Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Bryan's Blog on International Assistance Development CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion
On 12 May 2008, an earthquake measured at 7.9 on the Richter scale struck the capital of Sichuan, Chengdu. Many buildings in the area collapsed, burying thousands of people under the rubble. Many of them were children, who were attending school at that time. Many blamed the shoddily built school buildings, which were too flimsy and used cheap construction materials.
Many organizations offered their assistance to the Chinese government. One such organization is the Red Cross Society of China, receiving 887 million yuan in donations. In order to create an effective system of management, a local Disaster Management Centre, the Sichuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (SFPA) and the Poverty Alleviation Bureaus catered to the organizations which brought in aid to Sichuan. Aid was able to reach areas that were on level ground. However, as many bridges and highways collapsed during the quake, many mountainous areas were inaccessible by land transport. Even the air transport was unable to land in the village areas. Another factor was that China was lacking in the public healthcare system, resulting in numerous citizens without insurance to cover medical costs. The hospitals in the Sichuan area also collapsed during the earthquake.
The other problems that the Red Cross Society of China faced were that the roads leading into Sichuan were made inaccessible due to the congested traffic conditions. The disaster areas also lacked many necessities due to the heavy traffic. The Red Cross Society of China received donated goods that had short expiration lives such as food which expired by the time it reached the earthquake victims. As winter was coming, there was a great need to transport clothing and blankets to a great number of people, increasing the burden on the Red Cross Society.
Problems also occurred for the Red Cross Society of China outside the quake zone. Many cases of fraud happened with the suspects cheating people through fundraising using the organization’s name.
The Red Cross can work with the Chinese Army which was mobilized to send in paratroopers and helicopters into the rural villages in the mountainous areas. Through cooperation, they can land in much needed supplies and medical aid to the earthquake victims. The Chinese government can detour traffic that carries more important and easily expired goods to less congested roads. The Red Cross Society can request for financial donations instead which can purchase items in China, making it much more convenient for transaction. The Red Cross Society of China can issue press releases denying any wrongful intentions of using the funds and clarify that the organization does not authorize any individual fundraising. Most importantly, the Red Cross Society of China can partner itself with other organizations that are in the area to effectively divert aid to places that require the most attention.
Sichuan Earthquake 2008
Sources:
http://www.redcross.org.cn/ywzd/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/china-earthquake
http://gracefulyouth.org/sichuanearthquake.php
We Loved10:12 AM
April 2008