ROKPA Earthquake Appeal

The charity ROKPA urgently calls for donations for the earthquake victims in Yushu, Qinghai Province

SEVERE EARTHQUAKE IN CHINA HITS TIBETAN POPULATION IN PARTICULAR

DONATE HERE (or for other ways to donate see bottom of page)

--- 13.08.2010 ---

These pictures of the earthquake damage and the current state of the town were taken in August. There are many buildings that are still very dangerous and not yet demolished.

The Orphans’ School has moved to a new site about half a mile away, with new prefabricated classrooms, dining room and dormitories. The old site has been cleared ready for rebuilding.

--- 30.07.2010 ---

This photograph, taken by a ROKPA representative this week, shows the extent of the landscape that once was houses and streets and now is covered with tents.

Also shown are some of the new concrete shelters built as homes, alongside a traditional yak tent and a family in one of the new tents provided by ROKPA.

 

--- 17.07.2010 ---

We distributed over 100 tents to some of the poorest people of the Yushu area, as well as to clinics and to families looking after orphans. They really need these tents to be prepared for the rain season and the lower temperatures (Yushu tonight: 7 degrees Celsius).

Thanks to our generous donations, this woman is receiving one of the 107 tents with 22 square meters for small families. She was glad to be able to move to her insulated and weatherproof new home.

To help ROKPA in Yushu at present, and in the long-term, please continue to give generously. ROKPA is able to reach those places that others cannot.

--- 16.06.2010 ---

Tibetans raise money in Edinburgh for earthquake survivors

All the Tibetan people in Edinburgh have been meeting together to raise money to help earthquake survivers.

Here, two who were the first students at the ROKPA Orphans School, who are now gaining skills in Edinburgh to bring home, are counting the proceeds from a home baking sale at the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh where they raised over £400 today.

--- 09.06.2010 ---

ROKPA is now in the process of buying 94 tents for the poorest families in and around Yushu, as well as two very large tents for about 50 monks from the Tulku College. They should arrive in Yushu at the end of June and will be distributed with the help of close ROKPA associates in Yushu and Chengdu to the neediest families.

The ROKPA tents will be insulated and fire-resistent with floors and designed to withstand next winter, unlike many of the tents that have been supplied so far. They will come with solar lighting. Arrangements for providing stoves and solar cooking are also in hand.

--- 02.06.2010 ---

FINAL DEATH TOLL TO BE AT 2,698 (reported by several media)

--- 17.5.2010 ---

This satellite picture demonstrates the extent of destruction in Yushu after the earthquake on 14th April and, like a miracle, the few remaining structures of the ROKPA Orphanage School in Yushu. It will be an enormous task to rebuild the city and the infrastructure in the years to come – an enormous effort also for ROKPA to keep the operations going for the school during this time of improvisation and make-shift conditions. Please keep supporting ROKPA!

Images (click to enlarge)

--- 23.4.10 ---

Even though damaged beyond repair, the Yushu Orphanage School was the first one in the town to open and the only one in which all the children survived. 80 new orphans were taken in and everyone moved into tents. Monia Chies, the Italian English teacher supplied through ROKPA, gave wonderful support to the children, helping them to cope with these traumatic times. She also helped with the massive relief effort and made huge efforts in keeping us up to date with the local situation.

Over 2,300 died in Yushu town (also known as Jyeku, or Jiegu). Officially over 200 are still buried although it is feared that the number is much higher than this. The count of injured people is now over 12,000. Many people in neighbouring towns and villages also lost their lives..

Tashi: I heard this from my brother, a teacher in Yushu. At about 5:00 a.m on 14th April a low magnitude quake woke people up, but many people then went back to sleep. Later the big earthquake came. At that time many students were reciting lessons outside, by the walls of the school buildings. They were crushed when the walls fell on them. Some students were going to the cafeteria to collect boiling water and the cafeteria collapsed and killed them. Despite all these terrible things, many people survived. They did not have any food for three days. After three days, instant noodles arrived when people were almost starving. Now people are cold; they don't have enough clothes, or blankets, or anywhere to stay.

One of the ROKPA Yushu Orphanage graduates, Sonam Choepel, one of our group of 50 graduate doctors, classmate to Droni (now studying in the Edinburgh). now deputy principal of the Chimarle Hospital, arrived from his nearby village on the first day worked with contacts in Beijing and Xining to bring in medical supplies.

Help will be needed for months and years to come.

The ROKPA Orphan’s School

Of the surviving 250 students there are now 60 children remaining in tents. The remainder have been sent to relatives out with the danger areas.

More information can be found at http://english.cctv.com/program/worldwidewatch/20100418/101482.shtml

The Orphan’s school is now famous as the only school where every child survived, but all the buildings are destroyed or unusable.

A new school will have to be re-built: probably much bigger than before to cope with the increased number of orphans.

In the remote and impoverished mountain region of Yushu (Qinghai province), at 3,800m above sea level, 97 per cent of the population are of Tibetan origin. This is where around 260,000 of the estimated 6 million Tibetans who have stayed in their home country live (in comparison with around 130,000 Tibetans living in exile.

The Charity ROKPA, which was founded in Zurich in 1980, is the leading aid organisation in the world active in Tibetan areas, with 150 education and development projects. ROKPA has been supporting the impoverished nomadic population in this region for 20 years with numerous projects including the school in Yushu for 250 orphans.

Most Tibetans in the region live in extreme poverty. The natural disaster has hit them hard and with the certainty that the coming winter will have to be endured under canvas, there will certainly be many more fatalities.

We are very grateful to all of you who have been in touch to offer support, either online by telephone, through the post or personally - THANK YOU!
MAKE A DONATION THROUGH ROKPA UK

SINGLE DONATIONS

ONLINE: Yushu Earthquake Emergency Relief / Re-build

REGULAR DONATIONS

ONLINE: Yushu Earthquake Emergency Relief / Re-build
BY POST: Single Donation Form BY POST: Regular Donation Form
DONATIONS OUTSIDE THE UK

For European accounts pay online at: http://rokpa-yushu-relief.org/wordpress/

 

 

For US accounts pay to ROKPA USA, 6501 Gretna Green Way, Alexandria, VA 22312 (tax relief applies)

or contact: info@rokpa.org, for bank details for US bank accounts.

ROKPA UK is part of ROKPA Trust, reg. charity in England & Wales (1059293) and in Scotland (SCO38628)

If you have any queries about making a donation contact ROKPA UK Overseas Projects (details below)

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