Liu Shuqin has raised 10 foster children in past 15 years

Like any stay-at-home mother, Liu Shuqin's day starts with cooking breakfast, waking up her daughters and then sending them to school.

"Let mom help you with the buttons on your shirt," Liu, 53, tells her 7-year-old daughter, Song Xinying.

Then she starts helping another daughter, Sima Yiding, now 18, with her hair. "See how mom combs your hair. Aren't you my pretty girl?" she said.

The teenager seems shy and keeps her head down. "Yeah, it looks pretty," she mumbled.

Xinying and Yiding, both mentally disabled, are among the 10 foster children Liu has raised since 2003 in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

They were abandoned by their birthparents when they were born. After spending time in an orphanage, they were sent to Liu's home as part of China's efforts to explore new ways of helping disabled orphans.

"They are slower than other kids. The little one still can't use chopsticks after four years of learning," Liu said. "But I see them as my own kids."

Liu already had two children before she became a foster mother. Her own children were already teenagers when she took in her first foster child, Yiding, at the age of 3 in 2003.

"I never forget the day I saw her," she said. "She was wearing a cute little hat and was so adorable."

Liu thought it would not be a problem to care for the children, as she had already raised two. But it was harder than she expected. From teaching Yiding how to use the bathroom to being with her when she received treatment, Liu never gave up on her. She was her mother, teacher and rehabilitation trainer.

Four years ago, Liu had to stay in bed due to a waist injury. One day, when only she and Yiding were home, the then-14-year-old girl volunteered to bring her a glass of water. It seems natural for an ordinary child of that age, but Liu knew only too well how valuable it was for a child like Yiding. She was moved to tears.

"I felt all those years of caring were not in vain," she said. "Although Yiding is not good at expressing her thoughts, she knew her mom was too ill to get out of bed and needed care."