The COVID-19 has been rampant throughout the beginning of 2020. UIC students and alumni have played their part by volunteering or providing donations to fight the virus.
Spending birthday volunteering
Year 2 Public Relations and Advertising student He Haoyu, who became a volunteer for the Red Cross in the Wenjiang district of Chengdu, celebrated his 20th birthday on 5 February at a hospital of Yongning Town.
He Haoyu (first from left) with his co-workers
As a volunteer, He Haoyu mainly assisted in the registration of people entering the hospital, as well as temperature testing and guidance.
Communication is the key ability that He Haoyu has learnt as he encountered a diverse range of people including the elderly whose hearing is not as good as it once was. Some hearing-impaired elderly needed him to patiently repeat himself several times to fully understand, while there were some people who have not paid enough attention to the outbreak, and therefore needed him to slowly communicate with a more euphemistic attitude.
He Haoyu tests a citizen's body temperature
He Haoyu was very happy to be a volunteer and he stated, “During this time, with our persuasion, more people have put more emphasis on their own protection, and I'm happy to see that change. I believe China will soon be back on track.”
Donation and support
UIC Alumni Association launched a fund-raising to procure medical materials to help Hubei on 26 January, which has seen mass support from a vast number of alumni. They received RMB 271,952.28 donations as of 17 February.
The UIC Alumni Association has donated medical masks, gloves, alcohol and protective clothing to various medical institutions in multiple places of Hubei.
UIC Alumni Association donates medical materials for various places of Hubei
In addition, a group of 124 UIC student volunteers contributed to big data research for the College's epidemic prevention.
A letter from Wuhan
Year 3 Public Relations and Advertising student Du Kaiyuan, who is from Wuhan, wrote a letter from the city, where he explained that his father is a military pilot and had been working at an airport. Kaiyuan continued to keep up his study at home and did what he could do for his neighbours. “I hope that all of us will return safely and live a good life with more love and treasure,” he wrote.
Du Kaiyuan studies at home in Wuhan
Reporter: Samuel Burgess
Editors: Deen He, Lauren Richardson
(from MPRO)
