Appeal Target: US$ 1,475,617

The massive earthquake of magnitude 7.8 that struck Central China at 14:28 on May 12^th 2008, Beijing Time, hit mainly the Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province, but some other provinces such as Gansu, Qinghai, Guizhou, Ningxia, Henan, Shanxi, Sha’anxi, Beijing and Jiangsu, were also affected with different levels of tremor.

Casualties have increased to at least 12,000 people, with more than 18,000 believed to be trapped in rubble. In some areas 80 percent of all buildings have collapsed and officials estimate that 3.5 million homes have been destroyed.

Heavy rainfall, power outages and impassable roads are slowing the rescue work. Doctors and other emergency workers were forced to walk to the epicenter, which they eventually reached 24 hours after the quake. Military officials have deployed approximately 50,000 troops to assist local emergency services. Trains carrying relief aid have begun to make their way to the affected areas, carrying more than 50,000 tents, fuel and numerous other relief materials.
 
ACT International member Amity Foundation is responding to the quake. Amity has deployed staff to the affected region and is coordinating their response with local partners. The areas of Gansu and Sha’anxi, especially Sichuan, are being targeted as they are the most severely affected areas, which induced large losses. Amity will focus its relief on approximately 8,000 families whose homes are destroyed and are among the most vulnerable communities.

In this crisis phase, Amity expects to ensure:

• 16,000 of the most vulnerable individuals have sufficient food (15 kilos of rice/person) to tide them over the immediate emergency period of food shortage
• 8,000 poor families have sufficient added protection through the provision of a quilt
• 8,000 homeless families have sufficient added protection to survive the bad weather conditions (weather forecast shows that heavy rains is expected in following two days in quake center areas) through the provision of a sheet of plastic cloth.

Following the crisis, Amity will assist in re-building by assisting with rehabilitation of 600 houses that were destroyed or severely damaged, construction of 10 schools, rebuilding five hospitals or clinics, rehabilitating five drinking water or irrigation systems. This appeal is issued as a preliminary appeal. Once the detailed assessments are finalized, Amity Foundation will be submit a full appeal in the coming weeks.

Project Completion Date: 30 April 2009

Reporting schedule:

Interim narrative & financial: 30 November 2008
Final narrative & financial: 30 June 2009
Audit: 31 July 2009

Signed by:

Robert White
Deputy Director, ACT Co-ordinating Office