Volunteers answer call to give

Market boom

Such voluntary work has become a popular choice for university students.

According to AIESEC, a student-launched global organization focused on overseas volunteer services and internships, more than 2,800 Chinese volunteers have gone to different countries in the past three years through its organization.

"It became increasingly obvious that Chinese university students prefer to do voluntary services in developing countries," said Lian Kaibin, an AIESEC branch manager.

World Without Borders, a volunteer travel platform launched by college students in Beijing in 2014, has sent more than 5, 000 volunteers to different countries. In the last two years, the number of volunteers overseas doubled, according to the platform.

About 80 percent of the volunteers chose to go to low-income countries, said Wang Jiaqi, co-founder and CEO of World Without Borders.

Zhang Wenyuan, director of the student activities office at Tsinghua University, said more students in Tsinghua are signing up for such projects.

The university set up a mechanism for students to record their activities and overseas experiences.

"It's a good way for students to connect with the international communities and improve their communication and learning abilities," he said.

Countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have also become a popular choice among students, according to Zhang. In 2018, 93 teams involving 1,322 Tsinghua students went overseas for social activities, to countries as varied as Israel, Kenya and Kazakhstan.