On April 4th, 2017, the International Students Charity Volunteers Association, which was organized by the international students of Jilin University themselves, visited Jilin Province Orphan School under the assistance of College of International Education and had a meaningful morning with students there. Altogether 90 international students from 35 countries took part in this activity.
The idea of bringing together College of International Education and Jilin Province Orphan School was proposed by the international students of Jilin University. When explaining her intention of setting up the association, Ndukwe Eugenia Chinenye said: “We got scholarships from the Chinese government, and we are thankful for the opportunities to learn in China. Each of us has received love and care from many Chinese people, and we hope to pass on the love and care to the people in need around us. This is my original intention for the association.”
On that day, the international students first introduced their association in their Chinese with foreign accent, which drew the attention of the students. Then they played a video showing the activities of the international students in Jilin University, and the diversity of these activities aroused the interest of these students.
After the introduction, all the students went to the playground and played games in different groups. International students good at basketball competed with the orphan students on the basketball court; Indian students good at singing and dancing interacted with the orphan students from the art troupe. On the other end of the playground, students from Southeast Asian countries and African countries also formed different groups to play games and exchanged gifts with the orphan students. As they were playing games, their hearts were drawn closer. The orphan students at first dared not approach the international students and could not communicate smoothly. But in the end they grew intimate with each other and had a happy time together.
This bonding activity helped students of the orphan school open up their hearts and showed them the care from others. It also helped them to be open to the different cultures all around the world, which would be beneficial to their growth. At the same, this visit to the orphan school enabled the international students of Jilin University to better understand and make sense of China and nurtured their sense of fulfilling social responsibility and serving the society.
When the visit was over, Atay Fatma Ceren, one of the organizers of the association, said: “Today we are really thrilled. Showing people our love and care is our biggest wish. Seeing that all the orphan students had a great time, we are very happy. Besides the orphan school, we also visited some villages and helped local people with chores such as fetching water and cleaning. People were very enthusiastic to us. These activities are very meaningful. We hope to visit more schools and help more people in need.”
