A total of 300 standard 3m-by-4m tents and over 80 smaller ones have been collected and delivered to Yushu from Wolong in 3 days.  FFI-China (Fauna and Flora International) helped distribute the tents to the local Tibetan families (100 to Zhaxi Datong Village of Jiegu Township, 57 to Shanglaxiu Township, 23 to Xialaxiu Township, 120 to Xiaobao Voluntary Medical Group, and over 80 small ones to a local NGO, Wild Yak Association). More details can be found in FFI-China’s online report.

Please find below our brief updates about this project (all pictures were sent from HELP volunteer Ming Meng via multimedia messages from the field):

2010/05/11

By today HELP has received $3606.77 of donation for Yushu earthquake relief.  Another $500 matching fund from MicroSoft will be available to HELP soon.

2010/05/04

Xiaobao Voluntary Medical Group, our collaborator in Yushu, confirmed with HELP that their volunteers have distributed 70 tents to local households in Jiegu township hand by hand. The other 50 tents were used by local hospital (20) and the local water purification centers (30).

By today HELP has received $2120 of donation for Yushu earthquake relief.

2010/04/30

The final cost of HELP’s tent delivery project is RMB 23,490 (~US$ 3,441).  It covers the following costs - truck rental and gasoline costs 19,000, tent moving and loading costs 800 (during the accident on April 25th), lodging for four people over six nights 1,070, and meals and water 2,620.

By today HELP has received $2100 of donation for Yushu earthquake relief.

HELP and Wolong Nature Reserve’s collaborative work on delivering the 380 tents have been reported by Wolong Nature Reserve, Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture government and Sichuan Forestry Bureau.

2010/04/29

9:00 PM: HELP’s team returned to Wolong safely after six days and nights of hard work.

2010/04/28

By today HELP has received $1400 of donation for Yushu earthquake relief.

10:30 PM: HELP’s team arrived in Danba.

2010/04/27

10:00 AM: HELP’s team got back to Shiqu at 2am and had a good rest over the night. They are on their way back to Wolong now.  A great news came from Wolong that Mr. Du Xiaolin, one of the drivers, just had a daughter born at the night of 26th.  Congratulations to Xiaolin!

2010/04/26

By today HELP has received $1050 of donation for Yushu earthquake relief.

20:45 PM: HELP’s team has finished distributing the tents to the two collaborative organizations in Yushu and is heading back to Sichuan province.  In Wolong, their families are waiting for them to work on the reconstruction of their own homes.

16:45 PM: HELP’s team arrived at Jiegu Township and started to unload the first truck of tents.  The first round of distribution of 180 tents was organized by FFI-China, after which another 120 will be distributed by Qinghai Aishi Poverty Alleviation Association through Mr. Wang Haibo.

14:00 PM: HELP’s tranportation team just crossed the borderline of Qinghai and Sichuan provinces. Yushu is only 30 km away.

10:30 AM: The team left Shiqu for Yushu. Ming Meng had connected with HELP’s local partners to reconfirm

05:00 AM: The team arrived at Shiqu County of Garzê Tibetan autonomous prefecture. Only 150 km away from Jiegu Township of Yushu, the epicenter area of the 4.14 earthquake.

2010/04/25

18:00 PM: One of the trucks was stuck in mud. With the help of warm-hearted Dege County government officials, the truck was tilted back and the journey continued.

09:50 AM: The team arrived at Garzê county of Garzê Tibetan autonomous prefecture at 3:15 AM. After a short sleep the team was on the road again.

2010/04/24

15:35 PM: The team passed the Luhuo county and arrived at Daofu County of Garzê Tibetan autonomous prefecture. 

10:45 AM: The team entered Garzê Tibetan autonomous prefecture and has passed Danba County and also successfully Connected HELP’s local partners Mr. Wang Haibo and Mr. Zhaxi Wengxu by phone.

2010/04/23

18:00 PM:  With the help of the forest police in Wolong Nature Reserve, HELP’s team was able to loaded the two trucks and set off for Xiaojin County.  The team, led by HELP’s Wolong volunteer Ming Meng, plans to cover the trip in 3 days and arrive in Yushu by 26th of April.  The photo below shows the three local drivers that HELP hired (Mr. Du Yuehong, Du Yuebin and Du Xiaolin).

HELP worked with the Administrative Bureau of Wolong Nature Reserve to collect 300 tents (estimates of 350,000 ~ 400,000 RMB in value) and decided to organize a devliery to Yushu.  It is a tough journey with one-way 600+ miles of muddy mountainous road, five snow mountains (15,000 ~20,000 feet).  The current weather condition was not favorable due to recent heavy snow falls in this region.

2010/04/21

Mr. Wang Haibo, HELP’s collaborator, leads a voluntary medical team working in various areas of Sichuan and has worked with HELP in several past projects in Wolong.  Haibo’s team arrived in Yushu soon after the 4.14 earthquake and had been sharing information with HELP. 

HELP also got in touch with FFI-China (Fauna and Flora International), who has been working in Yushu on community based grassland conservation for over seven years.  Three of FFI’s Chengdu office associates were in transit to FFI’s field office at Shanglaxiu Township, which is located very close to the epicenter of the earthquake (Jiegu Township).  Here is more info from FFI’s website:   http://www.ffichina.org/read.asp?InfoID=857

Based on the first hand information from Wang Haibo and FFI, Yushu was still in urgent needs of tents and heavy coats/aquilts that can help homeless people there to resist the deadly coldness.