches in Tianjin and opened a hotline to provide psychological counselling for children. It has received several hundred thousand yuan in donations from corporate and individual sponsors.

Of its 4,000 members, 2,520 receive financial aid and 2,000 get special training in a range of cultural and sport activities.

Two per cent of the 50,000-plus primary school students in Hexi District are from single-parent families, and the figure even tops 9 per cent at some schools, according to a recent survey by the local education authority.

Further, a considerable portion of young children are suffering from varied diseases or poverty.

"These children are often timid, unsociable and extremely sensitive," said a primary school teacher in Tianjin. "They are considered by many to be 'problem kids' and may suffer from more severe mental problems if not guided properly."

Sources with the scout group say they are ready to enroll children from well-off families as well, since surveys show that some are spoiled and dependent on their parents for everything, and have difficulties in socializing with other children.

(China Daily 02/03/2004 page14)