China Earthquake Relief Fund

Hello GlobalGivers,

We cannot thank you enough for your generosity over the past year. The Chinese Sichuan province has had to recover from a tragic earthquake not once, but twice. Lushan county, at  the center of the earthquake, lost 120 townspeople, and all cities and towns within the township suffered from serious damages. Our partner organizations, including on-the-ground, local organizations, have helped improve the hygiene of affected children, assisted local NGOs dedicated to cause recovery, and addressed physical and mental health needs of survivors. You, along with these partners, have allowed the Sichuan province to recover from a second tragedy. Here are some updates from these partners:

Mercy Corps has addressed the needs of recovering children through its project Response to Devastating Sichuan, China Earthquake. The program Comfort for Kids (C4K) provided children with art supplies and workbooks to help them work through the trauma. Since the beginning of the program, C4K and Mercy Corps have helped over 6,000 children recover from the disaster in a positive and creative way. To further enhance the lives of the affected children, Mercy Corps has also delivered basic supplies to help them return to a normal life of learning and playing. Emergency preparations have been put in place in schools by trained staff to ensure both teachers and children are prepared for anything in the future. Both children and teachers are thankful for these new programs put in place. One teacher, named Xubin, said “my colleagues have also expressed to me that in helping their students face the difficulties of dealing with this loss, they too have worked through a great deal of their own trauma.” Thanks to Mercy Corps, children of the Sichuan province can return to a normal life once again.

Shanghai United Foundation has allowed local NGOs to help out the cause right in their backyard. This past October, four projects were voted on to receive funding from SUF. The first program provided items such as tables, chairs, and beds to kindergarteners in Lushan county. Project number two focused on motivating the youth of Sichuan province to meet their full potential. The project consisted of developing an innovative program centered around tourism for the youth to take part in. The third project went to funding to improve preschool education in Ya’an county, and the final project set up a social work station in the Ya’an Shuangshi primary school. Without the help and generosity of SUF, these NGOs may not have had the chance to make such a difference in their communities.

Xintu Center for Community Health Promotion, SH’s project Helps Community Rebuilding in Quake-Affected Ya’an has strived to promote mental health awareness ever since the earthquake struck. This past March, Xintu Center held a workshop to develop strategies to promote mental health. There were 46 participants who took part in workshops to help come up with these strategies along with Xintu staff. The participants from local communities, hospitals, and governments learned about stakeholders, measuring processes, developing visions and objectives, along with many more project-related topics. After the event, the five strategies were reviewed by other members of the communities and members of foundations. Xintu Center hopes that these proposals will receive government funding in order to improve the mental health of disaster survivors.

We cannot express enough how grateful we are for your kind support. These organizations would not have been able to make such an impact over the past year without your help. The people of the Sichuan province can now have a second chance, and it is thanks to you. Keep up the great work!

Links:

• China Earthquake Relief Fund