The Amity Foundation

Appeal and updates–Mudslide Disaster in Gansu

Dear friends of Amity,

You may have learnt of the devastating landslide that affected China in Zhouqu County, Gansu Province. Since the outbreak of the disaster, Amity has continually responded to the situation. The following is a summary of our relief work in the past few days;

August 7-8
Torrential rain triggered a landslide that hit Zhouqu, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Region in Gansu Province on August 7，2010. According to the rescue headquarters, by August 12, 1117 were reported dead and 627 were still missing.

The torrential rain began lashing the county at about 11pm on Saturday (August 7) and runoff from the downpour built up behind a landslide on the Bailong River, which rungs through the county seat town (China Daily).

August 9

A coordination meeting was held at the Nanjing headquarters to launch another relief effort that included contacting a local partner in Gansu, preparing for a site visit, making an appeal to the public for help, as well as involving local media in Amity’s work. Amity decided to allocate CNY 2 million as an initial grant for the relief work.

 August 10

 Ms. Tanhua, Assistant Director of the Relief Programme, together with Mr. Sun Qiang, reporter of Jiangsu News Radio set off for Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu on the August 10. All tickets from Nanjing to Lanzhou had been sold out and they had to take a detour to Shanghai in order to catch a flight to Lanzhou. Together with staff from Gansu Health Department based in Lanzhou, the team continued non stop overnight to Zhouqu, the landslide hit area.

August 11

The Amity team arrived in Zhouqu by noon and conducted an initial assessment. The team reported that electricity had been reconnected. The rain still continued, increasing the difficulty of an already treacherous rescue. Victims were sheltered in temporary shelters and  afraid of going back home, worrying about possible further landslides. At the moment, water and instant noodles could meet the needs of the victims. The social infrastructure is still in place, which should lay a firm foundation for further relief efforts.

News from relevant supporting agencies

Hong Kong SAR Government dedicated HK$3 million to Amity’s relief work through Amity’s office in Hong Kong.

Tencent, one of China’s biggest internet companies has offered CNY 1 million to support Amity’s relief work.

Some partners of Amity, including the United Church of Canada, Church of Scotland, United Methodist Church (USA)  have written to give their sympathy and solidarity to Amity in this situation.

We appreciate your care of, concern on and prayers for the victims in the landslide in Zhouqu.

With appreciations,

She Hongyu

Urgent Appeal: Help Typhoon Victims in the Philippines

Dear Friends of Amity,

Relief for Typhoon Victims in the Philippines

I am writing to appeal for your support to provide urgently needed funds for relief work for the victims of Typhoon Ketsana (known locally as Ondoy), which devastated Metro-Manila and surrounding areas on September 26th 2009.

Road becomes river

Typhoon Kestana brought the highest rainfall in more than 40 years with floodwaters in some areas reaching almost 13.5 meters high, submerging the homes of more than 2 million people. More than 300 people have died and the numbers are mounting. Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran (菲律賓華裔青年聯合會), an organization of Chinese Filipino youth in the Philippines, was one of the first local NGOs to arrive at the scene.  They have been working closely with Dr Theresa Carino, who happened to be in the Philippines right after the Typhoon and witnessed firsthand the suffering.  Through Dr Carino, we have established the liaison necessary for Kaisa to act as Amity’s local partner in delivering relief to the victims. (Make a Donation Here.)

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Winter brings warmth for children in Sichuan

More than 5000 students from four schools in Shifang, an earthquake-ridden city in Sichuan, benefited from a donation made by the organizations Families with Children from China (F.C.C.) in New York, Australia and Canada. The donation is given to the children in two phases. During the first phase, CNY 10,800 are used to cover lunch expenses for 400 students and the cost of medical treatment for three children.

During a later phase, another CNY 45,050 will be spent to buy toys for pre-school kids and video stations and teaching equipment for the students of the primary schools in Minzhu, Hongbai, Bajiao and Luoshui. Over 2600 students were given new gloves and hats so they will stay warm during a long day in class.

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New church building dedicated in Mianzhu, Sichuan

A new temporary church building was dedicated as part of a special service on Sunday, 18 January.

Mianzhu was one of the cities worst hit in the 512 Earthquake. Over 90% of the houses collapsed or damaged so badly that they became unsafe for occupation. The Mianzhu Church, built in 1923, was among the devastated buildings classified as “D-” on a scale of A to D. Simply put, it could no longer be used but for historical reasons it will be retained as a memorial for the earthquake.

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Technical training for Sichuan villagers

Mr. Kwong with a villager

Villagers in Woyun received technical training by a Hong Kong expert on how to rebuild houses so they are able to withstand an earthquake. Kwong Chun-Kin, a construction expert and consultant to Amity’s Hong Kong Office, stayed in Woyun Village for two weeks to observe the post-disaster reconstruction process there and provide hands-on training in building methods to villagers. 65-year old Mr. Kwong, who looks back on 40 years of experience in construction, had produced a hand-drawn manual which can be easily understood even by illiterates. The manual outlines seismic safety standards and explains basic construction methods, such as mixing concrete and selecting suitable steel rods for reenforcement. Working often until three o’clock in the morning, Mr. Kwong walked up and down the little paths between the paddy fields of Woyun to visit people’s homes and give them advice. When the villagers realized how serious Mr. Kwong was about helping them, they started inviting him to stop by their own construction sites.

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‘Things are going to be better than before’

Anne and Hugh Wire, former Amity teachers whose support for Amity reaches back many years, visited Sichuan Province some time after the 12 May earthquake. The following is their account of what they saw and experienced in the disaster region.

“Things are going to be better than before.”

August 28, 2008, Mianzhu County, Sichuan, PRC

The shock waves of the May 12th earthquake in Sichuan Province were carried literally around the world through intimate pictures of people in their loss and a remarkable response of solidarity with the sufferers from people all over. Chinese themselves spoke with wonder and pride about how the whole nation had turned out to give care to people that were not their own family. And the attention of the world was taken off the authorities’ struggles with protest and demonstrators and on to this outpouring of national and global love.

We found surprising optimism when we retraced those waves three months later to Mianzhu County, in the middle of the corridor of severe damage running a hundred miles along the mountains north and west of Sichuan’s provincial capital, Chengdu. Nothing substantial had been rebuilt. But improvisation was everywhere and life was going on.

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Solar cells for a village in Qinghai

Recently, many people gathered at the entrance of the village committee building in Nida, a village in Qinghai Province. They attended a ceremony to mark the delivery of solar cells, which were given by Amity and the Hong Kong-based Nethersole Fund.

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Mianzhu Church since the earthquake

When the Sichuan earthquake on May 12 shook the old Protestant church of Mianzhu, with parts of the roof and the facade falling off, Pastor Gu probably did not imagine that the congregation would grow fourfold in the following seven months. But it did. Since May, the number of people attending Sunday services has grown from around 180 to up to 1000 worshipers in December 2008.

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Amity teacher receives Sichuan award

Connie Wieck received the Jinding Award

Amity teacher Connie Wieck is one of the recipients of the Sichuan Jinding Award. This award was established by the government of Sichuan Province to thank and commend foreign experts for their contributions and dedication to the training of Chinese personnel. These professionals, from a wide variety of fields, have contributed to Sichuan’s social development, economic, scientific, technological, educational and cultural construction. It is the province’s highest honor for foreign experts. Connie Wieck was chosen along with six other foreign experts of various fields to receive the award for the year 2007.

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Rebuilding houses in the earthquake area

The rebuilding of houses has finally started in Woyun, the village in Sichuan on which the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts of the Amity Foundation have been focused. Also, villagers have formed a post-disaster reconstruction committee, whose job it is to coordinate the reconstruction efforts in Woyun.

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