News at ABWE
China Earthquake Relief
Image from nytimes.com
The massive earthquake on May 12 in central China has killed tens of thousands with one report of over 220,000 injured. Many of the towns around the epicenter of the quake have been totally destroyed, reduced to mountains of rubble. Getting to these locations in the best of times is difficult. Now, damaged roads have greatly slowed the relief efforts. Our hearts go out to the many who are suffering during this time.
Today, the Chinese government is devoting all the country’s resources to the recovery effort. More than 135,000 soldiers and medical personnel are assisting in the recovery efforts. Due to the publicity surrounding this disaster, many more people are donating funds, blood, and other items in an effort to help. However, in a short time the media will turn its eye to this summer’s Olympics, which will quickly overshadow the misery of the victims. Help will still be needed, but will be in short supply.
Our team in East Asia has been meeting with local contacts to assess how we can help. Our involvement will be more effective after the first wave of efforts by others, but gifts are needed now to prepare. So our team is currently identifying the best time to arrive on site and has developed a preliminary plan to provide not only physical assistance but long-term relationships to achieve the ultimate spiritual goal of spreading the good news.
The best plan now is to receive donations, to be used later for long-term needs such as medical supplies, housing, and schooling, when we can assess the true needs after the government’s efforts have been redirected elsewhere. We can also assure their most effective use for our spiritual goals.
Possible areas of assistance we foresee providing are:
- Providing aid/schooling for the many orphans who have lost their families in the earthquake.
- Providing housing/long-term care facilities for the many elderly whose family members were killed as a result of the quake and who have no one to take care of them.
- Assisting in rehabilitation/procurement of prostheses for the many disabled by the quake.
As you pray for the needs in China, please consider helping with a donation. Perhaps part of your economic stimulus rebate could help meet the many needs of our neighbors in China as they recover from the earthquake.
You can help us make a difference in lives and for eternity.
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