Han Ximin, Yang Mei, Hu Zhixin

yangmei_szdaily@163.com

A TOTAL of 25 volunteers were awarded for their contributions of voluntary work, including the effort in combating COVID-19, at two ceremonies in Zhaoshang Subdistrict and Shekou Subdistrict in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, on Saturday, the 35th International Volunteer Day.

The 12 awardees in Shekou Subdistrict included eight expats and four Chinese, all members of the international volunteers team set up by the Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats.

The eight expats came from six countries — the U.S., New Zealand, Colombia, South Africa, South Korea and Poland — and most of them had been involved in the subdistrict’s effort in COVID-19 prevention and control.

“In the effort of the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, the expat residents had paid door visits for temperature checks of families under quarantine at home, worked as interpreters at Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, and helped with transportation of foreign arrivals to designated hotels for centralized quarantine, and with translation of COVID-19 prevention and control brochures,” Rita Yang, director of the Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats, said at an interview.

The Chinese awardees were commended for their community voluntary services such as organizing free English training for communities, law lectures for expats, and making contributions to building international blocks and community improvement services.

The Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats set up its international volunteers team in 2017, which was registered as a district-level service team at Shenzhen Volunteer Association this year.

At the launch of International Culture Week and the International Volunteer Award Ceremony on Saturday, Cai Ying, director of the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Rao Honglei, director of the Nansnan District People’s Congress, Hu Yun, director of the Nanshan District CPC Committee and Government Office, and Huang Xianfeng, vice chairman of the Nanshan District CPPCC Committee, gave awards to the international volunteers.

Also on Saturday, Zhaoshang Subdistrict commended 13 expatriate volunteers for their dedication and devotion to the community over the past year. Among them, seven were awarded for COVID-19 prevention and control work.

Addressing the ceremony, Liu Li, secretary of the Party Work Committee of Zhaoshang Subdistrict, expressed his heartfelt gratitude and recognition to the volunteers.

“The international volunteer team members are seen in every corner of Zhaoshang Subdistrict, offering services and help. They’ve made huge contributions to our development,” Liu remarked.

According to Liu, in 2012 Zhaoshang formed the city’s very first international volunteer team which currently consists of four squads engaged in environmental protection, community activities, pandemic prevention work and community services.

In an annual report reviewing the international volunteer services in 2020, Diao Xu, head of the Zhaoshang’s International Volunteer Team, said 132 international volunteers from the subdistrict have been registered on the city’s online unified management platform for volunteer services.

Twenty-six-year-old Yang Ye Jee from South Korea was one of the international volunteers awarded for her contribution to the pandemic prevention work when Shenzhen was most affected by the pandemic. Growing up in Shenzhen, Yang speaks fluent mandarin. She became a translator and coordinator at the airport, ports and communities to help her compatriots stay informed and make them feel reassured. “At first I was worried about my safety, but I didn’t hesitate too much when I realized that I can do something instead of just being at home. I felt very glad to reach out and help,” she said.

Briton Carol Quinn has been living in Shenzhen for two decades. Yet she is a newcomer to the volunteer team. Last year she joined the team and has worked 50 service hours. Quinn said in her address that being a volunteer makes her “happy and proud,” adding that it also gives her an opportunity to make friends and know more about the community.

Bruno Schuyten from Belgium was responsible for taking temperatures, handing out brochures about anti-pandemic information and help expats with the health QR codes. He told the Shenzhen Daily that he feels “more than thrilled” to be recognized. “Ten years ago when I first arrived, I lived under the radar and just did my own work. The community and Shenzhen overall have been very international and welcoming to help expats like me to be engaged,” he said.

Over the past year, Zhaoshang has seen 221 Chinese and international volunteers participate in 63 events with 1,789 service hours and more than 8,000 instances of volunteer work, according to Nanshan International Cultural Exchange and Service Center (NSIC).