Australian Jemima Bottomley says she has found a new sense of purpose after working with orphans in Shenzhen for nine months.

     Bottomley, 36, from Sydney, moved to Shenzhen with her Australian fiance Matt Cody, a computer expert working with Lenovo Australia. Cody was sent to Shenzhen last June to train Chinese staff in Lenovo's research center on a nine-month contract.

     Bottomley began volunteering at the city's orphanage in Shenzhen Social Welfare Center immediately after her arrival.

     She said she could still remember her first visit to the city's orphanage. “Holding these beautiful children in my arms for the first time, I found I had a special place in my heart for those children,” she said.

     Bottomley has been teaching English to about 20 children in the orphanage aged between 4 and 5.

     “My work experiences with those children have totally changed my life,” she said. “I feel it is very fulfilling to be able to help these children and love them.”To better communicate with children in the city's orphanage, Bottomley has been studying basic spoken Chinese at a private school in Shekou.

     Before moving to the city, Bottomley had been working as a sales manager with a textile company in Sydney.

     Bottomley said she hoped to continue to do voluntary work in Australia after returning home with her fiance in March.