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On the 12 May 2008 a
devastating earthquake struck Sichuan Province in China and shocked the
world. It has claimed the lives of close to 80,000 people, and millions
have lost their homes. Beichuan County is one of the hardest hit
regions near the epicentre.
Beichuan County is located in the northwest of Sichuan basin. It covers
an area of 2868 square kilometres and is the only autonomous county of
the Qiang ethnic group in China, with a Qiang population of 91,000. The
town of Beichuan is surrounded by mountains and waterways, and is
famous for its beautiful landscape. Beichuan is the home of a number of
natural and historic sites with unique flora and fauna.
Over 80% of the buildings in Beichuan Town were completely demolished
by this massive earthquake. Large landslides have destroyed the town
beyond recognition. Estimates indicate that less than one third of the
total town population have survived. As the earthquake occurred during
school hours, many children have been killed. In Beichuan High School
alone, about 1000 teachers and students were buried under the rubble.
For those students who survived the earthquake, the future is painfully
uncertain as many are now orphaned.
An orphan boy, He Lijun who lost both his parents is so traumatised and
uncertain about his future. “The constant thought I have in my mind now
is where and how I am going to continue my studies”, said Lijun. Many
other children survivors are now displaced all over the country to be
able to continue their schooling until their schools are rebuilt one
day, which could take years. One particular moving episode
during the rescue effort, was when a little boy was being
pulled out the rubble but his hands were caught up and had to be
amputated. “Please try to save my right hand so that I can continue to
write in school, please, please” the boy pleaded. Quite obviously,
education is so critical to those surviving children who hope to have a
better future.
To help the reconstruction effort of the collapsed schools in Sichuan
and to help the surviving orphaned children to have a bright future
through education, FOCSA
and Channel Nine Today
have agreed
to collaborate on the fundraising campaign for the China “Sichuan
Earthquake Surviving Children’s Education Fund” which was established
on May 14, 2008 by FOCSA.
Structure of the
China "Sichuan Earthquake Surviving Children's Education Fund"
- Program: To raise funds to
build a new school for 500 students, and to provide scholarships in
supporting surviving children particularly those orphaned or
handicapped to continue their schooling in Beichuan County.
- FOCSA
will be the lead for
this campaign and responsible for the fund management, coordinating
with local authorities in China and reporting to donors.
- Program Partnership: Channel
Nine Today will support the fundraising campaign through
its programs
and other activities; and FOCSA
will seek the cooperation of local
education departments in Sichuan to commission the use of the funds
raised to achieve its objectives, as well as follow up on
progress.
- Coordination: FOCSA
and
Channel Nine Today
will set up a high level “Fund Steering Committee”
to provide guidance to and scrutiny of the fund management and use.
FOCSA has
established a national coordination group to liaise with
donors and manage the Fund.
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The fundraising and
allocation processes will be completely transparent as the management
group will report progress to the donors and the general public
regularly through FOCSA’s
website
Donation account:
Bank: National Australia Bank
Account Number: 75-314-7955
BSB: 084-130
Account Name: FOCSA-Sichuan Earthquake Appeal
All donations received will be acknowledged with receipt.
Contacts:
Dr. Ping Cao (NSW) 0408 636 010 (National Coordinator)
Email: caoping@tpg.com.au
Dr. Xun Luo (QLD) 0408 465
750
Email: xun.lou@csiro.au
Dr. Tingsong Jiang (ACT) 0448
213 383
Email: tingsongj@yahoo.com.au
Dr. Yue Zhang (NT) 0401 118
319
Email: yue.zhang@nt.gov.au
Prof Yanchun Zhang (VIC) 0423
843 120
Email: yanchun.zhang@vu.edu.au
Dr. Wei Zhang(SA) 08-8204 5053
Email: Wei.Zhang@flinders.edu.au
Prof Jie Pan (WA) 0435079719
Email: pan@mech.uwa.edu.au
About the receipt:
You can make your donation
via EFT (electronic fund transfer) to the above account and send the
evidence of EFT or notice to your point of contact via emails to
arrange the receipt to be sent to your address.
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