Skip to main content

ACT Appeal China: Assistance to Earthquake Survivors - ASCN-33

Countries
China
Sources
ACT Alliance
Publication date

Appeal Target: US$ 100,041
Balance Requested from ACT Network: US$ 86,431
Geneva, 6 August 2003

Dear Colleagues,

A major earthquake (the second this year) measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit Da Yao County, Yunnan Province on 21 July 2003 affecting 138 townships in 15 counties. Huatan and Yangzhen townships in Da Yao County are the two worst affected townships. Three days after the earthquake, 20,000 m2 of earth surface sank about 7 meters in 5 minutes and thousands of houses collapsed. Many roads, village schools, clinics, communication and power supply facilities were severely damaged and large cracks appeared in dams. The affected Dayao County is located in poor, mountainous areas.

Aftershocks continue but roads leading to the heavily affected communities have been urgently repaired. About 1,900 tents, over 1,000 quilts, more than 7,000 items of clothing and 100,000 kilos of food rice have been delivered to the quake affected areas, and are now being distributed among the affected people. Medical assistance and epidemic prevention efforts are also in progress. However, in spite of all these efforts there is still a serious shortage of tents, quilts, blankets, clothing, medicine and some other materials required to meet the basic needs of life.

ACT member Amity Foundation is focusing on providing emergency relief and proposes to assist 3,000 homeless and seriously affected families in Tanhua and Yangzhen townships, Dayao County by providing quilts and plastic sheeting. Amity Foundation will implement the distribution with the Yunnan Overseas Friendship Association, a close and experienced partner.

Project Completion Date: 28 November 2003

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested (US$)

Total Appeal Target(s)
100,041
Less: Pledges/Contr. Recd.
13,610
Balance Requested from ACT Network
86,431

Please kindly send your contributions to the following ACT bank account:

Account Number - 240-432629.60A (USD)
Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together
UBS AG
8, rue du Rhône
P.O. Box 2600
1211 Geneva 4
SWITZERLAND
Swift address: UBSW CHZH12A

Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (direct tel. +4122/791.60.38, e-mail address jkg@act-intl.org) of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal.

We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

Thor-Arne Prois
Director, ACT

I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER

  • The Amity Foundation

II. IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER & PARTNER INFORNATION

Description of Implementing ACT Member

The Amity Foundation is a church related relief and development organization promoting health, education, social service, rural development emergency relief and rehabilitation programs. Amity is registered as a non-profit organization and has been serving the people in China for the last 18 years.

Amity has been engaged in relief work for the past 17 years and has established a nation wide relief network through its local partners and local churches. Amity handles, on average, 2 to 3 emergencies a year. In major disasters, it starts with emergency assistance of 2 to 4 months followed by rehabilitation programs for a period of 1 or 2 years. When there is a need, and when resources are available, disaster mitigation and prevention programs are initiated to help reduce the effect of disasters on communities. Amity works in close collaboration with its local partners.

Description of ACT Implementing Partners

Amity implements its relief and rehabilitation programs in close collaboration with the Overseas Friendship Association - a people's organization strongly supported by the Chinese government. It aims at promoting friendship and co-operation between Chinese people and people overseas. The Overseas Friendship Association has been a close partner of Amity in the fields of relief and rural development for the past 11 years and has gained comprehensive experience in relief activities.

Yunnan Overseas Friendship Association is a close partner of Amity. It has established an office specially responsible for Amity's projects in Yunnan Province. The office, comprising four staff, has been in operation for the past 12 years. They work fulltime with Amity to implement Amity's rural development, relief, and medical & health projects throughout the province. For Relief & Rehabilitation alone, they worked before with Amity in 1988, 1996, 2000, 2001 when earthquakes struck Lijiang, Wuding, Yao'an and Chuxiao counties.

III. DESCRIPTION of the EMERGENCY SITUATION

Background Information

An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit Da Yao County, Yunnan Province on 21 July 2003, affecting 138 townships in 15 counties. Huatan and Yangzhen townships in Da Yao County are the two worst affected townships. Three days after the earthquake, 20,000 m2 of earth surface sank about 7 meters in 5 minutes and thousands of houses collapsed. Many roads, village schools, clinics, communication and power supply facilities were severely damaged and large cracks appeared in dams.

Current Situation

Currently, aftershocks continue. Roads leading to the heavily affected communities have been urgently repaired. About 1,900 tents, over 1,000 quilts, more than 7,000 items of clothing, 100,000 kilos of food rice, and medicine worth more than 1 million have been delivered to the quake affected areas, and are now being distributed among the affected people. Medical assistance and epidemic prevention efforts are also in progress. However, in spite of all these efforts, tents, quilts, blankets, clothing, medicine and some other materials required to meet the basic needs of life are still in dire shortage. The Red Cross Society of Yunnan Province has appealed to people from all walks of life for emergency assistance.

Impact on Human Life

Impact on human life is great. Currently, many families are still living in make-shift shelters. In the quake-affected mountain areas at this time of the year, it is very hot during the day with temperatures between 30 to 35 degrees centigrade. However, at night, temperatures drop to 9 to 14 degrees centigrade. To make things worse, it rained heavily for 4 days after the earthquake. The food rice, quilts, clothing and other basic necessities are now buried beneath the ruins of the collapsed houses and many people now lack the resources to sustain life.

The affected Dayao County is located in poor mountainous areas. The annual net income per capita is only 760 yuan (about US$92), consequently the inhabitants are so poor that they will be unable to rebuild the destroyed houses, village schools, clinics, roads, irrigation facilities without external assistance.

Description of Damages

Official statistics reveal that by 25 July in Dayao County alone:

  • People killed: 16
  • People injured: 506
  • People rendered homeless: 8,406 households
  • People affected: 199,509
  • Houses collapsed: 9,300 room units
  • Houses damaged: 255,174
  • Schools destroyed or seriously damaged: 83
  • Big dams damaged: 18

The direct economic loss is estimated at 0.76 billion yuan (about US$91.9 million).

Locations for Proposed Response

Tanhua and Yangzhen townships (the two worst affected townships) in Da Yao County are the locations for Amity's proposed response.

IV. GOAL & OBJECTIVES

Goal: to help meet the basic needs of about 3,000 homeless and seriously affected families in Tanhua and Yangzhen townships, Dayao County.

Objectives:

  • To provide 2 quilts to each of the 3,000 families
  • To provide 40 m2 of color-striped plastic sheets to each of the 3,000 families

V. TARGETED BENEFICIARIES

Number and Type of Targeted Beneficiaries

About 10,500 people - men and women - in around 3,000 families in Tanhua and Yangzhen townships.

Criteria Utilized in Beneficiary Selection

  • Vulnerable homeless families
  • Seriously affected vulnerable families

The final selection of the families will be done based on a) assessments carried out in the potential target villages; b) the actual damages suffered by the families; c) the amount of funding received; and d) discussions and communications with the Civil Affairs Bureau responsible for the collection of data related to damages and the co-ordination for relief and rehabilitation activities.

(in pdf* format - 155 KB)