The Hainan Beatitudes Foundation held its first annual meeting in Haikou on March 12, launching the first non-governmental project of caring for children with thalassemia.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder which causes decreased hemoglobin production, as accelerated hemolysis shortens the life span of red blood cells. Globally, 100,000 babies are born with the disease every year. According to statistics, 4.83% of the worldwide population carries globin gene variants with some silent carriers. In Hainan, the proportion is 15%, compared to 55% in minority areas.
In the project for children with the disease in Hainan Province, the birth rate of these special children can be reduced by the publicity of premarital examination, obstetric abdominal examination and prenatal screening.
Liu Shifu, a Hainan native, has donated blood 110 times since 2001. He said, "The 20 years of blood donation proves that I’m living happily and healthily. There are more than 700 children affected by the disease in Hainan with a blood shortage, so I insist on donating blood all year round. To supply a year of blood transfusion to a child suffering from the disease who needs 800 ml of blood in one month, 18 people need to donate 400 ml four times a year.”
In the event, representatives of assisted students, the disabled and patients with thalassemia came to express their gratitude to the foundation.
Established in 2014 and registered with the approval of the provincial department of civil affairs, the faith-based Beatitudes Foundation is a provincial public welfare organization with the United Front Work Department of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee as the business director and guidance unit. It mainly focuses on the four major areas covering education, medical care, culture and environmental protection, setting up public welfare agencies such as charity stations in many places throughout Hainan.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
