Migrant workers’ lack of sense of belonging is a pressing social issue. Without incorporation into urban communities, they would face a dilemma of belonging neither to the city nor to the village. Such a life in limbo could also have profound and long-lasting effects on these workers’ children.

In 2006, the website ‘Grassroots Home’ was created by Wencai Xu, who migrated from Jiangxi Province to Zhejiang Province for work in Hangzhou City. It aimed at improving migrant workers’ inner life. Calling the workers to help themselves and offer mutual support, Wencai successfully organized activities such as Grassroots Arts and Culture Festival and Migrant Workers’ Spring Festival Gala. In 2010, ‘Volunteer Station for New Residents in Hangzhou’ was established by the Labor Union of Gefan Community of Jiubao Town in Yuhuang District. It was anticipated that the station would become a model project for incorporating migrant workers into their local communities as new Hangzhou residents in four ways: (1) enriching migrant workers’ inner life through sports and cultural activities; (2) developing them into more well-rounded persons through education and training; (3) addressing their family concerns, particularly the care of their children; (4) encouraging and organizing them to participate in community services. The station provided a platform for migrant workers to become new Hangzhou residents in and through a process from being served, to self-development and self-management, and to serving others.

Three lessons can be learned from this case. First, success of the volunteer station lies in identifying and meeting the needs of migrant workers. The workers have places to live in Hangzhou but are in great need of feeling at home, and their needs for inner life are often neglected. This niche was filled by ‘Grassroots Home’ and ‘Volunteer Station for New Residents in Hangzhou’. Second, establishment and operation of public welfare organizations depend on dedicated organizers and volunteers. Take Wencai Xu, the founder of ‘Grassroots Home’ and the director of the volunteer station, for example. He willingly spent much of his time and income on many projects. The second example is the volunteer team with stable membership. The team provided continuity of care for migrant children in the long-term ‘Dandelion Plan’, which later became a branding project of the volunteer station. Another example is a group of student volunteers from Zhejiang Gongshang University. Leveraging its proximity to the university (i.e., a distance of 15 kilometers), the volunteer station has established a long-term partnership with School of Tourism and Urban and Rural Planning. These student volunteers, therefore, became key personnel to support migrant children’s education. The third lesson is that public welfare organizations, despite being independent from local government, do need their support so as to develop well.