Find Happiness Through Helping!
Why not get involved in something that really makes a difference to the lives of local children?
The Volunteer Program China (VPC) has been set up in conjunction with a wonderful non-profit organisation, which supports the development of blind and visually impaired orphans in Beijing.
This 8-week project runs year round, offering hands on volunteering experience and full cultural exchange for those who are serious about dedicating their time to helping others.
Volunteers will live at the orphanage, located on a self-sustainable farm and become part of the family. Full training into how to work with children with disabilities will be provided and volunteers will be responsible for providing assistance through teaching English, helping with sponsorship and fundraising, working on the farm, organising extra curriculum activities, teaching music and much more!
As well as becoming actively involved in the day to day running of the orphanage, volunteers will be fully immersed into the Chinese way of life, through language learning and cultural activities.
Meet New People
Thousands of people around the world from all walks of life volunteer abroad to developing countries every year and there are countless reasons as to why they opt to do it. Whether it's to improve the lives of others, gain exposure to a new culture, learn a new language or develop new skills, one thing these people have in common is that they want to make a positive contribution to help others.
VPC mixes nationalities, backgrounds, ages and skills offering you the opportunity to meet like-minded people who all share the same vision.
Have You Got What it Takes?
Volunteering abroad is one of the most exciting, rewarding and life-changing experiences you could imagine and it takes the right kind of person to do it. It requires passionate, dedicated and selfless individuals to set aside time to focus on supporting those in need.
Being grounded is crucial when it comes to volunteering, you may not be able to change the world in a day but even the simplest of things help to make a difference. Showing a child some affection, giving them the confidence to speak an English phrase, teaching them to tie their shoelaces or helping to harvest corn on the farm, these things help more than you could imagine!
Test Yourself
You will learn so much about yourself as a volunteer and do things that you thought you were never capable of doing. As well as dedicating your time to helping the organisation, you will gain the confidence needed to challenge yourself on a daily basis.
Being within new surroundings so unlike what you are used to allows you to gain independence and takes you out of your comfort zone. Open your mind to a whole new way of living!
Who We Work With
We are working together with a local not- for- profit organisation in Beijing, which provides foster care, education and professional training for Chinese orphans who are blind or visually impaired. The orphanage, located on the outskirts of Beijing was founded in 2002 and can house and school over 70 children.
The 20 acres of land in which the orphanage is located upon is a fully self sustainable farm, which also houses a number of animals and provides the children with a secure and loving family atmosphere.
The mission of the organisation is to teach blind orphans how to help themselves. They teach not only academic skills but assist each blind orphan to reach a fulfilled life. Through providing care, education, life skills and livelihood opportunities the charity helps the children to live independently as dignified members in their society.
Get Involved Today!
There are many ways in which you can help us in our quest to provide ongoing support to this incredible organisation, whether you participate in the volunteer program in China or help from home!
By signing up to participate in VPC, a sum of your program fee will be donated directly to the charity, which will be used to look after the children's daily and overall needs.
As a not- for- profit charity they rely on donations from their sponsors to keep up the fantastic work they are doing. Ensuring that the children are able to lead a normal childhood, part of your fee will be donated between schooling & resources, housing, medical costs, specialized training in special needs and mobility for teachers, food and clothing, just to name a few!
Most volunteer abroad programs have a program fee, which covers the expenses of operating and keeping the program running and this is where the rest of your money goes. We want to ensure that you get the most of your volunteering experience, so our expert team provide 24/7 on shore support, airport pick up, full orientations, onsite accommodation, meals, cultural activities and language learning.
Kirsty Armstrong, Volunteer Program China Manager
Kirsty has been working at IES Global for almost two years as a media and marketing coordinator as well as a communications manager. Having a vast amount of experience working with local charities in Beijing and overseas it has always been her passion to run and coordinate her own volunteer program. After a day visit to the orphanage left her inspired to get more involved, she left bustling Beijing behind for a while to move into the orphanage as a volunteer.
On her return to the IES Global office she began building a program whereby she would recruit overseas volunteers to take part in the program, helping both the charity and the local Beijing community.
Kirsty is heading the “find happiness through helping’ program and will provide all volunteers with hands on support, advice and coordination both before volunteers come to China and throughout the duration of their stay.
Read kirsty's blog to find out what she got up to when she volunteered at the Orphanage!
