大学生志愿者走进非洲

Volunteering is hardly a new thing for college students. But how about volunteering in Africa?

参与志愿者活动对于大学生们来说早已不是什么新鲜事了。但去非洲做志愿者呢？

Of course this conjures up stereotypes such as shabby accommodation, unmade roads, malaria and huge expense.

当然，谈到这，相信很多人脑海中又会浮现出一些对非洲的固有成见，诸如破旧不堪的住所、未经修筑的道路，疟疾以及巨额开销等等。

With young Chinese's horizons expanding thanks to the country's deepening integration with the international community, volunteer work in Africa is gaining momentum.

随着中国同国际社会的不断融合，中国青年一代的视野也变得开阔起来；志愿者走进非洲活动发展迅速。

According to Guangzhou Association of Youth Volunteers, during a recruitment drive in March more than 650 students applied for 18 volunteer jobs in the Republic of Seychelles in Africa.

广州青年志愿者协会表示，在今年三月份举办的志愿者招募活动中，有650多名学生参与申请了赴非洲塞舌尔共和国的18个志愿工作机会。

"The number of college students applying to do volunteer work in Africa has increased over the years," said Yang Guang, a staff member of the Wuhan Youth League Committee. For Chinese volunteers their African experience can be rewarding.

来自武汉共青团委的杨光（音译）表示："近年来，大学生申请走进非洲做志愿服务的人数呈上升趋势。"而对于中国的志愿者来说，在非洲的这段经历的确令人受益颇丰。

Pan Di, a 25-year-old from Tianjin Foreign Studies University, went to Kenya two years ago as a volunteer English teacher in a ghetto in Nairobi, the capital.

25岁的潘迪（音译）来自天津外国语大学。她两年前曾以志愿者的身份，前往肯尼亚首都内罗毕的贫民区做一名英文老师。

It was a community of half a million poverty-stricken people. Pan was robbed upon her arrival. Verbal abuse to foreigners was not unusual. Living conditions were even worse than she imagined. Pan admitted she felt frustrated and disappointed.

那里是一个拥有50万贫民的社区。潘迪一到那里便遭遇了抢劫。对于外国人的言语中伤也是常见的事情。那里的生活条件甚至比她预想的还要糟糕。潘迪承认自己当时感到沮丧和失望。

"But my experiences there taught me to remain calm and collected in the face of adversity or even mistreatment. Now I'm more open-minded," said Pan.

潘迪表示："但在非洲的经历教会了我在面对逆境，甚至是不公时，要保持镇静。现在我变得更开通了。"

Li Chen, a Shandong University graduate, found his experience of volunteer work in Africa more substantial.

而毕业于山东大学的李晨（音译）则认为他在非洲的这段志愿者经历更有实质意义。

He did volunteer work as a publicist for AIDS/HIV in Tanzania last year. Li, 23, made new friends from Canada and the US. They are veteran volunteers who travel around the world working with international organizations and groups.

去年，他作为一名志愿者前往坦桑尼亚从事艾滋病的宣传工作。在那里，23岁的他结识了来自加拿大和美国的新朋友。这些义工老兵环游世界，为一些国际组织和团体效力。

One of them recommended Li to a Guangzhou-based NGO as an intern and Li was later offered a full-time job there.

他们中的一位将李晨引荐给广州某非政府组织做实习生，后来他在那里得到了一份全职工作。

"International organizations and NGOs of every kind have a presence in Africa. It is the ideal place to form a network that would help your career in a related field," said Li.

李晨表示："各种国际组织及非政府组织都会长期驻扎非洲。那里是一个建立关系网的理想之地，这将对你今后在相关领域中的职业生涯有所帮助。"

Zhang Qi, head of Sunshine Volunteer Group, based in Beijing, agrees that volunteering in Africa can be rewarding.

北京阳光志愿者协会负责人张琪（音译）表示去非洲做志愿者的确大有裨益。

He encourages more students to think out of box and to broaden their horizons in order to cope with China's international role.

他鼓励更多的学生能打破常规，开拓视野，以便应对中国在国际舞台上的角色。

"Many college students are either too busy studying or too confined to campus life to explore the world," said Zhang.

"许多大学生要么一心扑在学习上，要么将自己封闭在校园生活之中，无法去探知世界。" 张琪说。

"Travel abroad as a volunteer is one of the best ways to open one's eyes."

"以志愿者身份出国旅行，则是拓展视野的最佳途径之一。"