Ｈｅｌｐｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　Ｌｅａｓｔ　Ｆｏｒｔｕｎａｔｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　Ｎｅｘｔ　Ｇｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ.docVIP

Ｈｅｌｐｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　Ｌｅａｓｔ　Ｆｏｒｔｕｎａｔｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　Ｎｅｘｔ　Ｇｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ 　　TO the casual passer-by, Sancha in Datong County, Shanxi Province, looks like any other northern village. But a closer look reveals each household here comprises two foster children, cared for by a community of nannies. The oldest foster mother is aged over 80, the youngest is 24. Presently the village is home to 260 orphans, but since 1968 Sancha has taken care of more than 1,000 orphans or abandoned children from the Datong Social Welfare Institute. Many suffer from congenital conditions such as cerebral palsy. 　　 　　Providing a Supportive Environment 　　 　　Jin Xianmei started working as a nanny in her early 20s. At just over 50 she has taken care of more than 35 orphans. Her own three sons are married and have moved out, so she now lives with her little foster son. She plans to build a house and find a wife for the boy if he cannot go to college. “He is like my own son,” she says with a smile. 　　Other nannies have also built houses for those formerly in their care, and prepared weddings for the boys. “They often use their own savings ?C sometimes it’s money they have set aside for their old age,” says Jin Baoli, director of the Datong Social Welfare Institute. 　　Each child in the village receives an allowance of between RMB 260 and 300 a month, and an annual clothing allowance of RMB 100. The institute also provides tuition fees for those going to school. “We guarantee them a good education,” says Jin Baoli. “Although education fees make up at least half the cost of taking care of a child, many go to college and one even got a master’s degree.” 　　Some children only stay in Sancha a short time, as the Welfare Institute aims to place orphans with a family looking to adopt a child. There is an administrative center in the village, where families can apply to raise an orphan. Applicants are required to be physically healthy, generous and economically comfortable. Parents with older offspring of their own are