Volunteer In China And Experience The Rise Of A Civilization
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Article by Seomul Evans
From the Yangtze River to the high altitude plains of Tibet and from the Great Wall of China to the Terracotta Warriors, there is so much that one can learn and see in China. Sporting the largest population in the world, Chinese civilization dates back to the Yellow River Valley civilization and is considered one of the oldest. There is a diverse culture, language and customs in China but the most prominent religion is Buddhism. China also has a diversity of wildlife that includes 6,266 species of vertebrates, 3,862 types of fishes and 2,404 terrestrials. There are almost 32,000 species of high plants and 2,800 species of trees. The most popular animals found here are the Giant Panda, the South China Tiger, the Golden haired Monkey, the White Flag Dolphin and the red ibis. The White flag Dolphin is in fact one of the two species of freshwater whales in the world. Apart from this, China has a wealth of cultural and historical monuments that attract millions of visitors each year to the country.
Why Volunteer In China
Volunteering in China is like becoming one with nature. There are natural extremes and cultural extremes in China, which makes volunteer work interesting and challenging. As a volunteer, you can get maximum exposure in China because there is a wealth of natural beauty that will be a part of your conservation projects. Apart from that the most interesting projects are the one, which have been built around the culture. Off late, several volunteering in China projects are into conservation of the Giant Panda and the Tiger.
Types Of Projects Available
As a part of volunteering in China, you will get to choose the kind of project you are interested in. The different types if projects available include:
* Peace volunteers: There is a huge requirement for peace volunteers in China. Volunteering in China peace project will require you to handle several facets like historic preservation, construction of low-income housing, archeology, assisting in construction of ! communit y buildings, environmental projects, wildlife surveying, environmental education, national park maintenance, social services, organic farming, working with orphans and children, working with the elderly, taking care of refugees, and AIDS education among many others.
* Conservation: There are different types of conservation projects that are an important part of volunteering in China. There is a Panda conservation project in Pingwu County that supports the maximum number of wild pandas. As a part of the program, you will be assisting different reserves and forests in breeding panda programs. Some of the reserves that you will be associated with include Gansu Province Reserve, which is the largest panda reserve in the country and is spread over 210,000ha, Baishuijiang Reserve in Wenxian County, and Pingwu County in the Sichuan province, which has 200 pandas.
* Teaching English: Teaching English is one of the most common volunteering in China programs in most of the Asian, African and South American countries. As of today, English is slowly becoming the global business language but there are not many teachers in China who can teach English. As a volunteer, you can become a part of a non-profit organization or a school and teach English to students of primary as well as secondary level. The higher the level, the higher your qualifications need to be. With the Olympic Games taking place in China, the requirement for English as a language has increased.
* Children's homes: There hundreds of orphans and street children in China who live through poverty, degradation, depravation and social problems. As a part of volunteering in China programs, you can work with these children and help them to lead a healthy life. You can impart education and take care of their emotional needs. This will provide them with hope and courage to fight their poverty and future.
Volunteer Requirements
Age: The minimum age for volunteering in China should be 18 or older.
Fee and Other details
Th! ere is a fee attached to each of the projects that you volunteer for. The fee is charged in advance and is charged for the following:
1. Accommodation2. Emergency evacuation services3. Food/meals4. Travel insurance5. Transportation within the region6. Emergency support7. All types of training material8. Supervision by local staff9. Orientation on arrival10. Local sightseeing & recreational activities
Conclusion
Volunteering in China is demanding, interesting and challenging and will offer plenty of opportunities to understand the people, their habits and lifestyle. You will get to delve deeper into their culture and traditions and share moments from their lives while giving a few moments from yours to make their lives complete and whole.
Giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang go on show in Edinburgh zoo
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