Sichuan Earthquake Rehabilitation Project
Location: Sichuan Province
No. of Recipients households: 4000 No. of animals given: approximately 21,000 goats or pigs and 50,000 small animals or poultry No. of pass-on families: 9000 On May 12, 2008, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Sichuan province. As of 6 July, 69,196 people were dead and 354,045 injured, according to the Information Office of the State Council. Ten counties were designated by the State government as extremely devastated: Wenchun, Beichuan, Mianzhu City, Shifang City, Qingchuan, Maoxian, Anxian, Dujiangyan City, Pingwu and Pengzhou County. An additional 29 counties in Sichuan Province were listed as severely affected areas. This project will provide 4,000 affected families in 20 villages of 5 counties with training on Heifer’s Values-Based Holistic Community Development, personal leadership, Cornerstones, group management, savings and credit, among others. Families will receive animals appropriate to their situation including chickens or ducks, geese, rabbits, goats or pigs, beef cattle, honeybees and silkworms. In five years, target families will receive approximately 21,000 goats or pigs and 50,000 small animals or poultry. Livestock will improve livelihoods while self-help groups will help bring families and communities together. Through Cornerstones and group management training the affected families will find ownership and reconnect with the neighborhoods they lived among. Training will also cover natural disaster resistance and management to help rebuild lives. Another 9,000 families will benefit from passing on the gift. 