Six months after the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Sichuan province on 12 May, communities are beginning to recover from the disaster, which killed more than 69,000 people, injured over 370,000 and left over five million people homeless.
Lang Lang, 4, is staying with her mother in an emergency shelter. She has just received a hygiene kit from a World Vision relief worker.
Within the first 60 days of the disaster, World Vision provided emergency assistance to over 288,000 people through the distribution of:
39,000 quilts
20,000 tarpaulins
3,000 residential tents
786 child friendly kits
300,000 kilograms of rice
World Vision also established 100 temporary health clinics and set up 10 child friendly spaces that provide a safe environment for children to play, learn and share their experiences.
Map of China.
World Vision’s ongoing response to the China Earthquake will assist over 1.1 million people with relief and rehabilitation activities. We have now started work on our long-term rehabilitation program that will operate over several years and includes the rebuilding of:
6,300 family homes across the three provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu
70 schools
15 dormitories
156 school recreation facilities
12 health clinics
50 community development projects
No areas where Australian sponsored children live were affected by the earthquake.
Last updated: Friday 21 November 2008
Past updates
World Vision to reach 350,000 people with emergency relief and rehabilitation activities
Wednesday 4 June 2008
World Vision is currently providing life-saving supplies to thousands of survivors of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan province on 12 May, and plans to reach over 350,000 people with emergency relief and longer-term rehabilitation and rebuilding activities.
The death toll has reached 68,858 people and over 18,000 people are still reported as missing. Over 360,000 people have been injured and five million remain homeless.
World Vision has distributed 6,319 tarpaulins and 25,836 quilts to provide families with warmth and shelter in addition to both residential and school tents.
Our staff have distributed almost 500,000 kilograms of rice and are setting up 10 child friendly spaces to provide a safe environment for children to play, learn, share their experiences and regain a sense of normality.
World Vision’s emergency relief operations are taking place in the Shifang and Mianzhu districts in Deyang City; Yuanba District, and Qingchuan County in Guangyang City.
In Guangyuan City, 14 out of 39 schools have been left in ruins from the earthquake. Most schools say they will not re-open until August. World Vision has committed to rebuilding 30 schools and 15 dormitories in Jiange County, Chaotian District and Yuanba District and will assist some 1,500 families in the area to rebuild their homes.
World Vision plans to reach more than 250,000 earthquake survivors in China with emergency relief and a further 135,000 people will benefit from longer-term rehabilitation and rebuilding activities.
No areas where Australian sponsored children live have been affected.
Critical need for shelter in China’s quake zone
Tuesday 20 May 2008
As China enters three days of national mourning for the now 32,000 people killed by last Monday’s earthquake, World Vision continues to distribute aid and survey the needs of devastated communities in Sichuan Province.
The distribution of quilts is underway in Qingchuan County where World Vision’s 12 local staff began responding almost immediately to the needs of earthquake survivors.
According to Mei Mei Leung, World Vision’s senior relief officer for China, temporary shelter remains the most urgent necessity: “In Mianzhu, a hard-hit region, survivors are camping out on streets, and basic needs like food, tents and water are seriously lacking.”
In response, World Vision plans to bring in another 4,000 plastic sheets, 3,000 quilts and 50 tents this week to assist affected communities. This is in addition to the 800 tents, 30,000 quilts, 464,100 kg of food and 2,000 shelter tarpaulins that were already planned for distribution.
A World Vision assessment team visited more than 1,000 survivors in Shifang County’s Deyang City on Friday. They assessed the most urgent needs in the area and distributed child friendly kits.
World Vision also plans to open three child-friendly spaces in the coming days to provide a safe environment for children to play, learn, share their experiences and regain a sense of normality.
World Vision plans to reach more than 123,000 survivors in China with emergency relief and longer term rehabilitation activities.
No areas where Australian sponsored children live have been affected.
World Vision appeals for funds to assist response
Saturday 17 May 2008
As the Asia region reels from two massive disasters,World Vision is appealing to the Australian public for funds to assist with a response to the China Earthquake.
A week after Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta region, a powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck south-western China on Monday 12 May. Severe aftershocks brought further havoc to the earthquake-stricken region on Friday. According to the latest official reports, the death toll is some 22,000 people, with thousands more feared dead. Hundreds of thousands of people are reported injured and an estimated 2.5 million people have been affected by the disaster.
World Vision is planning to assist 107,000 survivors with emergency relief assistance and a long-term rehabilitation program.
Lorries loaded with 2,000 quilts and 113 tents have arrived in Qingchuan. World Vision staff report that slippery conditions and cracked roads are slowing down the delivery of supplies.
World Vision is planning to provide relief goods including 800 tents, 30,000 quilts, 2,000 tarpaulins and 464,000kg of food to survivors in Qingchuan, where World Vision has pre-existing programs. The goods will be purchased locally and distributed by World Vision relief teams.
Hygiene kits consisting of soap, towels and toothbrushes will be provided to survivors living in temporary shelters. Three child-friendly spaces will be set up to offer children a way of returning to their normal routine through structured activities, games and informal education.
No areas where Australian sponsored children live have been affected.
World Vision provides aid to 10,000 survivors
Wednesday 14 May 2008
World Vision is providing aid in China to 10,000 survivors in the wake of a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 12,000 people and injured tens of thousands more in southwestern China on Monday.
World Vision China’s Emergency Response Director, Victor Kan said, “China’s children went to school as they would any other day but, today was not a normal day. Some children lost their classmates, and others lost their parents.”
World Vision is transporting 2,000 blankets and 130 tents to the site of the quake to provide emergency relief to the survivors.
Mr. Kan says the cost of saving lives will increase over the next few days as the true extent of the damage is revealed.
“Within the next 72 hours, we expect to have a better understanding of the extent of the damage. The children have suffered greatly in this earthquake. We must do all we can to help them.”
A World Vision assessment team has been deployed to survey the needs in the quake affected area.
World Vision has responded to a range of emergencies in China over the past few years, including the recent earthquake in Xinjiang and the string of blizzards that destroyed livelihoods and homes, impacting more than 100 million people in February 2008.
No areas where Australian sponsored children live are reported as being affected.
Powerful earthquake strikes China
Tuesday 13 May 2008
World Vision China is on standby to deploy relief staff after a massive quake killed more than 8,500 in the southwestern province of Sichuan and buried some 900 students in a school.
Relief staff with World Vision attempted to contact local authorities to establish the scale of the disaster but telecommunications systems were down.
Victor Kan, World Vision China relief director, who is based in Hong Kong, said, "I felt the buildings shake here." Hong Kong is 1,300 kilometres away.
Tremors were also felt in Beijing and as far away as Bangkok.
Agency workers tried to contact one of World Vision's field offices in Qingchuan county, 250kms from the epicentre near Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital.
In the nearby town of Dujiangyan there were desperate attempts to dig through the rubble of a collapsed school that buried some 900 students.
World Vision China is experienced at responding to disasters having provided aid to survivors of the harsh February 2008 winter blizzard that swept across the nation, as well as to the 7.8 magnitude quake that struck Xinjiang in northwestern China.
No areas where Australian sponsored children live are reported as being affected.
World Vision is a Public Benevolent Institution and operates two funds which have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status with the Australian Tax Office.
