20090106: Queen rewards relief efforts

January 6th, 2009

British Queen Awards SQR and Bookworm Relief Efforts

HRH Queen Elizabeth II

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has honoured Sichuan Quake Relief and The Bookworm team for their work in the relief efforts following the May 12 earthquake. The relief efforts were cited last week in the Queen’s annual New Year Honour’s List. Alexandra Pearson, founder of The Bookworm, will go to London to accept the award on behalf of the team early this year.

20090106: SQR Installs Five More Libraries in Temporary Schools

January 6th, 2009

SQR, in cooperation with The Library Project (http://library-project.org), has put five more libraries into temporary junior schools over the past few weeks. These schools – in Luo Shui (2), Long Men Shan, Xiao Yu Dong and Tumen — had course books but little or no extra non-syllabus reading material. Each school received a wide range of high quality children’s books that included history, science, short stories, fairy tales, reference books and comics. They also received book shelves, posters, a globe, toys, balls and racquets, and desks and chairs.

In addition to books and furniture, each school Librarian receives training on how to manage their new library. Since most rural elementary schools have never had a single book in their library for children to read, The Library Project’s Librarian Training Program gets them up to speed on day one. Volunteers also play a huge part in the process of providing libraries. “Our volunteers play an important role in introducing the students to their new library. Games are played, songs are sung, and of course books are read. It is a very positive experience for everyone involved; the school administration, teachers, students, and the volunteers,” says Jenny Wang, The Library Project’s Country Director.

These five projects were partly funded by the Gaelic Athletic Association’s Asian County Board (www.asiancountyboard.com). Many thanks for their kind support!

They are many more remote schools in the quake region that are in need of libraries. For as little as US$500 - US$1000 you can provide hundreds of children’s books, and furniture for a library. Please contact us if you would like to help sponsor a library.

20090106: NGO news: Alpha Communities to Provide Vocational Training for More than 100 Unemployed Sichuanese

January 6th, 2009

Alpha Communities, who focus on long-term development through education, restoration of degraded environment, renewable energy and micro loans, have sponsored children’s education in Sichuan for over a decade. Since the earthquake, aside from immediate relief projects, they have focused in Sichuan on providing free vocational training to more than 60 laid-off workers in the area around Jiangyou. There is a wide range of training on offer, with most opting for courses in the construction and textile industries. “So far 60 people have finished their vocational training, and all of them have found a job,” Chris Turner, the organisation’s Executive Officer, told SQR.

They have now raised enough funding to put another 100 people through this vocational training after the Spring Festival, he said. On average, a three-month training programme costs 3,000rmb, and the participants are offered the option of a 3,000rmb micro-loan after they graduate.

For more information, contact Chris on cturner@alphacommunities.org or see their website.

20080907: Pingwu pictures

January 6th, 2009

The Jiuzhaigou boys were motoring through Pingwu and took these in September 2008.
They show the damage caused by the earthquake, with broken bridges and roads, collapsed houses and other ex-buildings.
Also pictured are various forms of temporary housing, some it destined to be more than merely temporary.
See more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sichuanquakerelief

Pingwu photos from 20080907

Temporary shelter made from ‘tarps’

Pingwu photos from 20080907
Temp housing has been put up where the ‘permanent’ buildings were

Pingwu photos from 20080907

Pingwu photos from 20080907

Pingwu photos from 20080907

Temporary housing
Pingwu photos from 20080907

Collapsed road

Pingwu photos from 20080907

Bridge down - damage to vital transport links hampers delivery of goods to affected areas

See more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sichuanquakerelief

20083112: Photos from the Wenchuan area showing earthquake damage

January 6th, 2009

Kieran Fitzgerald was in the Wenchuan area on 31st December 2008.  He took these photos.  The damage which show the power of the earthquake, with massive landslides and broken bridges.

This is one reason why the last SQR delivery trip took 5 days.

Wenchuan area, 31st December 2008

Landslide

Wenchuan area, 31st December 2008

Broken bridge
Wenchuan area, 31st December 2008

Landslide

Wenchuan area, 31st December 2008

Huge chunk of rocky mountain that fell off during the quake.

For more photos, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/sichuanquakerelief/

20090106: SQR’s crew back safely after 5-day mountain trek

January 6th, 2009

For more photos click here. or go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/sichuanquakerelief

Five SQR volunteers returned safely to Chengdu last night (Jan 5, 2008) after an arduous five-day journey delivering bedding, warm clothing, hot water bottles, and basic food items to remote areas around Yuli in Wenchuan.

Deliveries have to be made on foot due to the poor condition of the winter roads

There are still frequent landslides in the area, and many of the roads are covered with snow and ice. These villages are extremely remote and so are still in dire need of even the most basic necessities. With many roads impassable for the winter, it is difficult to get basic supplies up into the region. The crew had to deliver many of the items to households on foot. We are planning to return to the region in the coming days to deliver similar supplies to surrounding areas.

This delivery was jointly funded by Springtime AB (www.springtime.nu) and Beijing Charity Dinners Club. Many thanks to them for their very generous support.
The transportation costs were covered by the local government.

Winter quilt/duvet deliveries finally got through. Temperatures are below freezing at night, and accommodation is basic at best.

These villages are extremely remote and so are still in dire need of even the most basic necessities.

Winter quilt/duvet deliveries finally got through. Temperatures are below freezing at night, and accommodation is basic at best.

We are planning to return to the region in the coming days to deliver similar supplies to surrounding areas.

For more photos click here. or go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/sichuanquakerelief

20081006: Hua Dan rehabilitation program in Sichuan: needs assessment and pilot phase

January 5th, 2009

http://www.hua-dan.org/en/

Hua Dan's programmes help people express themselves and healLong Term Plans
15.8.2008, updated 6.10.2008
After completing a needs assessment and the pilot phase of our relief project where we have reached nearly 3000 children in need, the Hua Dan team are now ready to begin implementing a long-term rehabilitation program in Sichuan. The exciting news is we now have a new relief efforts coordinator, Gao Yan, who comes from a village in Mianzhu, an area close to the centre of the earthquake, who will be in charge of coordinating and implementing Hua Dan workshops with children, women and community leaders in this district over the next year!

通过近 3000个孩子参加的灾后试点项目以及需求评估,花旦现在已经准备好在四川进行一个长期的重建项目。有个令人兴奋的消息,就是现在我们有了一个新的项目协调员——高艳,她来自绵竹(靠近地震中心的一个城市)的一个村子,将负责协调和执行花旦接下来一年在四川地区与孩子、妇女以及村领导的工作室。

The last few months have really shown the need for Hua Dan’s type of work in Sichuan. One village we have spent a considerable amount of time in is Maluxiang, a mountain village in northern Sichuan, which was close to completely destroyed by the earthquake. Many children here lost friends, family members and some even had to help move dead bodies from the rubble. Maluxiang government officials have said that although they received a lot of material help  initially, what they need most now is spiritual help and liveliness- and they said that Hua Dan is providing this for them and their children.  One small boy who survived the earthquake in Maluxiang said Hua Dan has “helped some of the bad feelings from the earthquake go away”. A survey after the workshops found that 70% of the children in Maluxiang now feel more confident. Their increased self-esteem is giving them the confidence to face challenges in their own lives and in their community that they will encounter over the next few years.

Hua Dan's programmes help people express themselves and heal

过去几个月的确显示了四川地区对花旦工作的需要。我们在马鹿乡逗留了相当长的时间,那是四川北部的一个小山村,几乎被地震毁坏殆尽。那里的很多孩子失去了朋友,家人,甚至有些孩子不得不帮忙把瓦砾堆中的尸体抬走。马鹿乡政府的人说,尽管开始的时候他们得到了大批的援助物资,但他们现在最需要的是心灵的慰藉和生机,同时他们说,这也正是花旦可以给他们以及孩子们提供的。马鹿乡一个从地震中幸存下来的小男孩说,花旦帮助他赶走了地震带来的梦魇。工作室结束后的一个调查显示,马鹿乡70%的孩子们感觉更自信了。不断增长的自信将会给予他们信心去面对在未来可能遭遇的生活中和社会上的挑战。

Another town we have been to is Guangji, just north of Chengdu, where Zhao Wei, a 12-yr old boy was stuck under rubble for three days until the rescuers were able to help him out. His teacher said before Hua Dan’s workshops he was really angry and didn’t want to participate in anything but afterwards she couldn’t believe the change, saying he was calmer and had actually started to take more responsibility and care for others. At the end of the workshops Wei hugged the Hua Dan facilitator and said this was the first time he had been able to smile since then. Another youth in Guangji said “Although the earthquake made all our houses fall, we are now still here together as a team, “said one teenager in Guangji. “This makes me very happy.” By giving these local youth an opportunity to gather and participate in meaningful group activities, Hua Dan’s workshops are helping them open up and get involved, making them feel more and more like a team who can actively be in involved in their community’s rehabilitation.

我们去的另一个镇是绵竹市广济镇,就在成都的北边。那里有个叫赵伟的12岁男孩,当救援人员把他救出来时,他已经在瓦砾堆中被埋了三天了。他的老师说在参加花旦工作室之前,他的脾气很不好,很容易生气,也不愿参与任何事,但后来,她实在不敢相信,他变得平静了,开始在团队中负起一些责任来,还照顾其他孩子。工作室结束时,赵伟和花旦的志愿者紧紧拥抱说,这是自从地震以来他第一次笑出来。广济一个十几岁的孩子说,“尽管震塌了我们的房子,但是现在我们在一起还是一个团队,这让我很高兴。”通过让当地的青少年们有机会聚在一起参加一些有意义的集体活动,花旦工作室帮他们敞开心扉,相互交流,让他们感到越来越像一个团队,可以积极参与到当地的灾后重建当中。

In addition to workshops we have been running regular community performances in villages where often the whole community, young and old, have come to participate. These performances have been very successful, because they have been acting as a way for all members of the community to not just support their children’s performances, but to participate in exploring issues and solutions to their community’s rehabilitation.

除了工作室之外,我们还在村里定期举行社区表演活动,经常是整个村子,不管男女老少,一个都不少。这些表演都十分成功,因为对于社区的所有人来说,他们为村子所有人的表演不仅仅是一种支持他们孩子表演的方式,也是在参与探讨解决当地重建的问题和方案。

Hua Dan has already received a great deal of support for its relief  efforts in Sichuan. We are however still looking for guaranteed support to roll the project out over the long term. To date we have received generous support from one organization who has pledged to us US$15 000 to begin the program, but will only be granted to us when we raise equal to that amount first.

花旦在四川的救援项目已经得到了大力支持。然而,我们依然在寻求有保证的支持来运作四川的长期项目。截止到现在,我们已经收到了一个组织的慷慨捐赠,他们已经承诺捐款15000美元用于该项目的启动,但只有当我们先筹集到等额的善款后才会兑现。

If you are interested, or you know anyone - friends, family members, individuals or companies - that may be interested in supporting workshops with children in Sichuan over the long term, then please go to our website www.hua-dan.org where you can donate, or pass on the link to our website.

如果你有兴趣或者你知道其他人,比如朋友,家人,个人或者企业愿意长期地支持我们在四川的长期的儿童工作室,可以直接登录我们的网站www.hua-dan,org或者通过这个链接到我们的网站进行捐赠。

Thankyou for your interest and support!

感谢大家的关注和支持!

Peta.
http://www.hua-dan.org/en/

20080807: Hua Dan theatre performances to promote awareness of need for hygiene

January 5th, 2009

http://www.hua-dan.org/en

Thursday, Aug 7 2008: Last weekend Hua Dan staff and volunteers ran a series of short, interactive theatre performances on themes of basic hygiene with earthquake affected children in Sichuan. The workshops were run in coordination with American NGO Mercy Corps to compliment their delivery of hygiene kits to children.

Fifteen Hua Dan staff and volunteers took part in the two-day event that covered themes such as the importance of washing hands before you eat, healthy eating habits and how to look after yourself whilst living in camp. Dressed in costume as characters such as Mr. Germ and the Soap Hero, the Hua Dan team of actors performed skits to help children develop visual images that aid in the education process. “The performances were fun, interactive and provided a way to encapsulate the key learning themes in a short period,” said Caroline Watson, Hua Dan’s founder and creator of the workshops.

Hua Dan has over four years of expertise in delivering participatory theatre workshops around China. In her studies, Caroline’s academic focus was on the use of theatre in mental health and prison settings. She has also run rehabilitation workshops with tsunami victims in south India.

All Hua Dan facilitators and volunteers are competent, energetic, young adults, and are trained in leading and mentoring young people through participatory theatre. Due to great demand, we are now expanding our work in Sichuan to assist in long-term psychological rehabilitation efforts.

For more information on Hua Dan’s projects, go to http://www.hua-dan.org/en

200812: School for Shuimo Town students

January 5th, 2009

SQR visit report on a school: A good example of how stretched resources are, and how resiliently people are coping.

Basic Situation

The school was moved here from Shuimo town in Wenchuan in Aug when it was completely destroyed by the May earthquake.

Consisting of 786 students (ranging from 12 to 15 and 46% of them are Tibetan, Qiang and Hui minorities.) and 55 teachers (including dormitory management personnel), 800-plus people were allocated into classroom and dorms that had been converted from workshops and warehouses in Shuren Vocational Middle School in Emei Shan City. This means the original dining room that was designed to cope with 300 people now has to cater for nearly 1000.  Some students have to eat standing.  The same problem is found in the dormitories: according to Yang, the principle of Shuimo Middle, the most crowed room has 30 students. Thanks to the money given by Emei Shan government, a fairly good boiler room was installed, so children can have hot shower from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm every day.

Now students have classes 5 and half days a week, from 8 am to 8 pm. The time left can only be spent on dozens of books, which donated by government or individuals and stored in a 10-square metre large “library”, or limited sports exercises on the simple playground.

With a small range of medicines, the one school doctor arranged by Emei Shan government can only deal with basic illnesses in the small school clinic.  Therefore students have to be taken to hospital in town in the occurrence of major injury or other emergencies.

Other support

Huadan & Leshan Teacher Training College: Occasionally teaching support at weekends.

Help Request

Medicine (for cold, fever, diarrhoea, athlete’s foot)

Books (for secondary school students and teaching material for teacher)

Doctors (if possible) and teachers (for weekend fun teaching)

List and Budget

Mr. Yang, the Principal, will send me the detailed list and budget tonight

Location

Shuren Vocational Middle School in Emei Shan City (2 and a half hrs from Chengdu, half an hour from the city centre of Emei.)

20081219: Yingxiu Wan power plant 汶川大地震震中映秀电厂恢复发电

January 5th, 2009

http://news.sohu.com/20081219/n261317290.shtml

The No.3 generator group of the Yin Xiu Wan Power Plant, Wei Chuan, restarted its work on 19th Dec after 6-months-and-3-days construction. And also, the NO.1 and No.2 generator group will be on working Jun 2009. This will certainly make a huge difference for people in Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, especially those in Wen Chuan, through this bitter winter.

12月19日,位于四川省阿坝州汶川县映秀镇,自6月13日起开始重建的映秀湾水电发电总厂映秀湾电站3号机组恢复发电。 同时,该厂第二台、第三台机组也将于明年6月全部恢复发电。映秀湾电站首台机组并网发电后,电流送往四川电网。这为四川电网抗击寒流和阿坝藏族羌族自治州的灾后越冬、重建和工农业生产的恢复起了重要作用。