The SOS Children's Village in Beijing, which is slated to open on July 3, 2009, has already received its first dweller.
Zhang Wenjing, a three-year old girl from a family in Beijing's Dongcheng District, has become the first beneficiary of the Village, which is reported to be the tenth SOS Children's Village in China.
Jointly established by International SOS Children's Village and the Beijing Municipal Government, the SOS Children's Village in Beijing is a charity organization that adopts healthy children who have lost their parents and children whose parents are seriously ill or disabled. According to Jin Linde, president of the SOS Children's Village in Beijing, the Village will manage and raise each child in a family manner and each "family" will consist of six to eight children and managed by one "Mum". Jin stated that the Village can accommodate a total of 15 "families", a total of 120 children.
So far, the SOS Children's Village in Beijing has recruited ten "Mums", who are said to average of 31 years old and each holds a college diploma. It is learned that each of these "Mums" needs to undergo an interview, a written test, a mental test, and an internship, those who pass the procedures still need to take a range of training courses on cooking, rituals, clothing, and educating children before they can formally take the post.
Jin said that there are three ways for the SOS Children's Village in Beijing to raise funds. One is a subsidy provided by the International SOS Children's Village, the second is to apply for funding support from the government, and the third is social donations, which will be the main method of fund raising.
