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Since the outbreak of the novel corona virus, all sectors of Chinese society have taken active actions to fight against the epidemic.

 

As a responsible organization, National Council of YMCAs/YWCAs of China(hereafter referred to as NCY CHINA), launched the initiative Love Our Communities and Fight the Epidemic (hereinafter referred to as the "initiative") on January 23, 2020, calling on all local YMCAs/YWCAs to carry out social services while taking effective self-protection. Local YMCAs/YWCAs also issued initiatives to board members, staff, volunteers, members, hoping that they can take good self-protection and make their own efforts and contributions to the fight against the epidemic.

 

By February 23, China YMCAs/YWCAs have joined in the fight and served thousands of people. Those services include participating in joint epidemic prevention and control in communities, carrying out prevention publicity, disinfecting offices and facilities, and offering online activities.

 

Staff and volunteers from China YMCAs/YWCAs showed a high sense of responsibility and self-motivation when they participated in social service activities. Facing the epidemic, many staff and volunteers unhesitatingly joined in epidemic prevention and control in communities, protecting the threshold of family safety.

 

Staff and volunteers from local YMCAs/YWCAs, organized by YMCAs/YWCAs or local communities, actively joined in community epidemic prevention, safeguarding people’s life and health. Those staff and volunteers were from Beijing YMCA, Beijing YWCA, Tianjin YMCA, Tianjin YWCA, Shanghai YMCA and YWCA, Wuhan YMCA, Chengdu YMCA and YWCA, Hangzhou YMCA and Hangzhou YWCA.

 

Y Staff engaged in community epidemic prevention and control were mainly responsible for entry declaration at residential communities, temperature monitoring, prevention publicity, etc. Shanghai YMCA also provided specific services to the elderly in the community where Huaai Youth Service Center is located in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, offering psychological counseling and helping purchase daily necessities for the elderly. In cooperation with the local government, Doctor Hu, a medical staff from Tuanshang Village Medical Clinic managed by Wuhan YMCA, popularized COVID-19 prevention among villagers in Tuanshang every day.

 

Volunteers from Hangzhou YMCA also voluntarily worked in disinfectant manufacturers where labors were in short supply to contribute to the fight against the epidemic.

 

2. Carrying out Prevention Publicity

Since the initiative was issued, China YMCAs and YWCAs have made full use of WeChat, website, telephone, leaflets and other online and offline measures to promote epidemic prevention and control and to guide public sentiment, providing authoritative and scientific protective measures for volunteers, board members, staff, and members.

 

As of February 23, China YMCAs/YWCAs have made full use of various

media and published more than 900 reports covering authoritative epidemic prevention and control, scientific health care, touching stories about staff and volunteers, various reminders, public safety measures, psychological guidance, and videos composed by volunteers and citizens. With all those efforts, we strive to support individuals and organizations at the front line of the battle. 

 

NCY CHINA summarized and edited epidemic prevention stories after receiving them from local YMCAs /YWCAs, and published them on our WeChat platform. While introducing what China YMCAs/YWCAs did for epidemic prevention, NCY CHINA also provided epidemic prevention plans for local YMCAs/YWCAs and other organizations. Shanghai YMCA and YWCA, Chengdu YMCA and YWCA, Xi’an YWCA, as well as other YMCA/YWCAs organized volunteers and members to create artistic works such as painting to promote objective and healthy information .Beijing YWCA and Hangzhou YMCA also organized volunteers to produce audio and video materials to support epidemic prevention and contribute to the fight against the epidemic.

 

3. Disinfecting Offices and Facilities

 

On January 23, NCY CHINA issued an initiative, calling on all local YMCAs/YWCAs to take effective self-protection and proactively carry out social responsibility. When staff resumed work, NCY CHINA bought heaters, alcohol, disinfectant and other supplies to guarantee self-protection and disinfection.

 

Local YMCAs and YWCAs have stopped all kinds of center-based activities and set up disinfection facilities on the site to provide disinfection and protection for staff and volunteers.

 

Beijing YWCA also set up a disinfection and registration system in the hotels it manages.

 

Shanghai YMCA/YWCA and the community centers it manages have actively assisted in guiding the safe operation of Shanghai. According to the unified requirements of the Shanghai municipal government, Shanghai Y staff, in cooperation with the government, worked in communities with resident registration and monitoring, as well as mask purchasing reservation and distribution. Some staff went to office buildings to popularize the knowledge of prevention and safety protection. Many community service centers managed by Shanghai YMCA/YWCA have carried out targeted disinfection, publicity, psychological counseling, meal delivery, and other services, based on actual needs, so as to contribute to community safety. Those centers include Luoshan Nursing Home, Huaai Home of Elderly Care, Zhujiamen Elderly Daycare Center, Huaihai Community Service Center, and etc.

 

4. Carrying out Online Activities

In order to protect our board members, staff, volunteers and members against the severe outbreak, NCY CHINA and all local YMCA/YWCAs adjusted our original meeting and activity plans and arranged a lot of online activities to help people ease psychological panic and learn knowledge about health care.

 

Beijing YWCA suspended its training courses at school and turned to online education by making full use of the Internet resources. At the same time, Beijing YWCA published on its media platform the intangible cultural heritage related to sports activities (first published on Beijing Daily), calling on the public to engage in fitness activities to keep healthy.

 

Tianjin YMCA and Tianjin YWCA launched publicity campaigns on the popularization of psychological knowledge to ease psychological panic during the epidemic prevention and control period.

 

Shanghai YMCA and YWCA launched online activities and courses for new parents, the elderly, and non-local staff, so that everyone could learn at home fruitfully.

 

Guangzhou YMCA encouraged its members and volunteers with professional backgrounds in medicine, psychology, education to carry out online activities and ease the public’s stress.

 

Wuhan YWCA provided psychological counseling services for its members and volunteers, and provided assistance within its capability to people in the Epicenter.

 

The Oversea Chinese Home of Grace for the Disabled, managed by Nanjing YMCA and YWCA, postponed the beginning time of the upcoming semester and conducted online psychological counseling for students.

 

Xi 'an YMCA arranged five professional social workers to offer services to people from all sectors through the online platform Shaanxi Anti-Epidemic Support Group. These services include basic medical guidance, emotion counseling, companionship, and etc.

 

Xiamen YMCA and YWCA launched some programs popularizing home fitness activities and educational games etc.

 

After the outbreak of COVID-19, considering that all local YMCAs/YWCAs are located in big cities with dense population and concentrated resources, we cannot take any risk regarding city safety. Therefore, China YMCAs/YWCAs have actively invested resources to carry out safe city education to maintain city safety. Also, since all local YMCAs and YWCAs operate community-based social service centers, providing safe community services has become a must for China YMCAs/YWCAs during the epidemic prevention and control period. Last but not the least, since China YMCAs/YWCAs network with a large number of our volunteers, board members, staff, and members, we have attached great importance to their physical and mental well-being, taken multiple measures to enhance people’s awareness of safety and healthy living, and provided all kinds of safe living guidance.

 

We are glad to see that the situation has improved significantly with the effective policies of the government, the concerted efforts of all Chinese, and the strong support of overseas friendly organizations and individuals. However, we should still keep alert.

 

In the latter half of epidemic prevention and quite a long period after, China YMCAs/YWCAs will carry out more activities around the theme Safe City Education, Safe Community Service, Safe Living Guidance, to enhance safety awareness, jointly safeguard our communities, participate in community building, and improve people’s living habits.