 
Featured programme - Earthquake RehabilitationRehabilitation: Reconstruction and Repair of Damaged Houses in Four Villages of Han Yuan County, Sichuan Situated 270 km southwest from the epicenter, Han Yuan County lost 23 lives and reported 500 injuries when it was hit by the devastating Wenchuan earthquake on May 12th 2008. It is one of 29 designated severely affected counties. Villages in peripheral areas were also affected. Some houses collapsed while others had cracks appear on many of the already worn-out walls. One of the most urgent needs for these poor communities is the rebuilding or repairing of their damaged houses.
Although the government has a policy to subsidize rebuilding and repairing of houses, the cost is so high that many villagers have resorted to high interest loans. As a result, they risk becoming trapped in a vicious cycle of debt if support is not offered in time. To ease the financial burden of the affected villagers, PCD agreed to support a house rebuilding and repairing project that is run by a Han Yuan based NGO named ‘Development Organisation of Rural Sichuan’ (DORS). Four affected communities have been identified in this first phase of the rehabilitation programme which will take one year. These are Maping 马坪and bordering Moduo 莫朵village in Yongli Township永利乡, Chalin 茶林 village in Pianma Township 片马乡and Hejiang 合江village in Xixi Township. They all have a mixed population of Han Chinese and Yi ethnic people. It is estimated that around 601 households will benefit from this project. To ensure that affected villagers participated in decisions on how resources would be used, lengthy and sometimes intense discussions were carried out among the four villages. Based on the decisions agreed, resources were used to purchase small construction devices for brick making, cement making and also for construction materials such as cement水泥, lime 石灰, tiles 瓦片and steel 钢筋. In February 2009, most households in 3 of the identified villages have begun work on their homes, and some have even completed their repairing and reconstruction. Towards the end of the initial housing reconstruction process, PCD and DORS will jointly explore ‘health walk’ activities to support the communities’ rehabilitation needs. It is hoped that the second phase of the rehabilitation work will help affected communities to build a healthier and more ecological village; a concept and lifestyle currently promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). By He Dexian, 10th March 2009 |
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