One year after a massive earthquake struck Sichuan Province in southwestern China, residents are still recovering. It was on May 12 near the city of Beichuan that a magnitude-7.8 quake leveled towns and buried residents. In the end, it left more than 90,000 dead or missing and nearly 5 million homeless.
Heart to Heart was one of the first groups on the scene. Our medical staff in Chengdu quickly mobilized for action and joined the Chinese Red Cross in providing emergency care for survivors.
We were able send a GO Team of 30 U.S.-based volunteers and several additional staff members to help coordinate the unprecedented relief effort.
Within 30 days of the disaster, Heart to Heart had mobilized nearly 4,000 China-based volunteers to assist in delivering relief supplies to villagers trapped in mountains and hillsides of Sichuan.
Thanks to grants from companies like FedEx and New York Life, we have continued to focus our efforts on disaster-readiness training over the past year.
We are remembering China today, as the nation marks the one-year anniversary of the Beichuan earthquake.
On May 22, another Heart to Heart team will travel to Chengdu and help lead training exercises on pandemic preparedness and emergency-response coordination.
You can support the team's efforts by making an online donation today.
