An insider's report on the China quake

People have asked Lisa and me if we were traveling near the China earthquake epicenter last month or if either of the girls have a connection to that area. The answer to both questions is "almost" -- Sophie is from Hubei provience and BiBi from Chongqing, each of which border the Sichuan province where most of the destruction took place. If we'd been in Chongqing, we probably would have felt the quake but not been affected by it.

Every day we read emails and online posts from other people in the adoption world who were affected, and I'd like to share one of those emails. It includes links to a charity we recommend that usually assists with adoptions but has lately been throw into disaster relief. Jenny Bowen, the executive director of Half the Sky Foundation, writes:

Dear Friends,

It's Monday afternoon here in China. As I write this, the entire country just held 3 minutes of silence to commence a 3-day period of national mourning. It began at 2:28 p.m., marking the very moment the massive quake struck in Wenchuan County, Sichuan. Flags flew at half-staff, the people wore white flowers and, heads bowed, held hands. Across the country, horns
and sirens wailed in grief.

There are 32,477 people confirmed dead, more than 35,000 still missing. ...

Ziyang Social Welfare Institution (SWI) – Building sustained severe damage. They care for 48 children, 20 of them under four years-old. They request 50 cribs and cots, bandages, 10 milk pots, children's clothes, 100 sets of bedding, bowls, spoons, chopsticks, toys and stationary supplies.

Deyang and Nanchong SWIs both have received notification that they should prepare immediately to receive newly orphaned children. All the children are living in tents. HTS will provide additional tents, beds and other requested items.

Guangyuan SWI – The children remain in tents. They were notified that they will be receiving several newly orphaned children (perhaps 50-60) very soon.



Shifang saw many of its schools destroyed, hundreds of children and their teachers buried. They sent us this heartbreaking story during the rescue efforts at Hongbai Primary School."

Here Jenny re-tells a story that will always be with me.

"'We found him!' Teacher Zhang Huibing's body was finally discovered, frozen in a posture of pushing against the door frame. According to the students saved by him, when the earthquake happened, Teacher Zhang was on the platform of the classroom on the second floor, which was very near the door. He yelled to the students, 'Run outside! Hurry!' And he somehow held the door frame up with both arms as the children ran out, one by one. Just as all the students were safely evacuated, the building collapsed on him. Teacher Zhang, who was only 30 years-old, had a 4-year-old child of his own."

About 30 children, from Yingxiu and Dujiangyang, were taken a Chengdu city park, the Qingyang Sports Center, which has been converted to a refugee camp. ... Most of the children in this camp who survived were in their teens. They told us that many younger children in their town did not survive because those in the primary schools and kindergartens were napping when the quake hit and could not run. ... The youngest camp resident was 16 days old.

Perhaps today's most heartbreaking story was about some of the 70 injured children who'd been carried down from the affected areas to Huaxi Hospital. ... A few children remained alone and unclaimed. They were required to sign their own consent forms so that the doctors could amputate their limbs to save their lives.

There are two ways to donate to Half the Sky. The first is their Children's Earthquake Fund via Global Giving. GG takes 10%, but it allows HTS staff to focus on relief efforts rather than processing funds. That URL is www.globalgiving.com/pr/2100/proj2086a.html.

The other way is directly to Half the Sky at give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Children's+Earthquake+Fund.