At a farewell ceremony held by the Chinese Young Volunteers Association (CYVA) at the Great Hall of the People, the volunteers were awarded with certificates and badges.

The volunteers, who come from Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Anhui and Henan, were selected from 1,000 candidates after rigorous evaluation. They will stay in Laos for six months, offering training courses to the local people in Chinese, English, computer and medical skills.

A CYVA spokesperson said that China and Laos agreed to cooperate over the volunteer service on March 17 this year.

CYVA first recruited volunteers from the public to work in Laoson March 29. Meanwhile, a registration system was set up for volunteers, marking an important step for China in the voluntary service cause.

Thongsavanh Phomvihane, counselor of the Laotian Embassy in China, told the ceremony that sending China's first volunteers to help its friendly neighbor Laos would not only strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, but also contribute to world peace and development.

People from all walks of life have paid their respects to the volunteers, for instance Ping'an Insurance Company gave each volunteer a guarantee worth 100,000 yuan (about 12,050 U.S. dollars).

CYVA, established in 1994, has set up 24,000 community service stations in all Chinese provinces and regions.

By the end of February 2002, 100 million people in China had given 4.5 billion hours of voluntary service.

(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2002)