Jinde Charities /Faith News on October 31st. - At the invitation of local government at Chen Jiaba Town, staff of Jinde Charities in Chengdu office inspected the winter needs of the inhabitants there. Chen Jiaba is one of the five hardest-hit areas from the May 12th quake in Beichuan County. In the aftermath of the disaster, people were temporarily relocated with the help of community volunteers. However, the advent of winter has posed new challenges and difficulties to the safety and welfare of the earthquake survivors.
According to a local official named Zhu Mingrong, there are a total of 18 natural villages in Chen Jiaba Town, and more than 3585 residences. Because of the rough topography in the area, movable homes can not be adequately set up to satisfy the people's requirement in the whole town. At present there are still more than 1500 families in the stricken area living in temporary tents which they established themselves; therefore, they will endure even more hardships in their efforts to withstand the winter conditions. The staff of Jinde Charities in Chengdu chose the more seriously affected villages of Yanshan, Shuanyan and Xihe to inspect the villagers' conditions; the residents in Yanshan village are taking steps to repair their damaged homes. One villager told Jinde staff that a simple home repair is all that is necessary to ensure this coming winter season. People living in the temporary tents can freeze to death. Xihe village is also one of the hardest-hit areas of Chen Jiaba. This village is located high up in the hillside; the anti-quake shelter they live in has many holes with only two thin blankets on bed to provide warmth. An elderly man expressed his concern for the situation; he said: "it is very cold here in winter, especially so up in the mountains. There are no proper houses, so people will need at least four warm quilts to safely survive the winter."
According to the local area's needs, Jinde Charities, together with it's home and overseas partners is planning to provide winter quilts and cushions worth 2 million RMB to help the victims satisfactorily withstand the winter. By now, in accordance with local government's recommendations and help, Jinde has delivered help to Mianyang Jiuzhou School, Beichuan Qiang Ethnic Middle School, and Yuli Town of Beichuan. Soon Jinde will implement in the three areas of Chen Jiaba Town of Beichuan, Shuimo Town of Wenchuan and Pingtong Town of Pingwu. Jinde will continue to persevere in the implementation of these works for the welfare of the earthquake survivors, in the hope that before the arrival of winter, we can help more of our fellow citizens overcome difficulties arising in the harsh winter conditions.