Editor's note: In the battle with the COVID-19 epidemic, more and more fighters are coming to its front lines, including students and former students of the Open University of China (OUC). Like other fighters, no matter how ordinary, they are contributing what they can. Let's take a close look at some of their stories.

"Although I can't rush to the forefront like the medical workers, I have to do my part in this battle, and help protect the lives and health of the 1,277 people and 292 households in the village."

Ji Sanwa is director of the Mingquan Village Committee, Weixin Town, Minxian County, Dingxi, Gansu Province. He is also a student in the "Long March Belt" Poverty-alleviation Educational Project of the Open University of China (OUC).

Ji Sanwa’s actions speak louder than his words. Eager to fulfill the oaths he made when he joined the party, Ji Sanwa has rushed to lead the campaign against the coronavirus epidemic in his community.

This has involved leading Party members and other villagers to put up banners and distribute publicity materials.

Ji Sanwa has also led blanket house-by-house searches, targeting recent returnees, especially from Wuhan and other places in Hubei Province. A total of 4 students and 56 migrant workers were screened and quarantined, and 126 people dissuaded from visiting relatives and friends.

Over more than 20 days, Ji Sanwa visited people quarantined in their homes, checking their body temperatures and assessing their physical and psychological health. He also visited the government office in Weixin 13 times to collect disinfectants, masks and other materials despite the dangerous mountain roads and cold weather.

At four monitoring points set up on the village road, Ji Sanwa strictly implemented a 24-hour system, and put aside caring for his family in order to maintain it. In the day, he led registration, temperature measurements and publicity measures, while at night he insisted on sticking to his post regardless of the harsh cold and wind, only taking brief rests in a tent.

His efforts have paid off, and at present no confirmed or suspected illnesses exist in Mingquan Village; rumors have been put to rest, and the village is safe and calm.

Over the last 20 days, when confronted by individual villagers, Ji Sanwa has replied calmly that he is just doing his duty as Party member and village cadre: ensuring the health and safety of villagers, and leading them to defeat the epidemic.

By OUC News Network