Winter « Sichuan Quake Relief

Archive for the ‘Winter’ Category

Funding request: need for durable winter tents in Yushu

Monday, May 17th, 2010

SQR is working with a local grassroots NGO in Yushu to provide all-weather tents to 300 families that have little hope of being back in permanent homes before next year.

It is becoming increasingly clear that there is an underlying need for investment in warmer, more durable tents to be donated to the earthquake-affected in Yushu. At present, most families that have the required local residency (hukou) have been provided with one 12-by-12 foot (13 sq metres) summer tent, regardless of the number of people in the family that must share it. Even in the summer, these tents will be battered by strong winds and heavy downpours. When winter sets in they will provide poor shelter from the bitter cold.

With rebuilding officially scheduled to take at least three years, in the harsh climate of Yushu there is a need to provide larger, tougher, all-weather tents, the sooner the better. SQR is partnering with locally-founded and -staffed NGO Tibetan Village Project (TVP) to provide at least 300 needy families with all-weather tents that will last the next two to three years while they slowly rebuild their homes and lives. TVP has been working in Yushu for the last ten years promoting sustainable development of the area, and has been directly involved in the earthquake relief process.

All-weather tent suitable for the harsh climate of Yushu

Each good quality tent costs 2,300 RMB (US$345), so we are aiming at raising almost 700,000 RMB (just over US$100,000) to reach 300 families. With its local expertise, Tibetan Village Project will handle local sourcing and distribution to ensure those families who are most in need will be reached. SQR will guarantee funding we receive is channelled directly into the purchase and distribution of quality tents.

Please donate today to ensure these families are helped before their situation becomes even more dire.

If you can help us source good quality, large, all-weather tents, please contact us at info@sichuan-quake-relief.org.

Posted in Relief, SQR Donation Request, Winter, Yushu Earthquake | No Comments »

20090311: SQR trip: Baby clothes and blankets delivered to pregnant women

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

SQR volunteers today (Wed 11th March 2009) went out to the quake-affected zone, bringing
baby clothes and blankets to pregnant women. The winter has been a particularly cold one.

Posted in Living conditions, Relief, SQR, SQR Activities, Winter | No Comments »

20090109: Xinhua: Snow adds woes to quake-stricken county in China’s Sichuan

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Snow adds woes to quake-stricken county in China’s Sichuan
2009-01-09
BEICHUAN, Sichuan, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — “Damn it, I can’t brake.” The driver’s desperate yell left everyone in a cold sweat.
But the Volkswagen Touareg stopped in time – its rear wheels merely 30 cm from the cliff. Xinhua reporter Liu Dajiang describes Thursday’s trip to Beichuan as “incredibly perilous.”
He said: “It was a life-and-death moment. The SUV that was driving uphill suddenly slid back toward the 2,180-meter tall cliff.”
The icy mountain road that served as a lifeline in Beichuan, a county that was reduced to rubble by the strong earthquake of May 12, was as slippery as glass. The road, connecting 12 outlying towns and villages, was covered with snow and ice, with two major cave-ins.
Along the route, Liu said he saw more than 200 workers doing repairs and clearing ice and snow.
Heavy snow that began to fall on New Year’s Day has disrupted road traffic since Jan. 2, cutting off more than 60,000 residents, said Huang Junshan, a traffic police officer in Leigu Township.
To ensure road safety, Huang and his colleagues stopped every passing vehicle, registering the number plates, taking photos and making sure the tire chains were in place.
“We urge drivers with less than three years’ road experience to abandon their trips into the mountains,” said Huang.
The 36-km trip from Leigu Township to Yuli Village, the endpoints of the road, takes three hours.
Leigu and Yuli were among the worst-hit areas in the 8.0-magnitude quake. Thousands of people died. Schools and hospitals were relocated to prefabricated structures, while villagers built huts with boards and felt.
As temperatures fell to the freezing point, most villagers heated their homes with firewood.
“Fortunately we’ve stored some supplies,” said Liu Taiyuan, 72.His little cabin in Yuli Village was kept warm by charcoal. Homemade sausages hung on the wall.
Liu and his wife kept adding fuel to the stove, but the place was still too cold for their 12-year-old grandson, who huddled under his quilt to watch TV.
By the end of last year, Liu said the local government had rationed out rice, cooking oil, quilts, winter clothing, and 140 yuan (20 U.S. dollars) in cash. “The real trouble is transportation,” said Liu. “A trip to Leigu Township costs 150 yuan.”
The traffic logjam hampered the construction of permanent homes, said village official Fu Zhanguo. “A brick that sells for 0.3 yuan in other counties costs three times as much here.”
Next to Liu’s cabin stood his partly-built new home. The concrete structure and roof were in place, but “we’re still waiting for bricks to complete the house,” said Liu.
As of Friday, 16 provinces — more than half of the country — have had snow or sleet. Ice storms have snarled traffic in central, eastern and southern China, posing threats to the coming Spring Festival travel rush, which starts Sunday.
There’s no forecast for snow in arid Beijing, however, in the next 10 days, the municipal meteorological bureau said Friday.

Tags:Beichuan, brick, ice, Leigu, repair, rubble, snow, Winter, Yuli
Posted in Living conditions, Official news source, Transport, Winter | No Comments »

20090118: SQR delivers winter clothing

Friday, February 27th, 2009

18th January 2009.

Winter clothing delivered by SQR

SQR delivered winter clothing to quake victims in need of warmth in this particularly cold winter.

Click here to see more SQR photos

Tags:clothes, Winter, winter supplies
Posted in Relief, SQR Activities, Winter | No Comments »

SQR trip: March 4th 2009: Shifang (bringing clothes and blankets)

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

Title: SQR trip: March 4th 2009: Shifang (bringing clothes and blankets)
Location: Shifang
Description: March 4th Shifang (bringing clothes and blankets)
Date: 2009-03-04

Tags:blanket, clothes, Shifang
Posted in Relief, SQR Activities, Winter | No Comments »

SQR Planning to Rebuild Community Kindergarten in Guangji

Friday, January 16th, 2009

Sichuan Quake Relief volunteers delivered winter supplies to children at a school in the village of Guangji, two hours northwest of Chengdu on January 9th, 2009. The 132 children, aged two to six years, currently attend a day school in a temporary structure with no heat or running water. In spite of their conditions, the children greeted volunteers with smiles and a song.

Schoolboy at Guangji Kindergarten.

Their school, Guangji Di Kang Le Kindergarten, was closed due to structural damage after the earthquake. The school has been moved to a temporary structure in a neighbouring field until part of the school can be reinforced, and an older section demolished. Principal Kang Yuling hopes that they will be able to return to the school in September 2009 if donations are made available. The school has been given a 5,000rmb subsidy by the government to help with the rebuilding, but it will cost at least 50,000rmb to simply strengthen the structure, plus any decoration costs.

The temporary building is cold.

As the temporary classrooms are extremely cold, SQR volunteers provided students with 15,806rmb’s worth of winter supplies, including; gloves, scarves, coats, long underwear and electric kettles (receipts available). The funding for this project was provided by the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai (www.sha.britcham.org). The British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai donated a total of 37,000rmb to be used for this school.

School principal (l) Kang Yuling

The Guangji Di Kang Le Kindergarten is the only pre-school institution and Kindergarten serving five villages. Almost all the parents of the children that attend this school are migrant workers who are forced to work in the coastal cities as there is very little employment in the quake area. This school is a non-profit community project that has been around for more than 20 years. Principal Kang taught many of the parents of her current students when the school opened up first. In 2006, to help them move to better premises she donated part of her family’s farmland, and a section of her family home to start the school. In addition, the other teachers raised enough money to build a new section, purchase playground equipment, and supplies.

The building remained standing, but damage is severe.

The school they built then with their own money, though badly damaged by the quake, was one of the few buildings in the area that stayed standing. All of the children and staff got out of the building safely when the earthquake struck.

Tuition for the kids, including meals, is 120rmb per month. If families cannot afford the fees the school reduces or waives them. The local government has confirmed there will be no more financial support for this community kindergarten. SQR is currently assessing the situation in detail with a view to helping to rebuild the school, and perhaps extend the community facilities, and develop a long-term partnership with the Guangji community. This project will be implemented in conjunction with the Chengdu American Chamber of Commerce, the British Chamber of Commerce SouthWest China, and the European Chamber of Commerce in Chengdu, and the Chengdu International Women’s Club.

Photos by Kirsten Allen

http://www.vimeo.com/4012942

Tags:assessment, British Chamber of Commerce, community project, demolish, glove, Guangji, Kang Yuling, kettle, kindergarten, long-term partnership, migrant, non-profit, reinforce, scarf, school, Shanghai, subsidy, temporary housing, tuition, winter supplies
Posted in Childcare, Civil society, Construction and infrastructure, Donation, Education, Facilities reconstruction, Home rebuilding, Infrastructure, Labour and migration, Living conditions, Local government, SQR, SQR Activities, SQR Donation Request, Winter | No Comments »

20090112: Verein der Chinesischen Studenten und Wissenschaftler an der Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

The Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Ruhr University Bochum has made a significant donation part of which has been put towards the purchases of blankets, and the rest of the donation will be used to support kindergarten projects.

The Association is particularly interested in supporting the Guangji kindergarten project, the library project (http://library-project.org) and are keen to support other projects, too.

Xie xie / Vielen Dank / Many thanks for their interest and support.

http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/china/

Tags:blanket, Bochum, Germany, Guangji, kindergarten, library, Ruhr, school, student
Posted in Donation, Education, SQR Activities, Winter | No Comments »