A Chinese Acupuncturist Volunteers to Serve in Ethiopia
2006-11-27 14:02:13
Broadcasting Time: 2006-11-27
Hello, and welcome to this edition of Africa Express here on China Radio International. I'm your host, Wei Tong.
Last time, we told you a second group of 50 Chinese volunteers had left for Ethiopia. In August, 2005, 12 volunteers arrived in Ethiopia to serve for half a year. They were the first batch of Chinese volunteers to Africa.
Among them was a man named Dai Jingang. Majoring in traditional Chinese medicine, massage and acupuncture, Dai served as an acupuncturist in Nazret, the second largest city in Ethiopia.
Just before Dai Jingang signed up to volunteer in Africa, he had been admitted by a first-grade medical school for postgraduate studies in Beijing. But why did he give up the chance to further his studies and insist on going so far away from China?
"One day when I was browsing through the internet, I found a piece of news recruiting Chinese volunteers to Ethiopia. I thought it would surely be a good chance to improve my abilities and enrich my life experience. Working in Africa would be a new life for me. So I felt quite excited and signed up for it immediately. After all, I used to volunteer for many large-scale events before."
Dai Jingang often participated in activities organized by the university during his first and second years, including the 21st Universiade in Beijing. Later, he spent several months volunteering to treat patients in rural areas in the less-developed west of China. There he gained rich working experience. And just for these reasons, he was selected to be one of the 12 volunteers to Ethiopia out of hundreds of applicants.
After arriving in Ethiopia, Dai Jingang found that the country was even better than he had imagined. However, there were still many problems:
"Our living conditions were not so bad. Each one had a single room with a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk with a lamp on it. We were treated as experts. However, the local hospitals were in poor condition. For instance, we worked in Adama Hospital. That is the best local hospital, but an X-ray machine is its best equipment. Dozens of people shared one ward. Epidemics were widespread. Since we had to work in the hospitals, it took us quite a long time to get adjusted to the bad conditions."
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical therapy, dating back thousands of years. It is practiced by the insertion of stainless steel needles into various parts of the body. Then a low-frequency current may be applied to the needles to produce greater stimulation so as to relieve pain and treat diseases. More than China, it has gained widespread popularity across other countries. Now more and more Africans are accepting the treatment.
There is an acupuncture department in Adama Hospital. But the acupuncturists themselves worked in the capital Addis Ababa. So, Dai Jingang and another volunteer worked as substitutes. Dai said local people welcomed the traditional Chinese therapy:
"Acupuncture has existed in Ethiopia for 30 years and it is very popular among the local people. They are deeply impressed by the magic power of the little needle. When sick, they would prefer to come to us for treatment rather than apply western medical therapy. I was very proud of being a Chinese volunteer."
There were other acupuncturists available from other countries, like Russia. But, compared with them, Chinese volunteers charged much less from their patients. Dai Jingang said he was working only to serve Ethiopian people, rather than trying to make money. He wanted to serve as a friendly messenger between China and Ethiopia.
Although there are many places of interest in the charming country, Dai Jingang had no time to visit them because of his busy schedule. Every day he had to treat more than 20 patients. This is a big number for acupuncturists, since treating just one person takes quite a long time. He often spent his spare time staying at home studying for his post-graduate degree. In spite of the difficulties, he has found that he learned a lot from the experience, and that it made him more mature:
"The six months I experienced in Ethiopia has broadened my mind and deeply influenced the value I have for life. Before, I often felt discouraged when encountering difficulties. Now I have become more brave and more confident to face new challenges. I also made lots of African friends. When I walked along the streets, many Ethiopians greeted me, were friendly and showed their respect to me. I felt very proud of being Chinese."
With that we have come to the end of today's edition of Africa Express. If you would like to listen to this story again, you can log on to Your comments and suggestions are also welcome via email at I am Wei Tong saying goodbye for now. Thank you for listening and hope you will join us again next time!
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