12 young volunteers from China went to Africa for the first time.
On August 4th, the "Farewell Ceremony for China Youth Volunteers to Ethiopian Service Team" was held in the VIP room of the Capital Airport. Leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, chinese young volunteers association, Beijing Communist Youth League Committee, Beijing Volunteers Association, Chengdu Communist Youth League Committee and Chengdu Youth Volunteers Association, representatives of the Ministry of Commerce and Ethiopian Embassy in China, journalists from the capital news unit and representatives of youth volunteers from the capital saw them off at the airport.
The selection of young volunteers to serve in Ethiopia is the first time that young volunteers from China have volunteered in Africa, and it is also the first government-funded youth volunteer project commissioned by the Ministry of Commerce in chinese young volunteers association. According to the Exchange of Letters Agreement between People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on "Assistance to Ethiopian Youth Volunteers Project", chinese young volunteers association coordinated Beijing Volunteers Association and Chengdu Youth Volunteers Association to undertake the recruitment, selection, training and dispatch of volunteers to Ethiopia. The selected 12 young volunteers will go to Ethiopia to carry out volunteer services in biogas development, Chinese, sports, health care and information technology for half a year. Chinese young volunteers association's working group in Ethiopia went to Ethiopia on the same plane to coordinate the implementation of volunteers' specific posts, accommodation arrangements, daily management and liaison work.
At the ceremony, Wang Xuefeng, director of the Youth Volunteer Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and vice chairman of chinese young volunteers association, pointed out that the volunteer service of young China volunteers in Ethiopia will further enhance the traditional friendship between the Chinese and African people, mark the further development of China's young volunteers to the world, and also indicate a broader development prospect of China's volunteer service. Wang Yue, Deputy Secretary of Beijing Communist Youth League Committee, and Ali, Second Secretary of Ethiopian Embassy in China also delivered warm speeches at the ceremony. Speaking on behalf of all volunteers, Ai Feng, the captain of the service team and a doctoral student at Fudan University, said that he would live up to the ardent expectations of the people of the motherland and the vast number of young volunteers, unite and cooperate, study with an open mind, work hard, strive to contribute to China-Africa friendship, and strive to be a young messenger of China-Egypt friendship. The head of the Youth League Committee of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine spoke on behalf of the selected volunteers and their relatives.
At the beginning of April, recruiting volunteers to serve in Ethiopia caused a strong response in Beijing. The enthusiastic consultation and registration attracted nearly 100 college students, employees and returnees. After written examination, interview, physical examination and political review, it was finally determined that 10 selected volunteers and recruited 2 biogas technical volunteers from Chengdu. Volunteers who go to the Ethiopian service team, the oldest is 38 years old, and the youngest is 2 1 year old. Most of them graduated from universities with good foreign languages, 5 of them are studying for master's degree, 1 are studying for doctor's degree.
From the end of July to the beginning of August, China 12 young volunteers went to Ethiopian Service Team to attend pre-departure training at Beijing Foreign Studies University. During the training, Gao Yuanyuan, Deputy Director of the Foreign Aid Department of the Ministry of Commerce, attended the opening ceremony. Wang Xuefeng, Minister of Youth Volunteer Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, and Guan Chenghua, Secretary of the Beijing Youth League Committee, paid a special visit to all the volunteers. Comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and other units gave special lectures on foreign affairs discipline, foreign etiquette, and the development of young volunteers' actions in China. Ethiopian volunteers also participated in quality development, team awareness training, medical rescue knowledge and emergency handling. Talia Liu, the first batch of Beijing volunteers serving overseas, introduced their experiences in Laos. Fanta, an Ethiopian student studying at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, introduced Ethiopian language, culture and customs to volunteers.