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IT'S been six months since Ma Yanli arrived in this poor village in northern Hunan Province. She's a volunteer teaching people to use the Internet."These days in Chengnan Village are the experience in my life," said the 23-year-old Beijing native and recent human resource management graduate of Beijing Union University.
To people like Ma Yanli (R) the experience out there could be very different. PHOTO BY DU JUANAs a member of the Communist Youth League Central Committee's "Western Project", Ma joined 17,000 other graduates in volunteering to spend a year of her time in poorer parts of central and western China. The programme, which started in 2003, is supported by the Education, Personnel and Finance ministries. Volunteers work as teachers, doctors and technicians in backward places where life is not very easy. Many of the volunteers are from villages themselves. Then there are those like Ma who had never been outside the city before joining the programme. For them, the experience is certainly a great deal different than urban life. Meanwhile, for most people, the priority is just finding a good job after graduation. But the project may provide an interesting alternative. One of the volunteers, Dai Lihui, who was born to a farm family in a small village in Sichuan Province, dreamt of working in a big city. That was during her four years in Xihua University in Chengdu, Sichuan. But, she has two sisters and one brother. One sister has graduated from university and the other is still at university, as is her brother. Her family were so poor that she had to use bank and university loans to complete her education.Civil serviceThe programme could have a major impact on her life. She's working in Xinzhou County in Hunan and has changed. "I'd like to stay here after one year and be a civil servant," she says with a smile, "This was the least risky and most affordable choice for me after graduation. My family cannot provide me with money to rent a place and find a good job in a big city." Dai is happy with her work: "I have a strong feeling of being needed by the people here. I know I can use my knowledge to help them." And there are others who are choosing to stay. Zhao Yong, a Youth League secretary, says that, out of 1,770 volunteers who have finished their one year of service, more than 400 have decided to stay put. Yi Liangwu, deputy secretary of the Qijiang County Party Committee in Chongqing, believes volunteers mean a lot more than their work indicates. This year, eight of the 17 volunteers in Qijiang whose time was up, chose to stay. "These volunteers create a healthy atmosphere for our county. Last year, more than 30 university grads applied for jobs in Qijiang. Such things have never happened before," said Yi. Even For those who don't plan to stay, such as Ma the city girl, the time could be more than just a little excitement in their lives. Volunteer spirit"I've always wanted to experience life in the countryside. I was not sure whether I could manage it. Going to the countryside was a big challenge to me," said Ma, "I've got used to the life here. I also understand more about the volunteer spirit." To volunteer, she gave up a position with a big restaurant chain in Beijing, with a monthly salary of more than 2,000 yuan. She now gets just 600 yuan a month from the Youth League and some 200 yuan from the local government for accommodations. After a year's service, Ma plans to return to Beijing and find another job. She also plans to do more for people who need help. "You know, hanging out on the Internet could be a way to kill time, but why not do something to help others? There's always something worth doing," Ma says.(excerpted from 21stcentury.com.cn)