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TIBET FOUNDATION
Yushu Earthquake Appeal and News Highlights (25 May 2010)
As of 20 May 2010, Tibet Foundation has received a total sum of £ 96,898.03 – raised both online and offline. This amount includes donations received from individual supporters and donor organisations (raised from their members/network for Yushu Earthquake relief efforts). A big ‘Thugjey Chey’ to all of you who have donated to the Yushu Earthquake Relief Fund, through Tibet Foundation or other organisations.
Our Appeal target for the period (May 2010 - May 2015) is GBP 1 million and our medium to long terms projects will focus in the areas of education, health and poverty relief for the most vulnerable sections of the population in Yushu.
Please donate and encourage your friends to help us achieve the appeal target in the coming months and years as we develop and present concrete, project proposals. So far, we have donated GBP 15,000 towards the purchase of 1,000 woollen blankets to schools and the elderly. (see update of 27th April). In the coming few weeks and months, we are considering releasing a second instalment of funding for emergency relief project in and around Kyegudo.
The Government has begun the rebuilding and rehabilitation projects with the declared aim of making the new Kyegudo ‘an ecological tourist city’. But due to extreme weather conditions, high altitude, poor transportation infrastructure, high construction costs, and insufficient power supply, it will take time. Tibet Foundation will seek to fill gaps in the assistance to communities in the more remote townships and villages and in terms of special requirements for vulnerable groups.
Please visit www.tibet-foundation.org for more news about the work of Tibet Foundation.
News Highlights - Yushu Earthquake (25 May 2010)
The death toll from a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Kyegudo (Yushu) that devastated the township and surrounding areas has climbed to 2,203, and 12,000 injured including more than 1,000 in serious conditions according to the Rescue Headquarters in Qinghai.
Many badly injured and traumatised orphans and semi-orphans have been brought at the Children’s Hospital in Xining, the capital city of Qinghai. Akhu Gyamtsho has been voluntarily coordinating aid and visits to offer comfort, friendship, love and affection and presents to these children.
The little girl in hospital, aged ten, has lost her parents and sister in the earthquake. She and others like her are being comforted by caring visitors with presents, toys and cash gifts. Her surviving grandparents are too poor to afford to come to visit her from Yushu, a distance of 800 kms. She says, “I want to send all of 200 yuan I have to my folks back home in Yushu.” The reporter chokes, and with tears of empathy offers to give all help get her grandparents to visit her.
Local Tibetans, monks, nuns and Tibetan students from the Minority Nationalities University in Xining have been coming to give them company, encouragement, hope and cheer to cope with their mental anguish, loss of parents and loved ones and severe physical and mental trauma.
With fresh memory of the catastrophic earthquake of Wenchuan in 2008, the Chinese Government and people mobilized various relief efforts and fund raising. Both Premier Wen Jiabao and Chairman Hu Jintao cut short official duties to visit Yushu and promised to rebuild the town and rehabilitate the people. That will take time and the people of Yushu await with patience and forbearance and hope.
A major fund raising Gala night organized by China Central TV with China Red Cross has raised 2.1 billions yuans. Ten-year Tsering Dhondup was honoured at the charity event for his voluntary services as an interpreter during the emergency medical treatment in Yushu. There was a shortage of bilingual speakers during the early stage of emergency relief work. He broke down when singing the verse by the Sixth Dalai Lama, “O White crane, Lend me your wings, I shall not go far, From Lithang, I shall return”, perhaps, realizing that many of his near and dear ones who had perished in the earthquake will never return.
Tibetan monks were at the forefront of the rescue effort. Wang Yuhu, Governor of Yushu is quoted as saying. “Actually, we are very grateful for the role Tibetan monks played in the relief effort.” China Daily (official state media) had a front page describing how crucial the monks were to the relief process: “Hundreds, if not thousands, of Tibetan Buddhist monks in crimson cloaks and jackets have joined the soldiers and rescue workers since the afternoon of April 14.”
“A total of 900 monks from local monasteries alone have joined in the rescue and relief work. The first group arrived at epicentre at 4 pm, a few hours after the earthquake happened. We rescued more than 700 survivors, and helped find more than 1,000 bodies under the ruins.” Wang said.
Sershul Monastery in Kandze Prefecture has donated 11.27 million yuan (£1.27 million) to quake-hit Yushu County on Friday, including 10 million yuan from the temple’s head lama, Tripa Rinpoche. “We had planned to use the money to repair our temple, but now, it is our responsibility to donate it,” Tripa Rinpoche said, “I see so many Han people and Tibetans carrying out the rescue and relief effort together, and I am deeply touched by them,” he said.
Tibetans from all regions, far and near had mobilized themselves to donate whatever meagre resources they had: money, tsampa, butter, cheese, yaks, sheep and goats. A single Tibetan nomad family from Arig has donated 200 sheep. A group of ten Tibetan traders have raised over a 1 million yuan. Even school children, both Tibetan and Han, have held events to raise funds for Yushu.
Whereas the Government will go ahead with the major task of infrastructure building and development planning on a long term scale, charities like Tibet Foundation, can contribute in targeted areas of need in consultation with local, regional and central Governments. Internationally, Tibetans in diaspora as well as Tibet related NGOs sympathetic to Tibet and other charitable organisations have started raising funds for the victims of Yushu Earthquake. Everyone will have roles and contributions to make to the rebuilding and rehabilitation work ahead.
Tibet Foundation formed the Yushu Earthquake Relief Committee (YERC) on Monday, 19 April 2010 in the presence of representatives from UK based Tibet-related charities and organisations with the aim of supervising, monitoring, accounting and reporting the proper utilisation of the funds for the victims of Yushu Earthquake. Periodic reports and statements of accounts of the aid projects in Yushu will be made available at the completion of each project.
We appeal for patience and continued support and generous donations in the coming months and years. Together we can make a big difference to the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the Kyegudo.
Yushu Earthquake Relief Committee
Tibet Foundation
2 St James’s Market
London SW1Y 4SB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 207 930 6001
Email: att@tibet-foundation.org
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Yushu Earthquake Relief Fund launched in the UK
Tibet Foundation, London – 19 April 2010:
http://www.justgiving.com/Yushu-Earthquake-Relief-Fund
Tibet Foundation convened an emergency meeting this evening of Tibet-related charities and officially announced the setting up of its Yushu Earthquake Relief Fund, which will be administered by the Yushu Earthquake Committee (YEC). The Committee will plan and implement disaster relief work for the earthquake victims based on need assessments carried out by our field officers.
This morning, Tibet Foundation sent 100,000 RMB (approximately £10,000) to be used for immediate relief work. We have established procedures for transparent monitoring and evaluation of project works.
Tibet Foundation is a UK registered charity (292400) and has over 25 years experience of successfully running aid projects in Asia including relief work during natural disasters, in Tibetan inhabited areas of China:
- Snow-storm disaster in Sershul, East Tibet (Sichuan, 1995)
- Landslide disaster in Yushu, East Tibet (Qinghai, 2007)
- Earthquake in Aba (Sichuan, 2008)
On behalf of the Yushu Earthquake Committee, we urgently appeal for your donations, large or small. For more information, please contact Tibet Foundation – www.tibet-foundation.org
Online: donate online
http://www.tibet-foundation.org/how_you_can_help/make_a_donation/
http://www.justgiving.com/Yushu-Earthquake-Relief-Fund
Please send your donation to Tibet Foundation.Account Name: Tibet Foundation
Account No: 00319945
Sort Code: 30-97-81
BIC: LOYDGB21034
IBAN: GB71 LOYD 3097 8100319945
Bank Name: Lloyds TSB PLC
Address: Southampton row Branch
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc
PO Box 1000, BX1 1LT
Please make your cheque payable to Tibet Foundation (Yushu Earthquake) and send it to:
Tibet Foundation, 2 St. James's Market, London, SW1Y 4SB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 930 6001 Email: att@tibet-foundation.org
