Amity responds to survival needs caused by natural disaster with food, health care, clothing and shelter. Assistance is given to communities whose churches, rural health clinics, schools, social welfare institutions, homes and water conservancy facilities have been destroyed. The goal of this project is to develop strategies for disaster preparation, disaster relief, and disaster management. By working together, community members and staff members contribute to proactive disaster management so as to effectively minimize damages caused by disasters.

The Sichuan Earthquake of 2008 was the main catalyst for the Amity Foundation’s disaster management work. After the earthquake, Amity sent disaster response workers to the site the very same day to assess the damages and the state of the affected area. The collected information served as a base for further delineating rescue strategies. Within the following two years, the Amity Foundation established a post-earthquake reconstruction office, centered in Woyun village in Mianzhu City, Sichuan province. In turn, many different aid projects were initiated across the 24 disaster zones in Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces, including emergency rescue planning, a program to resume manufacturing, a program to resume education, a handicapped recovery program, providing clean drinking water, home reconstruction, mental health support, and community reconstruction and development.

While providing humanitarian aid to those affected, protecting their lives and security, and ensuring that they have access to basic necessities, the Amity Foundation also promoted disaster prevention and management strategies to help train others. By using reconstruction activities as a platform, the Amity Foundation encouraged community participation and fostered a loving community atmosphere. Amity is concerned with empowering the community so as to have maximum effect, and so promotes community organizations as well as culture, spirit, and health within the community. Whether by means of providing technological support or grassroots organizational support, the Amity Foundation aims to establish a solid and sustainable foundation for disaster management.

You can download the following 4 audited income and expenditure accounts of charitable fund-raising activities for relief work in China (PDF):

• 23 May – 1 June 2008 (public subscription permit number 2008/289/1), earthquake relief and school fee subsidies
• 5 June – 1 July 2008 (public subscription permit number 2008/351/1), reconstruction of 100 primary schools
• 12 – 15 June 2008 (public subscription permit number 2008/371/1), reconstruction of 100 primary schools
• 2 – 20 July 2008 (public subscription permit number 2008/409/1), reconstruction of 100 primary schools