The recovery: one year after the earthquake in China
Jun-jun's school in China is one of seven schools Plan is helping reconstruct as part of the recovery efforts following the Sichuan earthquake of 2008.
Photo: Plan staff
Photo: Plan staff
May 12, 2009
Plan was one of the first NGOs to deliver emergency shelter following the Richter scale 8 quake which left 85,000 people dead and some 10 million people homeless or displaced.
Jun-jun had just returned to class from lunch when the shaking began. Looking back to the terrifying day almost a year ago, he recalls being violently thrown around — and then nothing. The next thing he recalls is waking up scared stiff and stumbling out of the wreckage of his classroom.
May 12 marks the one-year anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake in China. The effects were devastating: across the country, more than 85,000 people died, over 18,000 were reported missing and an additional estimated 10 million people were adversely affected.
Jun-jun was lucky, but many others weren’t: over 5,300 children lost their lives that day — most when their classrooms collapsed upon them.
While Jun-jun did not suffer any physical injuries, he did (like thousands of other children) lose his school. After the earthquake, students were forced to study in makeshift shelters — exposed to the elements, constantly worried about tremors and lacking an adequate learning environment.
Rebuilding for the children
Plan acted swiftly to construct a new school building for Jun-jun and his fellow classmates. Our goal was to help them construct a school that would provide an inspiring as well as a safe learning environment. Working with the children, their teachers, and their families, we sought to ensure the school met their needs and could withstand future natural disasters.
“Studying in the new classrooms, we will never have to worry about earthquakes,” said Jun-jun.
Plan’s earthquake recovery program in China focuses on building the resilience and preparedness of children, families and communities to mitigate and cope with the effects of disasters. Children, central to our work, are pivotal in the development of psychosocial support, school reconstruction, water and environmental sanitation efforts, and other projects.
Going forward, Plan aims to provide continuing technical advice to local governments within China for the reconstruction of child-friendly schools, such that newly built schools offer a healthy, safe, accessible (including for disabled children) and appealing learning environment for children.
Overview of earthquake response and disaster preparedness
The vast majority of our response and reconstruction efforts in China have been possible through contributions from Plan’s global family of child sponsors and donors, including a large number of corporations. We’ve been able to respond quickly and effectively when the need was greatest and to continue supporting families and communities in efforts to rebuild their lives.
When the earthquake first struck, Plan quickly mobilized over US$2 million in grants to help support the survivors, providing temporary accommodation, schools, rice and blankets.
Today, one year after the earthquake:
“Plan’s participatory post-disaster recovery program has given them the courage and tools to see that their future can look bright again,” he said.
Donate today to help provide immediate relief to children and families affected by disasters.
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Jun-jun had just returned to class from lunch when the shaking began. Looking back to the terrifying day almost a year ago, he recalls being violently thrown around — and then nothing. The next thing he recalls is waking up scared stiff and stumbling out of the wreckage of his classroom.
May 12 marks the one-year anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake in China. The effects were devastating: across the country, more than 85,000 people died, over 18,000 were reported missing and an additional estimated 10 million people were adversely affected.
Jun-jun was lucky, but many others weren’t: over 5,300 children lost their lives that day — most when their classrooms collapsed upon them.
While Jun-jun did not suffer any physical injuries, he did (like thousands of other children) lose his school. After the earthquake, students were forced to study in makeshift shelters — exposed to the elements, constantly worried about tremors and lacking an adequate learning environment.
Rebuilding for the children
Plan acted swiftly to construct a new school building for Jun-jun and his fellow classmates. Our goal was to help them construct a school that would provide an inspiring as well as a safe learning environment. Working with the children, their teachers, and their families, we sought to ensure the school met their needs and could withstand future natural disasters.
“Studying in the new classrooms, we will never have to worry about earthquakes,” said Jun-jun.
Plan’s earthquake recovery program in China focuses on building the resilience and preparedness of children, families and communities to mitigate and cope with the effects of disasters. Children, central to our work, are pivotal in the development of psychosocial support, school reconstruction, water and environmental sanitation efforts, and other projects.
Going forward, Plan aims to provide continuing technical advice to local governments within China for the reconstruction of child-friendly schools, such that newly built schools offer a healthy, safe, accessible (including for disabled children) and appealing learning environment for children.
Overview of earthquake response and disaster preparedness
The vast majority of our response and reconstruction efforts in China have been possible through contributions from Plan’s global family of child sponsors and donors, including a large number of corporations. We’ve been able to respond quickly and effectively when the need was greatest and to continue supporting families and communities in efforts to rebuild their lives.
When the earthquake first struck, Plan quickly mobilized over US$2 million in grants to help support the survivors, providing temporary accommodation, schools, rice and blankets.
Today, one year after the earthquake:
- Seven child-friendly schools in Shaanxi (including Jun-Jun’s school) are being rebuilt in adherence to national construction standards;
- Local teachers and volunteers have been trained to provide post-trauma psychological rehabilitation;
- Centralized water and sanitary systems are being installed in nine villages (benefiting 9,354 people) in Northern Sichuan and Southern Shaanxi; and
- Plan China has a fully trained disaster relief and preparedness team to facilitate their response to the earthquake and to improve their capacity to respond to future emergencies.
“Plan’s participatory post-disaster recovery program has given them the courage and tools to see that their future can look bright again,” he said.
Donate today to help provide immediate relief to children and families affected by disasters.
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