In 2007, provincial CYL Committee undertook the Guyanan Program of Chinese Youth Volunteers Aiding Foreign Countries. Last August, 14 Nanjing volunteers were sent to Guyana. 

Recently, Zhang Jungao, Chinese ambassador in Guyana went back on vacation and he specially came to Nanjing to extend appreciation to Jiangsu CYL Committee and Nanjing CYL Committee. He says, volunteers behave very well in Guyana, and have played a positive role in developing folk diplomacy between the two countries.  

Zhang says, he went to visit the volunteers in their dormitories on Chinese New Year’s Eve. “These boys are young and haven’t gone through much hardship. But they are now overcoming some harsh difficulties that ordinary people cannot imagine.”  

When the 14 volunteers arrived in Guyana last August, they were allocated to different places to provide volunteer services of sports education, medical sanitation, etc. 

Volunteer Zhou Luyang, He Liangliang, Xu Can, Wang Bichao and Lin Pan have been assigned to work in Lindung Hospital in Guyana. They independently provided anesthesia for over 200 operations in half-a-year. There is no dormitory attached to the hospital. Those volunteers live on a small hill which is 4km away from the hospital, where water supply and electricity are often cut.

Volunteer Chen Wei and Liang Xingjiang who have been allocated to Guyanan Commission of Geology and Mineral Resources went through more hardships. They often participated in field operation. The longest time was for them to stay in the tropical rainforest for more than 50 days. They carried their luggage of over 50km every day, collecting samples of river and soil and slept on the hammock between trees. Due to food shortage, sometimes they even had to eat mean that had gone rotten. Chen Wei was affected by ague twice. 

The ambassador says, he knows many of the volunteers had very good jobs in China. But they chose to go to overseas countries to work as “non-paid” volunteers, whose dedication really move us. 

At the same time of providing volunteer services, volunteers also bring forth Chinese culture in various ways. 

At the party for international volunteers held by Guyanan government, volunteers proposed a plan named “Tai Ji Quan Has a Date with You”. They will teach Tai Ji Quan for free in the national park in Georgetown.
At the carnival of Guyana, volunteers performed dragon dance consecutively for 3 hours, bringing exciting sense of freshness to Guyanan people along the roads.  

“They bring forth not only the volunteer service spirit of dedication, friendship, mutual-help and progress, but also the brilliant and time-honored culture of China” Zhang Jungao says, “Though Chinese volunteers haven’t worked in Guyana for long, but they have won as much praise as other volunteers.” (Nanjing Daily)