20,000 college graduates to volunteer in rural China

Beijing, April 13 (IANS) About 20,000 college graduates will join the annual campaign to volunteer for work in rural China.

The campaign, launched in 2006, recruited about 20,000 fresh graduates from universities each year to work in the countryside for two to three years, reported Xinhua.

The graduates will volunteer in the fields of education, farming, medicine and poverty reduction.

A total of 23,777 graduates volunteered last year to improve social and economic development of rural areas across the country, said Xin Changxing, spokesperson of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

This year's recruitment drive will start later this month and will draw to a close June 30, said a news release.

More Chinese college students are willing to volunteer in rural areas in recent years, especially as it is often difficult for new graduates to find jobs without any work experience.