Good Samaritans devote personal time to the needy, communities
Print Edition
VOLUNTEERISM is not a tradition in China, but the idea of devoting some free time to help others is gaining traction in Jing’an.
In the district’s Pengpu Town, a group of retired women has volunteered to help keep a 1.1-kilometer stretch of the Xujiazhai River clean and tidy. Come rain or shine, they are out picking up trash and reporting illegal dumping to authorities.
”It’s not particularly hard work,” said Qian Maifang, 60, who lives along the waterway. “And it’s so nice to see the riverbanks clean.”
It’s quite a contrast with the past, when the riverbank was crowded with illegal structures and polluting factory workshops. Sewage, garbage and industrial waste poured into the river or piled up on its banks. The waterway was black and stinky.
District authorities began a five-year clean-up campaign in 2005. It included relocating factories and stopping pollution emissions. But now that the river and its banks have been beautified, the volunteers are out every day to make sure the area stays that way.
“About 10 of us patrol along the riverbank for two hours every day,” said Wang Xiuying, 61. “The biggest problem is no longer illegal dumping but rather dog poop that pet owners don’t pick up.”
That nuisance aside, the riverbank has become a popular walking and meeting area for local residents.
“In summertime, many neighbors like to take an after-dinner stroll,” Qian said. “Some of them even dance or fish.”
The unlocked mind
In the No. 4 Gongkang residential area, volunteerism takes a different shape. Neighbors have been mobilized to help elderly in the neighborhood.
There was the case last year of 94-year-old Wang Manhua, who was afraid of thieves or intruders and had 32 locks installed on doors and windows in her 30-square-meter home.
“She didn’t have children,” said Feng Yingming, Party chief of the residential area. “She was caught in the jaws paranoia after her husband died about 10 years ago. She shut her door to us. Every day, we stood outside her door and asked her if she was okay.”
When she didn’t respond two consecutive times, they smashed a window and found her lying on the floor. Her refrigerator was filled with rotting food.
When volunteers were dispatched to try to help her. Wang at first refused. They managed finally to deliver meals after convincing her to open her door a crack.
Eventually, Wang’s fear began to dissipate and she welcomed the volunteers inside.
“That was a big step forward,” Feng said. “We were working hard to improve her spirits, her environment and her health.”
Wang died in January in her home, with volunteers at her side.
Eye on AIDS education
The field of health attracts many volunteers, like 30-year-old Bu Jiaqing.
Nine years ago, he resigned from a secure civil service job to become a full-time volunteer social worker, focusing his efforts on AIDS education.
“At that time, a close friend of mine was diagnosed HIV-positive,” Bu said. “It made me want to help.”
Working with AIDS patients used to carry heavy stigmas.
“Many people, even doctors and nurses, were afraid to touch HIV carriers and AIDS patients,” Bu said. “We needed to educate the public about the disease.”
To do that, he built his own volunteer organization, the Shanghai Youth Service Center for AIDS Prevention. He now has more than 10 members on his team.
The group organizes lectures on safe sex, distributes condoms to gay men, provides medical counseling and encourages those at risk to get HIV-tested.
“Every year, about 5,000 people, mostly gay men, come to us for saliva tests,” Bu said. “About 4 percent of them are found to be HIV-positive.”
Breaking down discrimination barriers against HIV-positive people and AIDS patients is much harder than prevention efforts, he said.
“Sometimes we deal with parents who think it would be better if an HIV-positive child had cancer,” he said.
He recalled the case of a man identified only as Dongdong, who was diagnosed as HIV-positive while at university.
The young man felt ashamed and quit his classes. When teachers came to ask about him, Dongdong told them of his diagnosis. The school promised to grant him a graduate certificate if he continued classwork at home.
But later, the school reneged on that promise and Bu helped Dongdong to get his certificate.
“We are just volunteers,” Bu said. “We are not authorities. When we work, we don’t take the high moral ground. We just want to help people.”
Dahvida Falanitule, an Australian who has lived in the district for nearly 20 years, is another enthusiastic volunteer.
His interest is in helping improve communications between locals and foreigners.
He recalls the time he wanted to recruit 15 other volunteers to help him in a project and 2,000 turned up.
“It’s a matter of people caring about their community,” he said. “Volunteer work is not an arduous undertaking. It’s just a matter of time.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
