Sunrise Responsible Policy

Sunrise Volunteer Programmesis the number one resource for gap year, career break and volunteer works in China

We've got the latest internship projects in China information plus help and advice to get you started. On our tours you will stay in safe, central Beijing Hostel, eat in hostel or family, and use local transport as much as possible. The idea being that you will visit as volunteers to help us improve the service for the local community. At same time, you will have the real opportunity to involve to Chinese people’s life and get different experience for your life as well. 

Our Beijing Office and local coordinators are going to help settle down in Beijing when you arrive. And also they can provider more information of Local tours such as the region's well-known 'must-sees' and off-the-beaten-track. Sunrise Volunteer programmes is providing a real insight into China you are visiting - culture, history, landscape and natural world - and provide the opportunity for genuine interaction with the local people.

Respect for local people, their cultures, traditions, religions and environment are essential to our projects and we work hard to ensure our volunteers have a positive impact on the places and people visited. We hope that you will be treated as guests and behave as volunteers helping with Chinese local communities.

General comment

Please note that most our projects minimum is 4 weeks. There is no maximum limited. The group sizes for our projects are between individual and a maximum of 20 persons. Groups are accompanied by a project guider during the working time. We make sure volunteers will get full support from our local coordinators team and also give opportunities for our volunteers to explore the real Chinese society during their spare time.

Contribution to Local Economies

• 50% of the cost of our placements is put directly back in to the projects Chinese Communities such as Panda Conservation Centre and Local hostal.
• Each project provides sustainable employment for the staff and allows them to build personal financial security.
• All food and supplies are purchased locally, and volunteers are encouraged to buy their souvenirs from local markets or craft outlets.
• We have local office to support our clients when they abroad and all the local staffs work within the programmes. All local coordinators work in are employed locally at a good wage. Many are provided with meals and accommodation as part of their employment package.
• All projects suppliers are founded by local communities.

Environmental Awareness

As a keen conservationist, we suggest our volunteers to take local buses or underground for their daily transportation, which help reduce the carbon dioxide emission and petrol consumptions. And also hostel provider bicycle rental service for our volunteers which let you can use the clean transportation for your daily routine to keep our city more cleanly. We do recycle, use energy saving light bulbs and share office equipments including car. All accommodations have energy saving light bulbs, recycle, compost, water saving devices, loft insulations, alternative energy sources.

We ask the volunteers only change their change your sheets and towels only when it is necessary; when they are out of your room, turn off the lights, radio, TV, computer, and other electric devices, and adjust the air conditioner and the heat to use less energy; On cold nights, draw curtains to keep heat in the room, and similarly on hot days, draw curtains to keep the heat out of the room; If the hotel provides a complimentary newspaper, or if they buy their own, ask the hotel to see that it’s recycled; Take partially used shampoo, soap, and other complimentary hotel items with them when they check out; leave unopened items in the room; If renting transportation, ask about alternative fuel vehicles. Although such rentals may be limited in availability, some companies do offer natural gas, hybrid-electric, or clean-air gas powered vehicles; Plan sightseeing activities where you can use public transportation or the hotel van, or walk, bike, or rideshare; Resist the urge to grab more brochures than they need. be sure to recycle the ones they don’t keep as souvenirs; Don’t litter. Carry their trash with them until find a waste container; Buy recyclable products for their trip, or as souvenirs. be sure to recycle them when they’re finished using them; Dine at “eat-in” restaurants and hotel dining rooms whenever possible to decrease the number of disposable items associated with meals; When eating at carry out restaurants, take only the condiments, napkins, and utensils they need. Try skipping a straw altogether, or declining a bag when they don’t need one; Take reusable plates and flatware on picnics; Clean up after picnics and other outings. Dispose of all waste in trash receptacles to prevent debris from accidentally fouling the land, the water, or harming wildlife.

Brochures: full and comprehensive details of our products are available in electronic form on our website. A PDF version of our printed brochure has been available for download from our web, which reduces considerably our paper consumption in terms of print runs and mailing envelopes.

Animal welfare: We are simulating a nature environment for panda to learn how to survive in wild condition. All volunteers have been required their Physical Examination Record when they send us the booking form. Volunteer will be given a training to know how to treat the panda in the centre. Volunteers are the assistants of the keeper or clerk regularly clean the bedroom and the garden for the giant panda. Prepare food, such as: carrot, apples, panda bread and biscuit. Also carry the bamboo. At meantime, conservation centre accept several different methods to support panda conservation project such as make a donation or adopt a panda, join the Panda Club. The volunteers can get the detail when they arriving the centre. Our centre has the maximum number limited of volunteer to reduce the impact on the panda life environment. During the summer the number will be 30 people in a month, which help provide the best service for our volunteers and panda.

We are running this panda conservation with China Ya'an Panda research centre. To cuddle the panda is under the conduct rule of WWF, and it is aim to help the panda go back to nature. As more and more panda is suffering in the wild world, they start loosing their nature abilities to get food, against the other animals, etc. This programme is to help them and teach them how to live in the wild area and give as much as love to the panda to encourage them to familiar with the human being and other live animals. The itinerary includes plant the bamboo tress and lead the panda to free-range in the wild area and aim to let them free living in the nature. To cuddle the panda is an eco-tourism and I am happy to provide more information for this purpose.

Social Awareness

Political Situation: Volunteers are advised to visit the Chinese Embassy website to learn about political and other related concerns in China. A good understanding of the political system and recent history is an essential requirement for all our local coordinators.

Cultural Sensitivity: Each volunteer is provided with a pre departure document detailing appropriate dress while in China. An orientation meeting is organized by a local coordinator prior to the start of any project where aspects of culture and our required respect towards it are explained and discussed. For example: dress, general behavior, and local ways of eating and so on.

Support the community: This is the majority aim for our projects. All our projects are going to help the local organizations improve their service for local people. Such as Teaching English, volunteers will help the local community high school to teach the students English to improve their oral and listening skill. These kinds of community high schools have not got any government funding to hire a foreigner as English teacher which is important for the students learn real English.

Conclusion

With adherence to the policy detailed herein, Sunrise provides culturally and environmentally aware, responsible volunteer projects in China. It is voluntary that contributes economically, socially and environmentally in the fullest of ways to China. We help local people get the best deal from our operation in their regions and provide enjoyable, memorable and constructive experiences for our clients. We are also pleased to be able to say that our volunteers are generally enjoyable and constructive for the local people visited as well.