Redefining Lanzhou
  • Welcome
    • History
    • Air Quality
  • Blog
  • Sightseeing
    • City Walks >
      • Half-Day Walk
      • Walk to Hualin Ping
      • Air Battle Memorial
      • Chaoyang Cun
      • Fulong Ping
      • Walk through Xujia Wancun
    • Mosques >
      • Xiguan Mosque
      • Lingmingtang Mosque
      • Nanguan Mosque
      • Waterside Mosque
      • Walk to Hualin Ping
      • Walk through Xujia Wancun
    • Temples >
      • White Pagoda Hill Park
      • Five Springs Hill Park
      • White Cloud Temple
      • Baolong Shan
      • Confucian Temple
      • Jiaolong Temple
      • Huang Miao
      • Xujia Shan
    • Parks >
      • White Pagoda Hill Park
      • Five Springs Hill Park
      • Lanshan Forest Park
      • Xinglong Shan
      • Xihu Park
      • Waterwheel Garden
      • Retired Officials Park
      • Bonsai Park and Flower-Fish Market
      • Wetland Park
      • Xujia Shan
    • Museums >
      • Gansu Provincial Museum
      • Lanzhou City Museum
      • Steles Forest
      • 8th Route Army Office
      • China Qinqiang Opera Museum
      • Lanzhou Painted Pottery Museum
    • Activities
    • 1 to 3+ Days
  • Getting around
  • Listings
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants and Bars
    • Imported food and drinks
    • Antiques, arts & crafts
    • CDs DVDs Books
    • Electronics & Mobile Phones
    • Teaching and Studying
    • Wi-Fi
  • Map
  • Slideshow
  • Further afield
    • Gansu >
      • Pingliang
      • Tianshui
      • Linxia
      • Bingling Si
      • Xiahe
      • Yellow River Stone Forest
      • Dunhuang
    • Qinghai >
      • Ta'er Si
      • Qinghai Lake
      • Yushu
    • Shaanxi
    • Sichuan >
      • Danba
      • Tagong and Bamei
      • Daofu
      • Lake Kashacuo
      • Lake Xinluhai
      • Manigange
      • Songgemani
      • Shiqu
    • Yunnan >
      • Lijiang
      • Lugu Hu
      • Xishuangbanna
  • About / Contact

OLYMPICS SIGNS AROUND LANZHOU

4/7/2008

 

Just a few of the Olympics-related signs I've seen around Lanzhou recently. The Torch relay passes through Gansu this week. The revised route takes in Dunhuang (5 July), Jiayuguan (6 July), and Lanzhou (7 July).

As well as the explicit references to the Sichuan earthquake, there are also a few hidden ones. E.g. the use of 奉献 (fèngxiàn, meaning to 'respectfully give; devote', used recently in the context of charitable donations) and the mention of Gansu's low spirits (the south of the province was also affected quite badly). 

Strength in unity, fighting the earthquake, providing disaster relief:


了解更多

NGO PARTICIPATION IN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

14/6/2008

 

The response to the earthquake that hit Sichuan on May 12 has demonstrated that civil society in China is getting stronger.

Major aid Organisations, such as Oxfam and Save the Children, have worked alongside the government and army, arranging donations and providing services to the affected people.

Yesterday, I attended a forum at Lanzhou University on how NGOs can effectively participate in earthquake reconstruction.

The afternoon started with an introduction to the aftermath of the earthquake in the Longnan area of Gansu, 200 km from the epicentre in Wenchuan, Sichuan province. In Gansu, over 300 people died and half a million homes were destroyed.

The main speakers were from 2 Taiwanese organisations.

A group of volunteers from United Way discussed their experiences of the last month in Longnan, where they have been offering psychological counseling for children. Through games and activities they tried to help the children come to terms with the disaster, and build up their confidence for the future. They also trained teachers to continue the work after they leave.

The second group, the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, discussed their role in the aftermath of the Chichi earthquake in Taiwan in 1999. In particular, they reminded the audience of the unexpected consequences of neglecting adult counseling, and only focusing on children. For example, they recorded an increase in violence in the home, depression and alcoholism.

All the speakers stressed the importance of careful planning in disaster relief. NGOs cannot arrive on the scene with a fixed plan, and rush to execute it.

Instead, the audience was reminded of the basics: carry out on-the-spot needs analyses (questionnaires and forums), and only then move on to devising short and long-term plans. It is equally important to train local people to continue the work that you started, to ensure sustainability after you leave.

The advice seems simple, but I know from experience just how easy it is for volunteers to arrive in a deprived area and interpret the needs of locals to fit the preconceived plans they arrived with.

Further reading:
Despite being currently frozen, the China Development Brief site is still accessible, and has a large bank of NGO stories. The vacancies area of the site is still in operation, though.


    Sights and Sounds

    RSS Feed

    free counters

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Air Battle Memorial
    Air Quality Comparison
    Amazon Italian Restaurant
    Anning District
    Antiques
    Baian Supermarket
    Baishu Xiang Mosque
    Baita Shan
    Baiyin
    Baolong Shan
    Battle Of Liberation
    Beilin
    Birdwatching
    Boat Ride
    Bonsai Park
    Books
    Bookshops
    Buses
    Carved Gourds
    Chaoyang Cun
    Chaoyang Shan
    Chengyu Park
    Childrens Park
    Chinese New Year
    Chinese Opera
    Chorley
    Coffee
    Confucian Temple
    Dangjiacun
    Demolition
    Der Spiegel
    Development
    Dunhuang
    Earthquake
    Environment
    Excursions
    Fireworks
    Five Springs Mountain Park
    Flickr
    Flower Fish Market
    Flower Fish Market
    Foreign Language Bookstore
    Frank Meyer
    Fulong Ping
    Gansu
    Gansu Specialities
    Getting Around
    Gonglin Lu Mosque
    Graffiti
    Hexi Corridor
    Historical Photos
    History
    Hiv Aids
    Hualin Ping
    Huang Miao
    Hukou Waterfall
    Hulu Gourds
    Jiandao Xiang Market
    Jiaolong Temple
    Jiayuguan
    Jiefang Men
    Joseph Rock
    Labrang Monastery
    Language
    Lanshan Forest Park
    Lanzhou New Area
    Ling Ming Tang Mosque
    Listings
    Lonely Planet
    Luminous Glasses
    Marathon
    Materials Market
    Mosques
    Mountain Biking
    Museums
    Music
    Music Fountain
    Nanchang Lu
    Nanguan Mosque
    Nanguan Shizi
    Ngos
    Night Time
    Olympics
    Otto Schoerner
    Parks
    Photography
    Pollution
    Public Service Information
    Public Transport
    Qilihe Daqiao
    Qinghai
    Qinghai Lake
    Qinqiang Opera Museum
    Qiyun Shan
    Retired Officials Park
    Rev Claude Pickens
    Roller-coaster
    Shaanxi
    Shanzishi Church
    Ski Centre
    Steles Forest
    Swimming
    Ta Er Si
    Taiqing Gong Temple
    Taxis
    Temples
    Thai Restaurant
    The East Is Red Square
    The Economist
    Tianfu Shagong
    Tourist Map
    Train Station
    Train Timetables
    Travel
    Uighur Restaurants
    Walks
    Waterside Mosque
    Waterwheel Garden
    Weather
    Websites
    West Lake Park
    Wetland Park
    White Cloud Temple
    White Pagoda Hill Park
    Winter Swimming
    Wuquan Shan Park
    Wuxing Ping
    Xiahe
    Xian
    Xiaoxihu Mosque
    Xiguan Mosque
    Xigu District
    Xi Hu Park
    Xinglong Shan
    Xining
    Xujia Shan
    Yellow River Stone Forest
    Yintan Bridge
    Zhongshan Bridge
    Zipline
    Zipwire

    Archives

    March 2014
    April 2013
    September 2012
    November 2011
    August 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    September 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008


Powered by
✕