Neighbors raise US$13,000 for motherless girl
Print Edition
MORE than 87,000 yuan (US$13,300) has been donated by the public to help a 7-year-old girl whose mother died last week, said an official from the family’s neighborhood committee.
The committee is holding the money for Ni Yu until a guardian is found for the child, said Wang Genxiang, a civil affairs official from the Mingyuan Village community in Yangpu District.
The child’s father lives in Shanghai, but divorced her mother after accusing her of having an affair and questioning Ni’s parentage, Wang said.
A DNA test was carried out on Friday and the result is expected to be available on March 20, he said.
The girl’s maternal grandfather Wu Mingru, 78, took care of the child for a while, but he said he can’t care for her in the long term as his wife is too sick.
Ni’s mother, Wu Yunjiao, lost consciousness after falling out of bed on February 20 while celebrating her 48th birthday with her daughter. The child called neighbors for help and Wu was taken to hospital.
She died three days later, Wang said.
The neighborhood committee launched a fund-raising campaign to cover the cost of her mother’s medical bills, as the family lived on government support in a small flat.
“Though the public health care insurance paid majority of the medical fees, the family still had to pay 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, which was a heavy burden for them,” said Wang, who also manages the family’s handouts.
“The girl is so cute and polite, we all like her,” he said.
“So we asked neighbors to offer a hand.”
The initiative attracted not only residents, but also the local media, who reported the story in newspapers and online.
“It’s really touching to see so many kindhearted people in the city,” said Wang Qiaoying, the committee’s deputy Party chief.
“Many people came from far away to donate money at the weekend. One man came with 20,000 yuan in cash, which he said had been given by his boss, though he refused to name him,” she said.
“Many children in our neighborhood also donated their Spring Festival gifts and their favorite snacks,” she said.
Many families offered to adopt Ni if no relatives were willing to take her.
When Shanghai Daily visited the committee office yesterday, many people arrived with donations.
“The girl is so poor to lose her single mother at such a young age,” said a person who declined to give his name.
“I saw the story online and came over from Pudong to donate several hundred yuan today after finishing some business affairs in Yangpu,” he said.
The committee has received more than 87,000 yuan and decided to pause the fund-raising while it seeks advice on what to do with the money.
“The situation is complicated so we didn’t know who to give the money to,” Wang said.
“The father said he would take care of the girl only if the DNA test proves she was his daughter,” he said.
“So we’re now waiting for the results.”
Police said that the father is a drug user.
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