The outpouring of international aid in response to China’s May 12 earthquake has helped create a new culture of philanthropy both within China and among friends in the United States, Canada, Europe and elsewhere. While this may be an important legacy of the 2008 disaster, the loss of human life and long-term impact on survivors underscore the magnitude of a tragedy that is difficult to quantify.

Over 85,000 people are confirmed dead or missing, including 19,000 students. There are 5.5 million homeless, most of whom now live in temporary communities. The challenges that lay ahead for these survivors will require significant, sustained resources for delivering education and health care, rebuilding infrastructure, and restoring local economies, in addition to ensuring basic needs are met, such as clean water and food.

Immediate Relief Response
The China Red Cross received US$420 million1 in the first two weeks following the disaster, and the Chinese government organized a structured relief response program that tapped two organizations to lead relief work, including the China Red Cross and the China Charity Federation.

In the United States, several groups mobilized their services to help individuals, corporations and other nonprofits deliver aid to survivors. In August, the Chronicle of Philanthropy listed the top philanthropic groups working to deliver relief for the earthquake, with Give2Asia and World Vision leading the effort in total dollars.

Recovery Begins
Soon after the disaster, stories of child fatalities and poorly constructed schools began to dominate international media coverage. The outrage of families who lost children when school buildings crumbled, many of which were not built to code, prompted the Chinese government to move swiftly toward setting new construction guidelines.

With funding for new schools coming from several national and international sources, the central Chinese government, as well as regional governments, are working together with partner NGOs to ensure new schools are built that follow new safety codes. Because of the strict, new guidelines and the increasing cost of construction materials, most of these school projects cost more than US$1 million. In many cases, smaller schools are being merged together to form new, larger campuses that include students from multiple communities.

Another approach for the recovery has involved a “sister city” program, which pairs cities outside the earthquake zone with affected cities that are working to rebuild. This pairing serves to motivate and focus charitable giving from one city to support the recovery of their sister community. For example, Shanghai has been partnered with Dujiangyan, one of the larger cities hit by the quake, and the expectation has been set that Shanghai and its citizens will share the responsibility for Dujiangyan’s recovery.

Looking Ahead
Recovery is expected to be a long road for many of the affected communities. Temporary camps, which now serve as homes for nearly 3 million people, may be in place for the next 3-5 years as entire towns and cities are rebuilt. New services are needed within these temporary communities to provide access to education, health care, and jobs for the families who must live there.

Based on our recent visits to the region and ongoing discussions with local partner organizations across Sichuan Province, Give2Asia has identified the following three critical needs for the survivors moving forward:

1. Education: Schools are in great need of teachers, teaching support tools, and materials such as books and paper.

2. Income: Many lack a way of earning income. Replacing farm animals, improving farming practices and job training are critical.

3. Housing: There is a big gap between what governments are able to provide and what is needed to put millions into new homes.

Download China Earthquake Relief & Recovery Interim Report

PDF format, 2.3MB, 26Pages.

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Give2Asia encourages and facilitates charitable giving for Asia by providing personalized services to donors and recipients.

Founded by The Asia Foundation to promote and inspire philanthropy, Give2Asia helps overcome the common challenges associated with giving overseas.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Letter from Give2Asia’s China Earthquake Committee Chairman .....................................2
Introduction ...........................................................................................................................3
Immediate Relief Response ............................................................................................3
Recovery Begins .............................................................................................................3
Looking Ahead ...............................................................................................................3
An Example of the Earthquake’s Impact ........................................................................4
Give2Asia’s Relief & Recovery Response ................................................................................5
Emergency Relief ............................................................................................................5
Health Care, Education & Livelihood............................................................................5
Homes & Schools ..........................................................................................................5
Community Empowerment ...........................................................................................5
Clean Water ...................................................................................................................5
Overview on Our Work to Date ............................................................................................6
Fundraising & Grantmaking Partners ....................................................................................7
Map of Relief & Recovery Project Areas ................................................................................8
Summary of Project Activity ...................................................................................................9
Grant Activity Details .......................................................................................................... 11
Emergency Relief Projects ........................................................................................... 11
Short-term Recovery Projects ...................................................................................... 12
Long-term Recovery Projects ....................................................................................... 15
Donors to the Give2Asia China Earthquake Relief & Recovery Fund ................................ 21

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A LETTER FROM GIVE2ASIA’S CHINA EARTHQUAKE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

Dear friends,
As Chairman of Give2Asia’s China Earthquake Committee, I would like to thank everyone who has made a contribution for the relief and recovery of the millions who survived the devastating earthquake of May 12, 2008. In early November, I joined several Give2Asia colleagues on a site visit to Sichuan to learn about the current status of recovery efforts and to assess what more we can do to help.

The resilience and optimism of the people we met was inspiring. All of them have experienced great loss in their lives—homes, jobs and, in some cases, loved ones. Many did not have very much to begin with and the earthquake was a serious setback in their quest for a better life for their families. But, everyone with whom we spoke was optimistic and ready to commit themselves to the hard work of rebuilding their lives and homes.

Unfortunately, the ongoing needs are great. According to government figures, 5.5 million people lost their homes in the earthquake and many of these people will be unable to return to their original towns and villages because the area has become unstable and unsafe. While the government is providing some subsidies for home reconstruction, many of the victims do not have the means to raise the additional funds needed to rebuild their homes.

The earthquake exacerbated existing challenges with education in the area—schools in rural areas in particular badly need safe buildings, teaching materials, and better trained teachers. Economic opportunities in the areas we visited are limited, resulting in significant migration of young men and women looking for work in other areas of China. The people there need help—skills, innovative ideas, capital—to develop more productive livelihoods.

I was encouraged by the many people from within Sichuan and around China who are helping in the recovery efforts.

Many are young volunteers who sleep in tents and work long hours in order to maximize the support and resources going to the earthquake victims. For example, we visited an organization that has placed volunteer teachers into several temporary schools in rural areas. These schools are filled with children and teachers who survived the earthquake but experienced great trauma. Their temporary school has a roof and desks, but very little else. The volunteers help the teachers, provide a sympathetic ear to the students, and teach the students art and English. The students cluster around them, eager for the attention and affection they give. These volunteer teachers are greatly appreciated in their schools and there are many other schools which need similar help.

Both earthquake victims and aid workers repeatedly expressed how grateful they are for the assistance that Give2Asia’s donors have provided. With your support, Give2Asia’s grants are already starting to make a difference, helping communities rebuild and heal.

If you have any questions at all about the work we are doing, please contact Gillian Yeoh at Give2Asia or calling 415.743.3336. We look forward to keeping you updated on the progress.

Best wishes,
Dr. Carter Tseng
Chairman of the China Earthquake Committee
Give2Asia

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