Ex-hospital director opens China’s only school for HIV-positive children to provide shelter

A former hospital director in northern China has dedicated over two decades to creating an educational sanctuary for children living with HIV.

Guo Xiaoping, 63, a former director of an infectious diseases hospital in Linfen, Shanxi province, began his mission in 2004 after discovering children in hospital’s Aids ward who had reached school age but lacked access to proper education.

He transformed a ward into a makeshift classroom, where he and the nurses taught Pinyin and multiplication tables.

All the children had contracted HIV at birth. Many had lost their parents to Aids or had been abandoned shortly after birth. However, with early diagnosis, lifelong medication, and proper care, they could lead long and healthy lives.

Guo later recalled a mother who entrusted her child to him before she died. As more children arrived, the small classroom became overcrowded.

In 2006, with contributions from the hospital and the public, he founded the Red Ribbon Primary School, named after the global symbol of HIV awareness, care, and hope. It stands as the only full-time school in China for HIV-positive children.