About 100 Chinese children, most of whom lost parents to AIDS, will participate in a special summer camp in Beijing next month aiming to strengthen the understanding between society and the kids.

The children, most of whom lost one or both parents to the fatal disease, will spend a weeklong holiday in the capital with 200 volunteer kids as partners and 20 entertainment and sports stars as goodwill caretakers, according to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), an initiator of the camp.

"Some children face larger barriers to success than others because of stigmas and discrimination due to disability, AIDS or social circumstances," said Ken Legins, chief of the UNICEF HIV/AIDS section. "We must all work to provide an even playing field for all children and ensure their rights to participation."

During the camp, set for August 8 to 14, the children will visit the National Center for the Performing Arts, China Science and Technology Museum, the Beijing Zoo and the Great Wall, among other local interests.

In addition, they will have a chance to watch Olympic events such as baseball, beach volleyball and track and field thanks to tickets sponsored by the Beijing Olympic Committee.

All the children, most of them middle school students, come from 10 provinces such as Yunnan, Guizhou and Jiangsu. They will stay at the Beijing 21st Century Experimental School during their stay.

Camp ambassador Lou Yun, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner on the long horse vault at the 1984 and 1988 Games, said, "Humanism is an important part of the Games. I hope more children will participate in and enjoy the Olympics, and that those out-of-town AIDS orphans and city children will understand each other better."

Jointly launched by UNICEF and the China National Committee for the Care of Children (CNCCC), it is the fifth annual summer camp for children affected by AIDS since its 2004 debut.

Li Guoqiang, a four time camp leader, said, compared with the activity in 2004, they had witnessed the obvious social effects of the camps. "Most of the children have become more lively and generous during the past summer camps. This time, all the entertainment venues on the schedule have promised free admission for our kids."

Li noted that during the first camp, no hotels would accept the children.

While no official figure was available, UNICEF estimated that by the end of 2005 China had about 140,000 children who had lost one or both parents due to the disease. In addition, about 500,000 lived with HIV-infected parents.

The Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), of which UNICEF is a member, signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Olympic Committee in June 2004 on joining hands to lessen the impact of AIDS.

UNICEF official Ken Legins revealed this summer camp would be a foundation for their future work as the body was also planning similar activities in Britain during the 2012 London Olympics.

"I think it is important for us to remember that not all children's dreams are fulfilled. Today, we hope to make a few dreams come true," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2008)