'Not a single child at the school has died': The Chinese doctor who built a school for HIV-positive children abandoned by the world

CHINA: In 2004, Guo Xiaoping walked into the AIDS ward of an infectious diseases hospital in Linfen, Shanxi province, and found something that would change the rest of his life: children old enough to be in school, with nowhere to go.

All of them had contracted HIV at birth. Many had lost their parents to AIDS or been abandoned shortly after. And yet, with early diagnosis, lifelong medication, and proper care, they could live long and healthy lives, if only someone gave them the chance.

Dr Guo, then the hospital’s director, decided that someone would be him.

A ward becomes a classroom

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Dr Guo started small, transforming a hospital ward into a makeshift classroom where he and the nurses taught Pinyin and multiplication tables. He later recalled a mother who entrusted her child to him before she died. As more children arrived, the improvised classroom quickly became overcrowded.

In 2006, with contributions from the hospital and the public, Dr Guo founded the Red Ribbon Primary School, which is named after the global symbol of HIV awareness, care, and hope, in Linfen. It remains the only full-time school in China dedicated to HIV-positive children.

Fear, stigma, and perseverance

The early years were not easy. Recruiting teachers proved difficult. Some renovation workers fled upon learning who the students were. Villagers refused to accept money from the children, fearing the virus could survive on banknotes.

Dr Guo pressed on. Through sheer persistence, he assembled a small team of substitute and residential teachers, including one who was himself living with HIV.

The school was not without controversy either. Some questioned the use of hospital funds for what they considered an uncertain project. Others argued that educating children separately amounted to a form of discrimination. Dr Guo acknowledged the dilemma but maintained it was the only way to protect the children from a world that was not yet ready to embrace them.

In 2011, the local government began providing funding. Shortly after, Dr Guo resigned as hospital director to devote himself entirely to the school.

What the school looks like today

SCMP reported that today, the Red Ribbon Primary School has dormitories, classrooms, a cafeteria, and activity spaces, along with medical check-ups, nursing care, and treatment support. Teachers supervise every dose of antiretroviral medication, understanding that even a single missed day can jeopardise years of progress.

All pupils at the school now have undetectable viral loads, meaning the virus is effectively suppressed and the risk of transmission is extremely low.

“In all these years, not a single child at the school has died. That is a miracle,” Dr Guo told mainland media, as quoted by SCMP. “The only difference between them and other children is that they take one extra pill a day.”

Lives transformed

Among the school’s first pupils was Cuicui, not her real name, who arrived at seven years old, having faced ridicule and rejection from the children around her. She vividly recalls her first meeting with Dr Guo, when he shared a bowl of food with her, a gesture few would have dared at the time. “I felt accepted,” she said.

Cuicui went on to gain university admission in 2017 and later worked for an artificial intelligence company. In 2022, she returned to Red Ribbon School at Guo’s invitation. A year later, she celebrated her wedding there, with a husband who was also living with HIV.

Another student, 17-year-old Huoji, also a pseudonym, came from the Daliang Mountains in Sichuan province. Born with HIV, he lost both parents and three younger brothers to AIDS. When Dr Guo journeyed to the mountains in 2022 to bring several HIV-positive children to the school, Huoji was not initially on the list due to limited spots. Dr Guo made the decision to include him anyway. Today, Huoji is dedicated to his studies, aspiring to become a doctor and “save humanity,” while saving money from school charity sales to buy gifts for his elder sister.

A legacy being carried forward

Dr Guo retired in 2023, entrusting the school to Wang Xia, his former colleague and head nurse at the infectious diseases hospital, and one of the original teachers from the ward classroom days. Dr Guo’s daughter also works at the school.

As of 2025, Red Ribbon Primary School has 46 pupils and supports an additional 16 by covering their education and living expenses. Over the years, it has cared for 127 children from 14 provinces across China. Of those, 65 are now fully employed. Some have married and started families, giving birth to healthy children through preventive measures that break the intergenerational cycle of HIV transmission.

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