A total of 9,149 disabled orphans in China have received surgery and rehabilitation over the past year, financed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The surgery - from correcting vision to repairing other disabilities - is expected to help children lead normal lives and make them more attractive to prospective adoptive parents.

Since launching the Tomorrow Plan, more than 1,500 orphans have been adopted after having surgery that many families cannot afford. Operations make it easier for them to take part in normal social life.

About 115 million yuan (US$18 million) have been spent to implement the "Tomorrow Plan - Operations and Rehabilitation for Disabled Orphans."

"Surgical operations have improved the physical conditions of disabled orphans," said Zhang Shifeng, deputy director of the Social Welfare and Social Affairs Department of the Civil Affairs Ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2005)