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Rainbow Project
One of the founders upon arrival at Luo Shui.
-photo by Katie Harris-Wednesday June 25, 2008
The last two Sundays we volunteered with a organization called the
Rainbow Project. This org was started by two expat women working for the NGO Ecologia, and has a quickly growing number of expat and Chinese volunteers. So far the main aim of Rainbow Project has been to spend time with the children of Luo Shui, a city where among extensive other damage, a primary and middle school collapsed, taking the lives of over 200 students.
Luo Shui is now a tent community, as its inhabitants wait for temporary houses. Rebuilding the city will take years.
During our volunteering we spent most of our time playing games! From huge jump ropes and arts and crafts, to dancing and English lessons. At one point we looked around our circular play area and saw that everyone - kids, parents, onlookers, and volunteers - had smiles on their faces.
Along with providing playmates, the Rainbow Project is dedicated to developing a long-term relationship with the people of Luo Shui. Their aim is NOT to just show up for a few Sundays then let the community pick up the pieces alone. Rainbow Project is currently communicating with
Rainbow Project
Stephanie and Meg doing a little line dancing.
-photo by Katie Harris- Luo Shui in an effort to assist the community in whatever ways they need. One of the great things about Rainbow Project thus far, is that it costs little money to sustain which means that your money goes far! A badminton set costs about $4 and arts and crafts for over 50 kids costs about $13.
If you would like to donate to
Rainbow Project please stay tuned to this blog for their web address, and donation information.
We have had 575 hits on this blog entry about the Sichuan earthquake. If each person who stopped at this blog would have donated $1 to one of the agencies listed below, the people of Sichuan would have $575/3967 Yuan/almost double the monthly salary of a teacher at Stephanie's school -- to spend on desperately needed tents, food, blankets, MEDICINE and other supplies.
70,000 are dead, millions are homeless.
Your donation of $1 can make a difference. And while you're at it, make it $5! Let's work together. Thank you to all who have already donated INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS donate.ifrc.org HEART TO HEART Wiring Information for Financial Donations made in the United States:
Beneficiary: Heart
Rainbow Project
What's a play day without bouncy balls!?
-photo by Katie Harris- to Heart International, Inc.
401 S. Clairborne, Suite 302
Olathe, KS 66062
Bank: First National Bank of Olathe
Bank Address: 444 E. Santa Fe Street
Olathe, KS 66051-3211
Bank ABA#: 101001720
Account #: 0063452
or online at
www.hearttoheart.org MORNING TEARS >Belgium
Fortis Bank
Account No. 001-4495454-65
IBAN: BE 18001449545465
BIC/SWIFT: GEBABEBB
>Spain
La Caixa d´Estalvis i Pensions
Account No. 2100.0233.99.0200332319
IBAN: ES28 21000233990200332319
BIC/SWIFT: CAIXAESBBXXX
WORLD VISION www.worldvision.org Tuesday May 20, 2008 (8 days after earthquake)
We received a call last night around 11pm from one of Stephanie's co-workers who told us that the Chinese government news station (CCTV) had announced that another 'big' (magnitude 6-7) earthquake would rattle Sichuan sometime on the 19th or 20th. We could already hear the movement of everyone evacuating our building and relocating once again, to the track camp outside. After much urging from co-workers, we followed suit, spending the night in the open air, confused. Through this whole ordeal we have become increasingly skeptical about the government's apparent ability to predict aftershocks (sometimes down to the hour) and have become increasingly frustrated by the panic these unfruitful predictions cause. Many of our Chinese friends are still terrified,
Rainbow Project
Face painting
-photo by Katie Harris- which is to be expected when something this tragic strikes your home ... but the unfounded 'promises' of more, equally devastating earthquakes can't be helping the situation. But then are these predictions unfounded? Or could we be sufferering from the American syndrome of a -"believe it when you see it, double-check your sources, I'll take care of myself, thank you very much" - attitude. In short, we don't know what to think but have decided to remain indoors for the time being.
Because of this new warning, school has been cancelled at Cody's University until further notice, and Stephanie has been given the tentative restart date of next Monday May 26th. But we'll see.
We've been spending our days meandering around town, reading, sleeping, and picking up whatever volunteer opportunities arise. There has been an overwhelming response to calls for volunteers, with Chinese and foreign citizens alike on long waiting lists, ready to be called into the hardest hit areas. Labor force is NOT lacking in China, and foreigners with no special skills (medical, engineering, etc.) will be the last people called upon to help with manual labor. We are not specifically needed, and an injury to or
Rainbow Project
These kids are awesome
-photo by Katie Harris- death of a foreigner would only make matters worse right now. The sense of community and everyone's willingness to help has bee nothing short of inspiring.
Sichuan does not need more people/volunteers, it needs more money, and it needs more supplies. Everything is running low, tents, blankets, food, MEDICINE. So the most we can do now as foreigners with access to other foreigners is try to get people to donate and to donate ourselves. It can be frustrating, and can feel like we are just sitting back and writing the check while others risk their lives and connect with victims. But the important thing to keep in mind (what we've been trying to do while feeling idle and helpless here) is that true volunteering should not fulfill a personal need, and to be as effective as possible, we must tap the resources we each have the most access too. We can fill a special void in relief efforts through our connections abroad and our access to funds.
Thanks for the thoughts, vibes, prayers, interest, and donations thus far. And thanks for reading.
with love,
Cody and Stephanie
Friday May 16, 2008
Camping
Cody in our new apartment. All those without tents made a mad dash for the stage to take cover from the rain. (4 days after quake)
The relief efforts and benefit concerts/parties are at full force here in Chengdu, with people pitching in and donating food, supplies, time and money. At the same time, hospitals/medical facilities remain severely under-supplied and thousands are still buried. A problem that is surfacing is the isolation of some of the most affected areas due to landslides and destroyed roads. A friend of ours went out with a relief agency yesterday that has been sending medical professionals and structural engineers to the hardest hit areas (Heart to Heart). In his words "It's really really bad" his rough estimation is that once all is said and done, the death toll will rise to many times the current estimate.
To say the absolute least, Chengdu was lucky. We were lucky. Every new report of the extensive damage baffles us. We had NO idea it was this bad when it hit. We Wisconsinites had no prior earthquake experience and had a hard time telling the difference between a stalling bus (what we thought the shaking was at first) and a 7.9 quake. Our friends who were in buildings at the time have different stories.
An L.A. native
with many quakes under her belt was on the 19th floor of her building at 2:27 on Monday. She was positive her building was coming down with her in it, stating that this is the biggest quake she has ever felt. The buildings here in Chengdu swayed violently and a woman from Stephanie's agency (15th floor) remembers most vividly, streaming down her building's stairwell which was lined with shoes that were left behind in the panicked race to the bottom. Fortunately all of these stories from Chengdu do not include collapsing buildings. At first we thought this was because the earthquake wasn't as strong here, but have since learned a lot of us Chengdu residents owe our lives to the fact that buildings in Chengdu are simply more architecturally sound because this is a metropolis.
Nothing about any of this seems fair.
The people of Sichuan desperately need your help - our help. Even while living here in China, where the earthquake struck, we find ourselves feeling detached. Reading news stories about another tragedy in another far away land. The strange part is that this far away land is now our backyard and this is
REAL. This
Earthquake Details
View from a storefront is a chance do donate to a cause that will directly impact friends of friends and will go to local organizations working in our community.
The most practical assistance that can be provided over distance is money, but it is important to ensure that donations are being made to the branches of organizations working in Chengdu and surrounding areas. And no amount is too small! The dollar goes far here! Above is a list of donation information.
Thank you once again for the kind words. And thank you in advance for taking the time to explore donating. Even though it may sound like just another two-minute disaster relief commercial, this is us, Cody and Stephanie, sincerely informing you that many people's lives have been shattered here, and you have the power to to help begin the healing process.
love to all
Tuesday May 13, 2008 (1 day after quake)
Word on the street is that the death toll here in China has risen to over 12,000. The majority of those being here in Sichuan, and not more than 100 kilometers from where we live. Last Saturday (May 10) we spent the evening at a
People Heading to the Streets of Safety
People flooded out from the buildings to avoid debris/what-have-you popular tourist spot in Sichuan, the city of Dujiangyan (about a half-hour drive from Chengdu) which holds an ancient irragation system. Much of Dujiangyan is now rubble, with "buildings collapsed on every block" and deceased loved ones lining the streets.
Things are really starting to hit home.
The earthquake was a 7.9 with over 300 smaller aftershocks, a few of which we continued to feel through the night and into today. School is cancelled until further notice and our track camp has been moved into the cafeteria, which is promptly evacuated with every new shake. People are pretty scared. We'll once again spend tonight sleeping in the cafeteria rather than our 6th floor apartment.
It is pretty surreal to read on Yahoo news that rain and landslides are hindering relief efforts, as this very rain continues to fall outside our window, around our camp, and in the hardest hit area in Sichuan where thousands (more?) are still stranded. Like we said, hits home.
Thank you SO much for thinking of us and for all the kind words. We are hoping that the worst is over and our hearts go out to all those affected. We'll keep
Ruins of Juyuan Middle School, Dujiangyan
"A student from another school looks through books found in the ruins. All but a handful of the school's 900 students were killed when the school collapsed in Monday's earthquake." http://www.sacbee.com/836/story/943804.html you updated.
Much love
Stephanie and Cody
Here's a news story about whats happening.
News Update from Dujiangyan Stephanie and Cody
Monday May 12, 2008 (earthquake day)
First of all, we're OK.
We felt the quake today on our way home from Cody's university. We were riding the 38 bus and our fellow companions were just as baffled as we were, as earthquakes in Chengdu are NOT common. The shakes we felt were small, (think grocery storefront kids ride) and we were surprised by how alarmed everyone around us was. All the buildings in Chengdu basically threw up their inhabitants into the streets which were a complete free-for-all that we got to experience when we got off our stranded bus and took to the streets. We ended up walking the 2 hours home as the traffic was completely grid-locked!
When we got back to campus, everyone was outside and students were waiting to be picked up by their parents. We are only making a short pit stop here at our apartment to gather necessary goods to spend the night out on the school track. This is also the first time we have been able to check the news and damn. We had no idea it was this serious. Apparently the city is expecting an aftershock around 10:00pm and that is why we will be sleeping under the stars and not in our apartment complex .... crazy stuff!
We'll update this post tomorrow with tonight's happenings.
adios, much love, and no worries.
Stephanie and Cody
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Mandy Block
non-member comment
Glad you're okay!
Hey Steph~ I saw the news this morning about the big quake in China and I immediately thought of you and I'm so glad you posted something about being alright already-I hope you two are enjoying May in your exciting distant adventure-also, your blog is awesome and I've been checking it out here and there-makes me want to go check out china myself-take care. ~* Mandy