Luodian’s Zero Thalassemia Plan Shows Promising Results, Safeguarding a Healthy Future for Thousands of Families

Luodian’s Zero Thalassemia Plan Shows Promising Results, Safeguarding a Healthy Future for Thousands of Families

Since the launch of the Zero Thalassemia Plan by the Beijing Jingyan Foundation in Luodian, Guizhou, this livelihood project—dedicated to protecting children’s health and family well-being—has quietly transformed the lives of many local families.

Without grand slogans but through solid, consistent actions—each subsidy, every round of screening, and every awareness campaign—the program is building a zero thalassemia sky over Luodian, bringing hope and health to households across the county.

Collective Action Speeds Up Thalassemia Prevention in Luodian

With the active advocacy and professional support of the Beijing Jingyan Foundation, the Luodian County Government has attached great importance to the implementation of the Zero Thalassemia Plan, designating it as a key livelihood project for systematic advancement. A Zero Thalassemia Plan project office was established under the direct leadership of the county authorities to coordinate the initiative, effectively integrating resources from multiple departments, including health, civil affairs, education, medical insurance, and the women’s federation to form a strong, county-wide collaborative effort.

To ensure standardized and efficient implementation, the County Civil Affairs Bureau and Health Bureau jointly issued the Implementation Plan for the Zero Thalassemia Plan, providing detailed arrangements and clear division of responsibilities for every stage, from dynamic monitoring of affected children to pre-pregnancy screening, public education, fund management, and social assistance.

This comprehensive approach has created a full-chain management model covering screening–diagnosis–intervention–assistance–rehabilitation. These efforts not only highlight the Foundation’s pivotal role in mobilizing resources and building mechanisms but also demonstrate the Luodian County Government’s strong commitment to coordinated governance. At the same time, they reflect the active participation of medical institutions, community organizations, and other partners, who together are accelerating the county’s comprehensive prevention and control of thalassemia.

Targeted Aid from the Jingyan Foundation Lights Up Hope for Children with Thalassemia 

The systematic identification and management of children with thalassemia in Luodian County, supported by a dynamic screening mechanism conducted every six months, originated from the Jingyan Foundation’s strategic recommendations and sustained advocacy. Before the implementation of this mechanism, the county had only limited information about the number and health conditions of affected children. Since the signing of the Zero Thalassemia Plan cooperation agreement in April 2025, the Foundation has worked closely with the local government to advance comprehensive screening efforts. To date, a total of 163 children with thalassemia have been brought under systematic management, ensuring that local authorities now have a clear and accurate understanding of each case.

Building on this, the Jingyan Foundation has continued to expand its assistance efforts, offering comprehensive support to affected children and their families. In addition to providing transplant funding for eligible cases, the Foundation has extended living subsidies to families facing severe financial hardship, significantly reducing their economic burden. Inspired by the Foundation’s leadership, local government departments—particularly civil affairs and health—have strengthened policy coordination. As a result, 36 families have been granted minimum living allowances, and two special cases have received temporary financial aid totaling over 18,000 yuan.

What is particularly encouraging is that, with the strong support and assurance of the Jingyan Foundation, five children (Cen * Ke, Wang *, Huang * Yu, Wang * Yu, and Luo * Di) have successfully undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and are now recovering well. Through its dual approach of financial assistance and service support, the Jingyan Foundation has established a comprehensive pathway of hope for children with thalassemia in Luodian—from early detection and medical aid to treatment and recovery.

Jingyan Foundation Goes to the Frontlines in Luodian, Combining Free Clinics, Training, and Home Visits to Strengthen the Community Health Safety Net

As a core component of the Zero Thalassemia Plan, the Jingyan Foundation leveraged its expertise and medical resources to their fullest, bringing top thalassemia specialists from across the country to Luodian. Through free medical consultations, grassroots training, and household visits, the Foundation comprehensively supported the development and strengthening of the county’s thalassemia prevention and treatment system.

In April 2025, as part of the Good Deeds in China series under the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project, the Jingyan Foundation coordinated a multidisciplinary team of experts from Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, the 923rd and 925th Hospitals of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Joint Logistics Support Force, and the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University. They provided free medical consultations for nearly 60 children with thalassemia, including physical examinations, report interpretation, and complimentary thalassemia gene testing and HLA typing for children without confirmed genotypes. Concurrently, the Foundation organized a specialized training program on thalassemia diagnosis and treatment, inviting national experts to systematically train over 100 frontline healthcare workers across Luodian County. The training covered key topics such as prevention strategies and optimal timing for transplantation, and incorporated a mentorship approach in which local doctors actively participated in hands-on consultations, thereby strengthening the county’s primary-level diagnostic and treatment capacity.

At the same time, Ms. SONG Yan, Chairperson of the Jingyan Foundation, personally led a team of staff and volunteers to visit the homes of children with thalassemia across multiple locations in Luodian. They carefully assessed the children’s treatment progress, understood the actual difficulties faced by their families, listened to caregivers’ concerns, and evaluated the implementation of local thalassemia prevention and control policies. These visits laid a solid foundation for subsequent targeted interventions and service optimization, while demonstrating the Jingyan Foundation’s strong commitment to advancing Luodian toward a zero thalassemia goal.

Precise Screening Builds a Strong Firewall for High-Risk Families

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder. If both parents carry the thalassemia gene, there is a 25% chance that their child will be born with severe thalassemia. Early screening can identify at-risk pregnancies, guide reproductive decisions, and help prevent the birth of severely affected children.

Under the Zero Thalassemia Plan agreement, the Jingyan Foundation provides partial subsidies for thalassemia screening for eligible early-pregnancy couples in Luodian County. As the pilot progressed, the county gradually established a one-stop prevention and treatment service system covering initial screening, genetic testing, and follow-up. In 2025, the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Luodian County, together with township health centers, completed thalassemia screening and genetic counseling for 712 couples and conducted full follow-up for 458 pregnancies, effectively preventing the birth of multiple children with severe thalassemia.

With the facilitation of the Jingyan Foundation, the Luodian Charity Federation partnered with BGI Shenzhen for genetic testing, providing faster and more accurate screening services for the region. This collaboration has greatly improved the accessibility and precision of screening, benefiting more families of childbearing age.

Making Thalassemia Awareness Accessible and Memorable for Local Communities

Raising public awareness is the first step in thalassemia prevention and control. The Jingyan Foundation has closely collaborated with Luodian County’s Civil Affairs and Health Commissions to distribute educational materials at key locations such as marriage registration offices and township communities. They have also developed grassroots outreach teams and, recognizing the county’s ethnic diversity, produced promotional audio materials in Miao and Buyi languages, ensuring thalassemia knowledge reaches every household via village broadcasts and WeChat groups.

Over the past year, leveraging occasions such as World Thalassemia Day, International Women’s Day, Children’s Day, and Qixi Festival, the county has organized ten large-scale awareness events, distributed over 20,000 brochures, and reached more than 8,000 participants, achieving full township coverage. Increasingly, young couples are proactively asking, “Should we get screened for thalassemia?” indicating a marked improvement in public awareness and engagement.

Transparent and Accountable Fund Management Ensures Targeted Support for Thalassemia Prevention

Under the Zero Thalassemia Plan collaboration agreement between the Jingyan Foundation and Luodian County authorities, financial management protocols were clearly defined to guarantee that every fund is precisely allocated to thalassemia prevention and care.

To ensure dedicated use of resources, the Luodian Charity Federation established a separate account and strictly follows approval and disbursement procedures. Fund usage is jointly monitored by the County Civil Affairs Bureau, Health Commission, and the Foundation, with regular audits and public disclosure. This approach ensures full transparency and traceability of expenditures. To date, project funds have been managed efficiently and effectively, with all allocations directly supporting screening, assistance, and treatment for children with thalassemia.

Strengthening the Foundations of Health, Together Toward a Zero Thalassemia Future

Since the implementation of the Zero Thalassemia Plan in Luodian, close collaboration between the Jingyan Foundation and local authorities has yielded tangible and heartening results. From precise screening to prevent birth defects, to comprehensive education raising awareness, from systematic identification and full-cycle support for affected children, to rigorous and transparent financial management, the initiative has effectively established an integrated health protection system encompassing prevention, treatment, and care.

Looking ahead, the Jingyan Foundation will continue to deepen collaboration with Luodian’s local authorities, further optimize the service chain, and expand the coverage of screening and support. By consolidating the achievements of the Zero Thalassemia Plan, the Foundation aims to help more families stay free from the burden of thalassemia, safeguard every child’s healthy start in life, and strengthen the foundation of health as a cornerstone for rural revitalization.