Sichuan Earthquake Relief Foundation

(四川地震帪灾基金)

On May 12, 2008 southwestern part of China has been struck by a major earthquake with 8.0-magnitude. This tragic event devastated a region of cities, towns and countryside close to and including the Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu. While the full pictures of casualties continue to develop, recent count of death toll has reached 69,163.

The Deyang (德阳) metro-area including MianZhu (绵竹) and ShiFang (什邡) is one of the major cities that encountered severe casualties from the deadly earthquake, for its geographical proximity to the quake's epicenter of Wenchuan County, and being a densely populated region. Large numbers of buildings in MianZhu, ShiFang were reported to have collapsed, killing and injuring many young students in the midst of afternoon school session, workers in factories and residents at home. Across all counties of Deyang more than 17,117 people have lost their lives.

Initiated by overseas individuals who had grown up in their beloved homeland in metro-area of Deyang, and joined by others not of the same home township but sharing equally saddened feeling, the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Foundation was set up as a non-profit organization to support our fellow hometown residents in their fight against the life-threatening tragedy. As we follow stories on local residents' efforts rescuing those still trapped underneath buildings, we deeply feel our limited capacity in providing immediate hands to the needed. However the aftermath recovering works will be a journey of great length and will need support from all directions of society.

While our first reaction is to collect support for the relief works across the entire region of impact, we think it's more practical to proceed with a focus. In this relief effort we have targeted the Deyang metro-region. This relief fund intends to support the most suffering area - the school and education system, and we look to achieve the following goals in an immediate to 6 months time frame:

• Seeking coordination from education committee at local government for targeting schools of the most severe damage and support their resumption to temporary activities. The relief fund will be used directly for leasing temporary classrooms and teaching facilities, providing textbooks, and furnishing other students necessities;

• Support transportation, board and room cost for students needing to attend alternative schools due to loss of their own by earthquake;

• Selecting schools and directly funding its reconstruction of teaching buildings and facilities;

• Financially assisting schools in recruiting experienced teachers to reach before-earthquake educational practice quality and beyond;

While the fund is currently being overseen by the members below, it welcomes everyone to join as directing members who share our emotion and would like to participate in the actual fund-raising and distribution process.

With sincere appreciation,

Directing Members, Sichuan Earthquake Relief Foundation