Aid-the-Disabled Volunteers Win Applause in ChinaAs if by prior agreement, Gu Yanan and Dainzin Como, who live nowhere near each other in China, have shared a habit for many years.Gu Yanan, a 15-year-old middle-school girl in the Chinese capital, has helped a paralyzed classmate get to school by carrying her piggyback every day since 1992. The total length of road she trod is estimated to be more than 8,000 kilometers. Dainzin Como, a primary school student in Tibet's capital of Lhasa, which is several thousand kilometers from Beijing, escorted a blinded classmate to school for five years -- also on her back. Gu and Dainzin have never met, but they're both devoted to helping the disabled, and are members of China's million-strong team of volunteers for the handicapped. "I volunteered to escort Hongliu (the paralyzed girl) the first time I saw her being carried to school by her mom. From the look in her eyes, I could understand how desperately she wanted to study with us," Gu recalled. "From that point on, I knew I would help Hongliu to have the same opportunities and happiness that we have," Gu said, explaining the motive behind her selflessness to a crowd of 1,000 gathered here today to hear stories of young volunteers. At the gathering, Gu, Dainzin and 65 other people across China were named by the State Council as the nation's outstanding volunteers for their excellent performance in aiding disabled persons. And 42 governmental departments, enterprises, non- governmental organizations and military squads received the title of "outstanding unit." "We hope this activity will prompt more people to join in the volunteer team," said Deng Pufang, president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation. Deng, who is wheelchair-bound, acknowledged that almost all of China's 60 million disabled people have problems negotiating through the maze of daily life, jobs, medical care, education and social activities, and they need special care from society. Statistics show that nearly one million volunteers and some 40, 000 agencies have been set up to maintain contact between volunteers and the handicapped. More than nine million disabled persons get regular help from volunteer caretakers. The volunteer population is made up of students, business people, mayors, police, and disabled people themselves, who help other handicapped people tackle the myriad challenges they face, such as cleaning house, obtaining medical treatment, getting an education, and finding a job. Shen Fuyou knows the importance of the volunteerism. Paralyzed by polio when he was five, Shen struggled with poverty for 40 years due to his inability to make a living. After getting financial assistance from local volunteers, the farmer in Baodi County of Tianjin Municipality started a small business and eventually became well off. "What I most want to do now is to help some other handicapped people. I want to be a volunteer, too," Shen said. |
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