Number of community volunteers in SZ hits 22,000

The number of community volunteer organizations in Shenzhen has reached 399, with 22,000 community volunteers engaging in more than 5,200 outreach activities and educating the communities in the first half of this year alone, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

According to the municipal civil affairs bureau, by joining hands with social workers and mobilizing others to get involved with different causes, community volunteers have been active in communities and schools regarding drug control, health care, disaster relief, food and drug safety, mental health, traffic safety and other services.

The volunteers in Shenzhen not only assist social workers in conventional services and activities, but also participate in multi-disciplinary professional services developed by social workers, according to the bureau.

At present, more than 300 medical and social workers are serving in 58 medical institutions in the city. The Shenzhen disaster relief social worker and volunteer team, which is composed of registered social workers, is the first such team in China.

The city’s social workers also work hand in glove with volunteers to jointly safeguard the food and drug safety of Shenzhen citizens.

A total of 250 food safety volunteer teams have been set up in communities across the city, with more than 5,000 food safety volunteers being community residents. The teams have carried out a variety of services, such as on-site food safety testing and sending notifications about the results of spot checks at supermarkets and wet markets.