 China Special Needs Children's Program
Trip code: CHN5
Due to economic circumstances, many Chinese parents are unable to afford the specialized education and care needed for children with physical or mental disabilities. The special needs of these children range from physical disabilities to mental, emotional and behavioral disabilities. Rustic works with community centers in Xi'an that care for these special needs children who are unable to attend regular schooling. Because these centers are understaffed, volunteers are needed to assist with the day-to-day operations of the centers, such as serving meals and cleaning. Volunteers are especially needed to help the staff to teach the children life skills and play games with the children. Most importantly, volunteers can help these children feel loved and needed in spite of their special needs and difficulties.
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| Project/
Volunteer's Life: |
| As a volunteer in China working with special needs children, you will be involved in the day-to-day activities of the center such assisting at meal times and cleaning. In addition you will help organize games, songs, and crafts for the children. As a volunteer, you will also be helping the staff to teach the children important life skills. You may also be involved teaching English to some of the older children. Most importantly, you can help these children feel loved and needed in spite of their special needs and challenges. |
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| Skills and Qualifications |
| There are no specific skills or qualifications required to volunteer with special needs children in China. However, you should have a strong interest in helping children with special needs. As a volunteer, you will need patience and strength to work with children who have emotional and/or behavioral challenges. You should also be flexible and open-minded during the program. |
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| Meals/Accommodations: |
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Rustic Volunteer Travel arranges volunteer meals, accommodations and strong field supervision for the duration of projects and optional travel packages. In China, most volunteers stay in our homebase, a permanent home established for our international volunteers . Our homebase in China is located in a pretty community, in a very safe and clean neighborhood. There are internet cafés, restaurants, local bus stations, a police station and supermarkets near our homebase. The homebase provides is a comfortable place to relax after a long day. There are several bedrooms (which may be shared with a same-gender volunteer) and community areas. There is a shared kitchen, television and shared bathrooms, which have running water and “western-style” toilets. Volunteers joining panda conservation project will stay in economy hotel.
Depending on the influx of volunteers, accommodations could be with a host family. Host family accommodations are simple and clean homes in safe neighborhoods. Volunteers usually have a private bedroom, but occasionally rooms will be shared with a same-gender volunteer. Our host families are well screened and are respected members of their communities who live in affluent neighborhoods. Most of our host families have experience with hosting international volunteers. Host family stays are a great chance for cultural immersion and exchange.
Volunteers receive three local meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). We can provide vegetarian meal options, but needs must be detailed in a volunteer's application. Snacks and beverages outside of mealtimes are not provided; however, there are local restaurants and grocery stores near the residences in which we place volunteers.
Rustic offers unparalleled field support to volunteers to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. There are many layers of support for you. The most important support comes from our country coordinator/field staff. The secondary support comes from the host project staff and members of host families and/or a homebase staff. Volunteers will have access to our country coordinator's mobile number and they are available 24/7. Throughout the volunteer project, our local staff stays in contact with volunteers either with face-to-face visits or via email/telephone. Our field staff will visit regularly (every 2-4 weeks) to make sure things are going well and as planned. However, if placement is far from our local offices, staff members will stay in touch via email/ phone. Volunteers are also welcome to stop in the offices at any time.
Specific details regarding accommodations, food and contact details for our local coordinator will be provided in personalized volunteer placement documentation prior to arrival.
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| Project Locations: |
 Volunteer positions with special needs children are located in and around Xi'an, the capital of the Shaanxi province. Xi'an, a walled city, is one of the oldest cities of China. Xi'an boasts famous cultural attractions such as the Terracotta Army, Bell Tower of Xi'an and numerous pagodas and temples. Xi'an is also home to six Chinese National Parks and Mount Hua, one of the Five Sacred Taoist Mountains.
Volunteers can organize different possible excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place in China the volunteer can use during weekends. For example: caves, ancient and modern royal palaces, markets, Chinese dragon boat racing, Mongolian wrestling, festivals, architecture, temples, art, restaurants, beaches, hotels, and many more. |
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