Work in an Orphanage in China

Project at A Glance Location: Xi'an Arrival point: Xi'an International Airport Hours: 30-40 hours per week Food: Chinese food (3 times a day) Room: Home base Date: First and Third Monday of each month.

Project Summary

There are millions of orphans in the world. Many of China’s orphans are abandoned – their parents simply walk away. Abandonment statistics have increased with the China’s “one child” rule (or Family Planning Policy) and the societal value of boy babies only further complicates a dire situation. Most Chinese orphanages are understaffed and short on necessary manpower and funds. Orphanage volunteers in China are needed to help provide love and care for these children, assist with homework and demonstrate valuable life skills. Chinese orphans in our programs are lively and inquisitive – they love learning from our volunteers! The most valuable act a volunteer can offer an orphaned child is the feeling of being wanted and loved. This interaction warms the heart of both the volunteer and child!

Skills/Qualifications Needed

Volunteering with orphans in China requires no particular skills or qualifications. However, However, volunteers must be flexible and patient. You should have passion and love for orphaned children. You should also be open-minded to cultural differences.

Volunteer Responsibilities

As an orphanage volunteer in China, you will be involved in many child-focused and enjoyable activities with these children. You offer happiness and a chance for a brighter future. Day-to-day activities include basics like feeding the children and preparing them for school. You will also arrange afterschool projects - games and crafts, sports and help them with their homework. You might also teach the children English. You interactions with these children share love and instill confidence as they consider a parent future

Room/Food/Supervision

We offer a “home base” in Xi’an, China. Our home base is located in a beautiful area of Xi’an city. This area /community is very safe, clean and accessible to local transport. Residing within this community are many business families, high ranked government officials and people with a high social status. It’s near to the supermarket and the shopping mall and you can easily walk to the local bus station if you choose to go into town. The nearby internet café, restaurant, police station and supermarket are just 1-3 km away. Our home base accommodations offer volunteers a wonderful place to rest and relax after a day’s work or weekend travel. This is the ideal setting for individuals looking for a “home away from home” and the perfect arrangement for sharing your daily experiences with fellow volunteers, or local staff.

Dependent on the season and flow of volunteers, you may be placed with a local host family or with the family of our in-country coordinator. Our host family homes provide similar amenities as our home base, but you will also have your own room. Staying with a host family offers a valuable chance to learn more about Chinese people and their culture. When selecting home base or host families, we were primarily focused on the safety and comfort of our volunteers. In all China volunteer projects, breakfast, lunch and dinner is provided throughout the duration of the project. We offer 3 meals a day of local cuisine (Chinese food). Typically, volunteers eat breakfast and dinner at the home base and have lunch at their project. We offer fresh, nutritious and safe local foods to our volunteers to eat. We also work extremely hard to maintain our facilities in a positive condition.

Most of our volunteer projects in china are within 5-30 minutes away our home base in local bus. China has very strong and reliable system of local bus so you will be traveling to/from in local bus each day. Volunteers at our Panda Conservation project will stay at a modest economy hotel, close to the Conservation Center. We have a strong partnership with this hotel and they treat our international volunteers with kind respect and offer a very safe environment. Internet is available at this hotel. Breakfast - lunch - dinner is provided at a nearby restaurant, which offers very delicious Chinese food. In China, our in-country staff provides highly effective field support. Whether you stay in our home base or with a host family, our coordinators visit you regularly (even day or within 2-7 days) to ensure a successful and happy volunteer experience