Sichuan Earthquake Appeal
Dear Friends,
The destruction, death,
and devastation caused by the May 12th earthquake in Sichuan and
surrounding areas are still being reported in our local news and
mass media, providing us with details of this tremendous tragedy.
Ms. Hongyu She of the Amity Foundation office at Nanjing has provided
the following updates: "Up to 2:00pm, May 17th, 28,881 confirmed
dead, 198,347 injured from the earthquake in Sichuan, China. Focus
of flood relief work will be shifted from urban to rural areas
(Source: CCTV-news channel)".
The Chinese government
officials, army personnel, doctors, nurses and host of volunteers
work round the clock to save the lives of tens of thousands of
victims to this tragedy. It will take many more days or weeks
before an accurate estimate of the death and destruction is known
as the earthquake (of 7.8 intensity on the Richter scale) destroyed
up to 80% of buildings in the hardest-hit region and has caused
severe breakdown of communication.
Amity Foundation has
released One million Yuan (about US$143, 000) in emergency funds
as a first step and has set up an Amity Relief Office in Chengdu.
Amity will coordinate its relief efforts with local partners and
other Chinese NGOs. Relief efforts will cover the provision of
food and water, medicines, sanitation, quilts and temporary shelters
for earthquake victims. Amity hopes to raise 10 million Yuan for
earthquake relief and rehabilitation.
Many of you, readers
of this appeal, are quite familiar with the situation in China
and the special help needed at occasions like this earthquake.
Please share this information with all the concerned people and
encourage them to donate to the relief work.
Those who wish to donate
to relief work, please send your check made payable to "One
Great Hour of Sharing", and mark on the check "China
Earthquake Relief", and send the check to the World Relief
Office, American Baptist Churches, USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge,
PA 19482-0851.
The updates of the
earthquake relief will continue to be posted at:
http://www.amityfoundation.org/wordpress/index.php
H.S. Wilson
Executive Director. FTESEA
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