Care and dedication -- Sichuan 5/12 earthquake anniversary special report

"Considering the urgent need of workers for thereconstructionin thedisaster area, I will stay here for one more year", SCUT's 2008 graduate GUO Xianlei said. As a volunteer of Guangdong 2008 "Going West Project of Specified Earthquake Relief Work", he submitted the application for extending his serving tenure shortly before the one-year service came to an end.

Raising 0.25 million yuan fund for poverty-stricken students

Located less than 9 km to the epicenter Yingxiu, Caopo county where GUO Xianlei served as a volunteer, was called "the last isolated island" when all the roads were blocked due to the serious landslide after the earthquake, posing great difficulties in conducting relief work. On July 20, Guo entered the county and, under his suggestion and efforts, the county established its youth voluntary service center of the earthquake relief work to ensure the voluntary work undertaken in an orderly and lawful way.

As Deputy Secretary of CYL (Chinese Youth League) in the county, Guo was mainly responsible for assisting the county government in its grass-root work. He played a significant role in founding "tent primary school" for local children and establishing detailed and categorized files of orphans and children with single parent.

In the course of his serve, Guo gave full play of his knowledge and skills of his major in raising a total of 0.253 million yuan of relief fund for the county by the end of 2008, including 0.0886 million yuan through additional application. The fund helped 59 needy teenagers, among whom about 96.6 are students with special difficulties in primary or middle schools. Guo told the journalist that he was contacting an enterprise in raising more fund to help the children.

The township head said, "Judging by what Guo has done here, we can see South China University of Technology is a first-class university in producing such excellent talents."

Being asked why he was determined to be a volunteer before he arrived in Wenchuan, he replied that although the financial condition of his family was not good, he was influenced by his grandma and father to be persistent and strong in overcoming hardships. "I received lots of encouragements and help in my growth, therefore, I know clearly how important it is to be honest and free from material cares."

On September 12 of last year, when Guo was on a motorbike to handle subsistence welfare for the villagers, suddenly an aftershock hit the area and before he dodged from the rolling stones, one piece of rock struck the motorbike and his right leg. Wounded as he was, he just said as if nothing had happened, "The front windscreen was smashed, but I'm fine."

Guo has already become accustomed to such kind of life-threatening accidents. He spent one week around the 2009 New Year's Day in going to each village on his motorbike and taking photos for the low-income residents. On the night of January 4, after he went through about 4.5 km dark and leaky tunnel on his way to Shapai village, his clothes and shoes were drenched out by the icy water.

In Caopo county, he arranged 16 make-shift shelters for 8 impoverished households, helped in cleaning debris for two households, assisting the government in transporting 21 trucks of disaster relief, and was long involved in copying credentials for more than 200 people, paying visits to widowed elders, orphans and children with single parent, etc. Because of his help in serving the earthquake victims, Guo won popularity and respect among the villagers.

The villagers of Qiang ethnic minority in Caopo county used their traditional way of sending footpads to extend their gratitude to him. Guo received 12 pairs of footpads within one year, which epitomized villagers' deep gratitude for the volunteer from SCUT and became his precious gifts.

Edited by HU Nanping and RUAN Xiaolei

From SCUT News Network