Monk with 40 Kids

A Buddhist monk in East China’s Jiangsu Province who took in over 40 unwanted children is now facing trouble because he did not adopt them legally. Over the past seven years, more than 300 single mothers reportedly sought out the monk, identified as Daolu, for help, some of whom left their children with him after signing an agreement. Daolu brought most of the children to his hometown and hired nannies to care for them using donations and his own savings from his former life as a businessman. Daolu told media he wanted to give them the opportunity to become novices, but he will not force them to follow his path. However, since Daolu is not a registered monk and did not formally adopt the children, he is in violation of Chinese law. The children are also not given a residence registration, or hukou, which is crucial for access to schools. Netizens appealed for authorities to make an exception in this case as well as loosen restrictions on adoption.