ReliefWeb

10th years have passed since the 512 Wenchuan Earthquake in China. Look back to the reconstruction, the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has already completed the construction of 43 schools, 43 health centers, and a Disabled Rehabilitation center in three provinces, seven counties and cities across Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi province. Benefits at least 1.5 million of people, and 32648 students. While rebuilding the hardware, we have also invested in software reconstruction, including the “Samuume Project”, “Community and Life Rebuilding”, “Vulnerable Care”, “Health and Medical Rebuilding”, and “Rehabilitation and Promotion of Disaster Relief Resources “ to provide comprehensive care for the Wenchan disaster area.

The Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 caused serious disasters in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces. Nearly 100,000 people were killed, more than 360,000 people were injured, and more than 45.55 million people were affected, and the disaster-stricken areas were mostly in the remote and lagging mountainous areas. The reconstructions were not easy. After the disaster, the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) donated US$300,000 and started public fundraising immediately. During the emergency rescue, 500 tents, 7,000 jackets, and 200 family first aid kits were dispatched. We also coordinated China Airlines to dispatch hundreds of tons of tents, blankets, sleeping bags, jackets, daily necessities, and medicines. Other than this, our research and rescue teams and the medical team were helping finding 15 victims and 630 injured people.

The Wenchuan Recovery Project was successfully completed on March 2, 2016. Including the Ya’an earthquake and interest. The total revenue was NT$1,654,205,120 (NT$29,202,566 for the Ya’an earthquake), and the implementation rate was 100%. Expect for the emergency relief, all funds raised are all used for disaster relief purposes to the Wenchuan earthquake recovery project, focusing on the following:

After the emergency rescue operation, the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) deployed experts on many occasions to survey and coordinate rebuilding and strengthening efforts. Targeting areas that weren’t severely damaged by the earthquake such as Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, the Taiwan Red Cross began planning building-strengthening projects for remote townships. TRC also invited the management team from the Taiwan Construction Research Institute for the project and assigned personnel to station in Wenchuan to monitor the progress. All of the buildings were reconstructed with concrete to withstand earthquakes weak and strong. All 87 buildings of the project were finished by June/20/2011, and they are listed as follows:

Sichuan Project: Strengthen 11 schools, 9 health centers and a rehabilitation center for the handicapped in Chengdu city, Ya’an city, Deyang city, Guangyuan city and the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture.

Shaanxi Project: Strengthen 11 schools and 15 health centers (one of which was to fix 200 health stations) in Yi county.

Gansu Project: Strengthen 21 schools and 19 health centers in Xihe county.

Since the spring of 2009, according to the different school systems from primary school to university, TRC has subsidized the venerable student that are interested in learning. Scholarship RMB 1,000 to 4,000 per year, upholding the concept of “knowledge can lift people out of poverty”

Also, the Samuume Project “Graduates Clause” supports many graduates continue to study, and even supports them attending medical schools. It was implemented for 12 semester, helping 17,712 students.

TRC has implemented the Care for the Vulnerable Program in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi Provinces. Taking care of children and the elderly, providing nutritional subsidies, taking care of poor elderly people to wear dentures and hearing aids, and setting up community volunteer teams to provide services such as medical treatment and procurement for the elderly. The first batch for this program includes 11 cases in Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces to implement assistance for impoverished senior citizens, improving schooling conditions and livelihood services, etc. Sichuan province implemented Red lunch box program in 49 schools in 8 counties and cities, benefiting total of 2,400 students. For the second batch of the program, Sichuan province expanded the implementation of the Red Lunch Box Program, which benefited 1,893 people from 51 schools in 8 different counties and cities; While Gansu Province implemented a nutrition lunch and health training program, there were 19 schools in 6 counties. 5,189 students were benefited. The total number of beneficiaries was 9,842.

From Wenchuan Earthquake to 2013, the “512 Sichuan Earthquake Taiwan Service Alliance” of the TRC provided mental reconstruction services in the disaster-hit areas, established 3 community and life reconstruction centers, and actively trained local social workers to inherit the experiences from Taiwan.

The reconstruction is not merely a simple hardware restoration. It is also an important task for the Taiwan Red Cross to strengthening the rescue equipment, and the energy for disaster relief, in order to meet future needs. From Wenchuan Earthquake to 2015, TRC has invested RMB 10 million in 29 Vulnerable communities such as Xi’an, Gannan, and Chengdu and other 11 disaster-prone communities to strengthen their capacity for self-reliance and disaster preparedness. In addition, 10 fragile village communities in Ava Prefecture, Sichuan Province were selected, each subsidized about RMB 350,000 to set up disaster relief refugee squares, solar street lights, anti-freeze taps, and repair emergency roads for disaster preparedness. Promote the development of livelihoods and help the disadvantaged.

To restore and strengthen the medical services provided in disaster zones, TRC teamed up with the National Foundation for Culture and Education Foundation and the Taiwan Association of Family Medicine to help promote a “Medical Restoration Project” in Hanzhong city, Mian county. The project looks to assist three hospitals, Tonggousizhen, Mianyang and Zhoujiashanzhen, to open out-patient clinics specialize in curing “the whole body”, “the whole family” and “the whole community”. In addition, the project aims to provide medical tours to different towns, deliver free medical services to remote townships, assist in training young doctors, and facilitate multiple conferences between medical groups from Mian county and Taiwan. Furthermore, TRC worked side by side with the Taiwan Academy of Hospice Palliative Medicine and the Taiwan Association of Hospice Palliative Nursing to collectively work on brining two groups from Mian county to study and train in Taiwan.

In October, 2015, TRC held a conference titled “The Role and Function of Red Cross in an Aging Society” in Fuzhou. TRC also donated 10 ambulances to and emergency medical equipments, hoping it can help more people in need.