Stories from the field

29 May 2008

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Above: the Sisters of Charity move into the disaster zone to help the victims with medical assistance.

Sisters of Charity nurse victims of China's earthquake

As the death toll from China’s earthquake climbs above 60, 000 people, the world watches on in horror, but also stands in support. In China itself the clergy have being holding daily prayers all across the nation, and calling on the faithful to come to the aid of the survivors.

In Sichuan, the province where the earthquake struck, this call has been inspirationally heeded by twenty six medically trained Sisters, who volunteered to be dispatched into the worst affected areas to give aid, medical treatment and comfort to the victims.

As the Sisters prepared to leave on this selfless journey they gathered at the headquarters of Caritas local partner Jinde Charities, and received intensive training under the guidance of a professional nurse who had participated in the Tangshan Earthquake rescue works in 1976.  – Tangshan was one of the worst earthquakes China has ever experienced, and the recent one to strike in Sichuan is considered to be the worst since.

The Sisters were a part of a volunteer team organised by local partner Jinde Charities to head into the disaster area, consisting of 45 members of both religious and non religious personnel.

The volunteer visit comes at a time when Sichuan's hospitals are struggling to avoid being overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, and the authorities have said saving lives is now the priority.

Many of the Sisters are trained nurses and have been assigned medical work by the disaster relief headquarters of Luoshui County.  All twenty six of the Sisters were given specific tasks to carry out, not only in hospitals as nurses, but also counseling the victims, visiting villagers and encouraging and consoling them, seeing to the hygiene and disinfecting of the three public places of worship – the Catholic church, Christian church and Buddhist temple – as well as working in the aid station to help prevent the spread of post disaster epidemics.

Amidst the other disaster workers, the Sisters are distinguished by the way they dress, bearing their veils and crucifix. They live in tents, just as the survivors are forced to do, rationing out scare resources like bottled water. One Sister confessed to not washing her face for six days because she did not want to waste the precious commodity.

The work carried out by the Sisters has been very strenuous; they work long hours and sometimes have to carry loads of disinfectant weighing up to 20kg. In this climate of selfless, demanding work, they have still found time for daily prayer, and time to spend consoling the victims of the quake.

Their work has not gone unnoticed. The mayor of Luoshui town, Shi Fang city, and the person responsible for the disaster relief command headquarter, Lan Yong told Jinde reporters,
“We are very satisfied with the help given by the Jinde team of volunteers. Especially the Sisters, whether rain or shine, they would carry the heavy load of disinfectant daily, moving around to disinfect the surroundings. Every day we can see their petit shadows, carrying out their work tirelessly. They bring to the disaster victims much consolation and blessings! We are very satisfied and we appreciate the silent dedication of the sisters.”

Although the Sisters have suffered the fatigue from their work, they remain in good spirits. They say that they are inspired by the sight of selfless giving all around them, especially by the young people who work without rest.

These examples of community compassion, and the satisfaction the Sisters feel from being able to help the victims, has led to some of them already volunteering  to stay back if they are needed. Remarkably, one sister even said that when they accepted the challenge of going to the disaster area to give aid, they were prepared for the worst  - to the extent of giving their own lives to help.

Local Bishops and Caritas agencies to meet longterm development needs

On the 19th of May, Bishop Joseph Li Liangui of Xianxian diocese and vice-chairman of Caritas local partner Jinde Charities held an emergency meeting to discuss the aid response they would offer in Sichuan province.

The very next day they organised to fly into the disaster zone. Bishop Li and his team immediately organised to visit and give their condolences to the victims, and to give support to the team of 45 Sisters and volunteers who had been working in the area.  However, an important part of their visit was to assess the urgent needs of the region, and begin to implement plans not only for this relief effort, but for the long term reconstruction and development that is needed.  With the immediate emergency over, efforts are now under way to improve conditions for survivors, many of whom face years of homelessness and hospital treatment.

Bishop Joseph Li Liangui reported that there are currently 45,000 displaced people in Luoshui town and there is an urgent need for tents and rice. Throughout the entire nation, there are over five million people now homeless who will have to move from makeshift refugee camps and into tent communities. The government is said to be in need of 900,000 tents to meet this demand.

To help meet these urgent needs in disaster areas, Jinde Charities, in collaboration with Caritas Germany and other Caritas agencies, will supply Sichuan disaster areas with big sized civilian tents of high quality.

The Disaster Relief Command Headquarter at Sichuan has said, “Several millions of people are homeless, living in temporary set-up tents and it is raining all these days. It is really a timely intervention for Jinde Charities and its partners to supply these tents as they definitely will benefit the victims.”

Fr. Paul Han, vice-director of Jinde, expressed hope that the Church NGOs, from both home and overseas, would come together to collaborate in the much needed relief interventions by responding to local needs and allowing for local led development.

Donate now

Caritas Australia is accepting donations to help the victims of the China Earthquake. To make a donation please ring 1800 024 413 or donate online.