The Association has hold “Our Homeland, Our Joy” for ten consecutive years, to visit rural regions in China and provided voluntary teaching services for local children.
25 teenager volunteers joined the programme and went to Qingyuan this year. Before departure, they completed a series of training workshops to know more about national education service, left-behind children, and points to note to volunteer in rural regions in China.
In order to experience local life, participants stayed with the rural families and learnt farming skills. They also visited a Yao’s village and joined the bonfire with the ethnic minority residents. The volunteers gave away necessities like rice, cooking oil etc. for the families who are living below the poverty line.
Many locals choose to work in the cities to earn a living, while their children are forced to be left behind in the village. Without parents taking care of them, the left-behind children crave attention. Therefore, when the volunteers visited the primary school with a lot of left-behind children, they did not only design songs and dramas to teach English, but conducted mini games that nurture good characters and impact the children. The stationary and books that the volunteers prepared also served multiple purposes. They constituted a better learning environment, and more importantly, encouraged the children to never stop learning.
“Our Homeland, Our Joy” was first launched in 2009. It aims to send care and support to the residents in Qingyuan, especially kids. To help the children grow healthy and all-round, the programme provides necessary goods to improve their learning environment and living condition. For more details about the project, please visit its Facebook Page.