This New Year, Donate Your Time to Put a Smile on a Child’s Face

There are thousands of sick, abused, neglected, and orphaned children in Beijing, who are temporarily or permanently deprived of the carefree childhood and access to good education that many of their city counterparts take for granted. One person alone can’t solve the problem, but in even as little as an hour a week you can make a little magic of your own. Here are our picks for child-oriented volunteering opportunities in Beijing.

• Magic Hospital strives to help in the healing of sick, hospitalized, handicapped, orphaned, abused, and at-risk children aged 0-18, and provide an environment where a child can grow with its physical and mental health ensured.
  
  Volunteer vacancies
  Coordinators (to help the children get the best service they so deserve): Outdoorsy Day Coordinator, Playtime Coordinator, ABC Book Coordinator; Team member (to help to ensure that their program serves the children in the best ways, and that their organization functions smoothly and professionally). 
  
  Sign up via the website www.magichospital.org and register in the database as a volunteer. Contact MH at [e-mail] for more information.

• Sunvillage is a non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to the children of Chinese convicts who get left behind by their parents without any money or education, and worst of all, without any parental love. Sunvillage accommodates these children before it’s too late, and brings them into a stable and loving family.
  
  Volunteer vacancies
  Teaching the children and helping them with homework; help in the kitchen for lunch and dinner; working on one of their farms (plucking strawberries, planting trees, etc.); looking after the youngest children, who don’t go to school yet; activities with children (playing or teaching things, such as making music, sewing, etc.)
  
  Check the website (www.sunvillage.com.cn/en/contact) to fill your volunteer application form. Contact Mr. Zhang (English support at 134 6649 4643) for more information.

• Bethel China is a pioneer and leader in the field of early intervention for blind children in China. Their mission: to provide high-quality care, education, life skills and livelihood opportunities for blind and visually impaired orphans in China through foster care projects; to prevent blindness, lower the orphan rate and increase quality care by conducting eye screenings to identify VI children, and partnering with with caregivers of visually impaired children, providing training, community and support.
  
  Internships are 3 months minimum. Bethel China currently needs team members that have experience in the following fields: 
  
  Teaching: preschool/primary school, English; English Braille; orientation and mobility; early childhood development; early intervention (babies/toddlers). 
  
  Therapy: speech and language; occupational therapy; physical therapy; counseling.
  
  Medical: pediatrician; optometrist/ophthalmologist; nurse; dentist.
  
  Organizational development: fundraising; photography/video; report writing; graphic designer; translator (English, French, Chinese); website support; research/statistics; communications and marketing; adoption advocacy
  
  You can also be placed on their list of volunteers to contact if they have a project, activity or event that requires volunteers. Please contact info(a)bethelchina.org for more information.

• Included has several program volunteer opportunities. See the website version of this article to access the hyperlinks for after-school programs; winter/summer camps; and open house weekends.
  
  In order to provide a stable environment for the children, volunteers are expected to commit for the entire duration of the program. Usually, this is once a week for 10-13 weeks for spring and fall programs, and every day for at least 1 week for winter and summer camps, 2 hours each time. Contact [e-mail] for more information.

• Migrant Children’s Foundation (MCF) is a non-profit organization founded by Helen Boyle. MCF aims to enrich the lives of disadvantaged children through various forms of voluntary work, sponsorship, vocational activities, and events. Their volunteers undertake support placements at under-resourced schools in Beijing, but the focus isn’t only on teaching – it’s about sharing experiences, giving time, learning new skills and experiencing life in one of the oldest, most fascinating and fast-changing countries on earth.

  Volunteer vacancies include personal assistant to Helen Boyle (responsibilities including keeping track of diary commitments, dealing with and prioritizing emails, arranging meetings, and passing on volunteer information to MCF education coordinator etc.); assistant to curriculum coordinator (responsibilities including assisting with everyday administration relating to class volunteers and class organization, assisting with the overseeing of sessions at migrant schools, and organizing and scheduling of volunteers for sessions and events etc.). 
  
  Contact [e-mail] to apply for the above volunteer vacancies.

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